Well, sadly, I only have two weeks left (although I am certain my mother isn't sad about that), nevertheless, I know that every moment spent here in Virginia and North Carolina was more than worth it. This week was eventful as well. Elder Morris' bike's seat post is fixed, but the back axle snapped in half.... but it is fixed now, luckily. The day we got his wheel fixed I got sick, though, and I am still sick with a nasty cough. I'm sure riding bikes everywhere is helping, though--actually it isn't. I feel like I'm going to die, but don't worry, I'll be okay.
This week we had interviews with President, and Sister Weed. President Weed gave me my departing interview, and told me that if I ever need a letter of recommendation or anything like that, he would do it for me, which will actually be very beneficial considering his work experience and status. I got sick on my birthday but Elders Morris and Norwood threw me a surprise birthday party anyways! I didn't seem very excited to them because I was sick but I really did appreciate it.
We had some really good experiences this week because we felt very led by the Spirit. Although sometimes I feel we, as church members, desire so badly to be led by the Spirit that we think the Holy Ghost is some kind of pathfinder way out in front of us, when in reality, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is to have the companionship of the Spirit. He is right there with us. God expects us to learn to make choices ourselves, and the Spirit will rescue us when our honest, best efforts are not enough, or when there is something very specific God needs us to do.
This week our experiences were mostly the kind where our own best efforts were not enough and the Spirit was there to help us know what to do. On Wednesday night all of our appointments cancelled on us and the member who was going to go with us fell through too. We had absolutely nothing to do and it was 8:30pm which is the hardest time to fill, but we wanted to work till 9 and not go in early, so we stopped and prayed. We felt distinctly like we should go to a certain apartment complex close by, so we went. When we were locking our bikes to a lamppost (Think we broke the light... when we bumped the post, the light burnt out, I think) before we could even finish locking our bikes, this girl came up to us and asked if we could help take some stuff up to her apartment. It turns out she is the daughter of a less-active family who we teach! We not only got to help her move stuff, but we cleaned the whole place, which was a serious mess. It was a mess because the night before Emily moved in the people who she was moving in with got in a drunken brawl and threw a tequila bottle through the wall! When we went through everything that was left I threw away at least $100 or more of whiskey, tequila, and other hard alcohol, and probably $50 in tobacco. At the beginning of my mission I was worried and nervous about inviting people to keep hard commitments or do things like throw away someone’s alcohol, but now I just feel so confident and bold in doing any of those things. I have no fear of them because I know how happy people can be when they really repent. When we left Emily's, she even asked us to come back, and told us that she wants to come back to church, she knew that is what she is missing in her life.
I look forward to teaching people about things like Tithing, the Word of Wisdom, or the Law of Chastity, because keeping those commandments cuts out the very problems most people we teach are facing in life. Those three commandments bring countless blessings for us now and in eternity. This week we taught Alec the Word of Wisdom, which I was really excited to teach, because he's been smoking for 45 years! Alec is a huge Harley Davidson fan, and we used the greatest motorcycle analogy for the living the Word of Wisdom. I opened the photographic history book of the Harley Davidson Company he had on his coffee table and pointed to the nicest pre-WWII bike in the book and asked Alec, "If someone gave this incredibly valuable bike to you, how would you treat it?" and he exclaimed "Oh man, I would keep it so clean and drive it so carefully-- I would keep it so safe, so no one could scratch it, and I'd make sure it was running in tip -top condition!" Then we asked him, "Alec would you ever fill it up with diesel fuel?" he told us, "NO, that would RUIN... Oh I get it, yeah.. that makes a lot of sense." Then we testified of the importance of our bodies. We explained to him that our bodies are a gift from God, who loves us, and our bodies are of an infinitely higher value than any Harley Davidson. They are a necessary part of God's plan for us to become like Him, and we should treat our bodies even better than we would a rare motorcycle.
Elder Morris, Elder Norwood, and I have been having so much fun riding around on our bikes everywhere and talking to everyone. We wave, smile, and say ‘hello’ to everyone. This week we passed a little kindergartner on her bike with her older brother, and as we rode past we told her that we liked her bike. In the cutest voice she yelled back, "THANKS!! I like your matching outfits!!!" We laughed and laughed! That was the best compliment we have gotten in a long time. It's true, though, we are always wearing matching outfits: a white shirt and a tie, riding on bikes. . . who else could that be, but the Mormon missionaries?! My next email will be my last full email. Look forward to that. So until next time, I hope y'all have a blessed week!
---Elder White
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