Helllooooo my
loved ones!
I had a
great week, as always! It's definitely not summer anymore here in Georgia. It
was super cold this weekend (60 degrees...FREEEEEZING RIGHT? lol) Football
season has made the whole South act as crazy as ever because the games have been
so wild. On Saturdays for 3 hours while the Dawgs are playing I can kiss any contacting
opportunities, “Goodbye” because I can't talk to ANYONE. Ha ha! I can't blame
'em though. I'd be watching too if I could!
Of course
there was something better on this weekend though… General Conference! (I know
you all were watching it instead of football.) Seriously, it was amazing! It
dawned on me this weekend that this is my 3rd Conference in the field because
there was one right when I started serving, which means I only have one left.
Just the thought makes me shutter! This was by far the best Conference I've
ever heard in my life. Maybe it's because the longer I'm serving, the more I
appreciate modern-day prophets and everything the Church has to offer. The real reason I felt like this Conference
was so inspiring for me was because prior to listening, I wrote down 10
questions that have really been on my mind lately, and prayed that God would
help me answer them. So, with the questions in mind, I listened really closely,
and it was crazy how well they were answered! Seriously, there were some talks
where I felt like the speaker was talking directly to me. It was a huge
testimony builder. The Church is true!
As far as missionary work goes, things are going great. We had tons of lessons with less active members this week and committed two of the families we met with to let us teach their children. It's been hard for us to find new investigators, so Elder Larsen and I have been praying diligently to find people. On Saturday, before the Priesthood Conference session, our prayers were answered! We had a lesson with a less active lady and when we got there, she introduced us to her non-member grandson who lives in the area and usually spends 3 days a week at her house. He's going through some rough things with his family so we're going to start teaching him when he’s at her house. I'll let you know how it goes.
On
Wednesday we were teaching our man, Earl Alexander, who I've told you about. We
were supposed to teach his friend, Robin Hood, with him that night, but a few
hours before our appointment she ended up getting really sick and going to the
hospital! So, we just focused our lesson on him and it ended up being an
effective lesson because we were able to help him understand the importance of
tithing so he can be worthy to attend the temple again. For the last few weeks,
we've also been trying to teach Brother Alexander's less active son and his
family, but whenever we're there they are drunk hanging out in the back yard
and it really makes Brother Alexander sad. So after our appointment, Elder
Larsen looked at me and said, "We need to go talk to them right now and
tell them that they need to respect their father and come to our lesson this
week." As he was talking I was thinking, "Whoaaa! Where did that come
from?" Then he continued, "I don't know man. I’ve just got an
impression that we need to!" Well of course, me being the wimp that I am,
starting making excuses about how they were drinking and it was pitch black
outside and they were going to get mad at us...blah… blah… blah… Excuses. Excuses.
So, finally we agreed that we would pray about it. Then, we would make our decision about whether
or not to talk to them. After we prayed, Elder Larsen did this routine that he
alwayssss does (usually as a joke) where he flips open the book of Mormon,
closes his eyes, points to a random scripture and yells, "GIVE ME
REVELATION!" So, he did it, and he read the following verses:
"And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing
beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth, and as I
came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the
earth before me, for he was drunken with wine." 1 Nephi 4:6-7
Could those
scriptures be any more direct to our situation? It was crazy! I definitely
learned a lesson that night. And, the best part of the story is that the family
actually agreed that next week they would have us over for dinner and sit in on
the lesson afterward. We're so excited!
Also on
Wednesday we had the opportunity to drive to Athens with all the missionaries
in our stake to see a sneak peek of the new movie, “Meet the Mormons!” IT WAS SO
GOOD! You have to go see it. I wish the Church would just give each of the
missionaries a ton of DVDs to pass around because if everyone could watch that
movie they would be calling us off the hook! Ha ha! Seriously, you have to see
it! The very first person they talk about is a black bishop from Atlanta who is
actually a stake president now. Also, this will make more sense when you see
it, but in the movie it shows him and another man fighting about who's barbeque
is better. This other man is Elder
Parker, who is now an Area Seventy and I know him because he came and spoke to
us. Without giving too many details away, the last person featured in the film
is a missionary-mom whose conversion story is told. At the end you’ll see the family packing the
missionary’s bags and sending him off on his mission. Watching this unfold made
me think about how lucky I am to have a supportive family and tons of friends back at home. I love
you guys so much! I know I don't give the most detailed letters in the world of
everything I do every week but it is literally impossible, so if there is one
thing you should know every week it's that I love all of you and I'm grateful
for you!
Well I didn't
eat anything crazy this week or get chased by dogs on my bike, so that's a
relief!
Finally, I
have to give a “shout out” to my man, Elder Henry Morris, for singing in the
MTC choir during Conference. I always knew he had the voice of an angel.
I love you
guys!! Thank you for everything! So long suckaaaaassss
Elder Roderick
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