Week 10 in Marksville: COVID can't stop, won't stop the Work

 Bonjour amis et familles!


What an amazing week out in the field! Weeks like these are why I'm out here on a mission. When we received news that since one of the two families that shows up at church had COVID and because of that, they weren't going to have services for 2 weeks, we thought it was going to be another slow week. Let's explain that was not the case:

MISSIONARY MOMENTS OF THE WEEK

This week was the complete opposite of last week. The complete opposite of a lot of weeks I've had so far. For the first time since I got here, we have someone new who we're teaching! In fact, we have 3 new people!

The first lesson we had this week was with a girl who I'll call 'Sophie.' Sophie's grandma is a member, she is not. Sophie's grandma invited us over for dinner last Sunday so we went over there and Sophie was there. She started asking questions about our church and it led into one of the most spirit-filled lessons on what we believe I've ever been a part of. We testified of God's love for her and more about who God is, and I just got the most powerful, good feeling. I know that what we taught her is true.

On Saturday, we were able to have another lesson with a convert of about a year and her two friends, who I'll call 'Rhonda' and 'Monique.' Again, it was one of those times where we were, in essence, invited over to go talk to them. After talking a little about how the Gospel has blessed this new member's life, we were prompted to ask if baptism was something that Rhonda or Monique wanted. And they both said YES! So we scheduled a baptism for the end of next month! The Work goes forward!

FUNNY QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"You'd burn anything except a baby."

Alright context: we got a king cake from a bakery in town this week. It's a Mardi Gras favorite. Tradition is that you put a little plastic baby in the cake and whoever has the piece with the baby has to provide the cake and the party next year. So Elder Groom has this little plastic baby that he thought about taking a lighter to. Because 18-year-olds are curious little creatures (I speak as if I was never 18). Elder Kephart's above statement was enough to dissuade him, though.

SCRIPTURE/SPIRITUAL THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

D&C 128:22:

"Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!..."

This is Joseph Smith talking about the Work of bringing forth the Gospel, and I was reminded of it a lot this week. Some people might think why I chose to come out and serve a mission right now, given the world circumstances. Some people might just be wondering why I'm out here in Marksville, Louisiana at all. My answer to those queries is that this work is a great cause. Bringing souls closer to their Savior is the greatest and most important cause there is. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now (except maybe also on a mission, but in Africa, but I digress). If anyone reading this has any further questions about why I'm doing what I'm doing, I'd love to answer them. It's literally my job to do so.

Je vous aime tous!
Elder May

PICTURES
1. Elder Mills demonstrating the limit of how close we can get to water.
2. Same location. Place called Spring Bayou. Peep Elder Kephart magnet fishing.
3. Somewhere over there is the Mississippi (the river and the state). Took this going 60 on a two-lane highway because LA speed limits are whack.
4. We ate at a member's house yesterday for lunch. Turns out squirrel brain isn't that bad.






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