September 29, 2014
Holy cow! It's been another week! Where does the time go?
So this week has been tough. We keep having appointments drop on us. It seems to me that the more I try to be an effective planner, the more appointments cancel on us. It's getting harder and harder to see so much rejection. But there's a reason for that. I'm learning to love the people. Truly love them.
There is one kid we're teaching who is a member, but hasn't been to church in years. He's an extremely talented singer, song writer, and guitarist. So much potential. But he made some poor decisions with friends and now he's in a real bind. He feels absolutely hopeless. He knows he should come back to church. He knows it's true. But he won't do it. And he won't let us help him. I get worried sick some nights because of this kid. I know I can help him, but he won't meet with us anymore. His father really wants us to help him, because he can't get in to see his son either. He's made contact with the sister missionaries in State college and they're worried about him too. It seems everyone is asking us to help him, and we're really trying. But he wont let us. I don't know what we're gonna do.
One scripture gives me comfort about this situation. I forget exactly where it is, but Alma the younger is telling his conversion story, in this verse he calls out to god and says immediately he feels his guilt washed away and the joy he felt was just as exquisite as was his pain. He had been racked with eternal torment, but when he called out to god, God pulled him out of that place, to a place so full of joy, he couldn't describe it. Well this kid seems like he feels this eternal torment of which alma speaks. All he needs to do is call out God, Repent, and change his ways, and he too can feel the exquisite joy Alma felt. I have faith that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can turn this kids life around. He just needs to use it.
I love this gospel. I love the power of the atonement.
Well on a lighter note, a few good things happened this week! We finally got a new car! And the week we got it, we almost hit a bear.... Nope, not a deer... a black bear. The roads out here are like canyon roads back home, lots of blind corners and tons of trees. Also, if it's morning or late evening, there's a thick fog to add to the fun. We drive pretty cautiously, but neither of us expected a hulking Black Bear to be in the road in front of us on one such blind corner! We drove around it as it lumbered up the side of the hill into the trees. Pretty cool, I wanted to get out of the car and get a picture with it, but Elder Bryant said no... Party pooper... I named this Bear Smokey. Not sure why that name fits so well with a black bear, but hey, when it works, it works.
Well I gotta go! Thanks for all the letters everyone! keep 'em comin! haha
-Elder DeFreese
1. My Zone
2. Awesome view on the way to David's house
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