Southport is doing fantastic!! our investigators are slowly but steadily
progressing. I have a great story for this week though :) Hopefully Mom
doesn't get to freaked out. Anyway... Ok so last tuesday, the 15th, we
were biking down a road in our area contacting some former
investigators, some potential investigators, and some less active
members. We make an effort to talk to EVERYONE we see. So, true to our
standard, we saw a man back in his shed and we got off our bikes and
went to go talk to him. He was pretty nice, but the conversation quickly
went into beliefs about Christ and Baptism. He told us he very much
believed in Jesus Christ. His personal beliefs were that Christ suffered
for ALL of our sins, past present, and future. (which is 100% correct)
but stated that the way we partake in the Atonement is just by accepting
Jesus Christ as our savior. Which, again, is a partial truth. His
definition of acceptance though was just a statement. "I accept Jesus as
my savior" sort of an idea. he told us about his mafiosa uncle who
killed several people in his life, but when he was on his deathbed
"accepted Jesus as his savior by the smoke in his hair." So, it didn't
matter who we were or what we did, as long as we accepted him, we made
it to heaven. So, me being me, I asked him "if you killed us right now,
would that be covered by Christ's Atonement?" So.... He goes to his
car, pulls out a pistol and starts waving it around saying "I could kill
you right now, and if I truly repented I would still make it into
heaven." In any case, I was super uncomfortable that he was waving a gun
around. Elder Thornton wasn't fazed. He said afterward the gravity of
the situation didn't hit him. Haha crazy. But we kept talking, he was
stuck in his ways and he wasn't going to change. We gave him a
Mormon.Org card and went to our next appointment.
But that's not all. :D
That
sunday, so like 5 days later, our Branch Mission Leader comes up to us
and asks if we were tracting down the road we met that guy on. We said
yeah. He asked if we talked to a man working in his shed. Again, we said
yes. Here's more background to the story... So the man we were talking
to was being tracked by our Branch mission leader and his team. Our
branch mission leader works for the Drug Enforcement Agency. When we
biked up and started talking to him, one of his agents said "Heads up,
we got two guys in suits in the yard." our branch mission leader then
got one of his agents to take him around to see who the "suits" were.
Which, of course, was just us missionaries :) haha. Anyway, he told us
that the guy we talked to had a tracker on his car, that one person in
that house we stopped at was arrested for drug trafficking THAT NIGHT
that we were talking to him, and that three living there more were
stopped on the border of Georgia and were busted for drug trafficking.
Elder Thornton and I were in the middle of a drug bust!!! hahaha!!! But
yeah. Pretty funny story right? :)
Well that's my exciting story for the week. I'll try to have another one ready for next week ;)
Ok, here's another great story.
We had a Mission Tour or whatever this week, so we got to hear from a
General Authority on thursday!!! We heard from Elder Piper! I'm not as
lucky as Josh, to hear from Elder Holland twice in two months ;) haha!
That's crazy!! But It was still an amazing experience!! These men are so
great!! So much wisdom. They're not afraid to tell it how it is
either!!
One
thing that stuck with me was this. He said that the BASIC doctrine of
everything could be considered Moses 1:39- "For behold this is my work
and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
if you think about ANYTHING that the church stands for or believes, it
goes back to that doctrine. GOD LOVES US. That's why he does everything.
That's why the Savior performed the Atonement. That's why we repent,
are baptized, and receive the holy ghost. That's why we have families.
That's why we have the chance to live with him again. It's fantastic!!
Another
thing that stuck with me was this-- Anytime either I or someone I'm
working with isn't obedient, I need to ask this question-- "What
doctrine don't I understand?" Notice, it isn't what doctrine don't i
KNOW, but what doctrine don't I UNDERSTAND? When we truly understand
Doctrine, we incorporate it. It goes back to Elder Packer's quote "True
Doctrine understood changes behavior. A study of doctrine will change
behavior faster than a study of behavior will change behavior." SO my
challenge this week is to look at something you have wanted to change
about yourself, or look at something you aren't being obedient about.
THEN, look at the doctrine behind it. I can promise that if you do so,
you will have a stronger desire to change, and the Lord will be more
willing to lend you his strength and assist you in your efforts to
change. I promise it!!!
Well. It's been a pretty eventful week :) I hope you are all doing well!
I love you!!! Keep up the good work!!! Improve yourselves!!!
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!
Love, Elder Kameron Kilbourne
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