Elder Dallin Stout

So last Monday we had to take the car in to get something repaired. We took the 2nd ward Elders with us and we had to wait for 2 hours. In the waiting room we wrote letters and I read from the scriptures. There was a TV show on that was a bunch of women talking about worldly things. We had been trying to ignore what we were hearing but it got to the point that the conversation had gotten very inappropriate and I found it hard to focus on reading. So we got up and went outside to wait on the sidewalk curb.  

The next day had an appointment with a family who wanted to know more about us. We took John with us and we had a 2 hour lesson on answering questions and the restoration. They are a great family and we will continue to teach them.

On Saturday we meet a lot of people who were Hispanic, so I didn't say much. We talked to a guy named Joe who immediately told us that he had seen Jesus. He went off on a bunch of anti Mormon stuff. When we told him that we may not agree on doctrine and testified of Jesus Christ, he was less accusing and we wished him a Merry Christmas. Later we had a lesson with Kirk, a man we met tracting. He was very laid back and asked a lot of good questions. We taught him about the restoration and eternal families. He has 3 kids and loves his family, he was teaching one of his kids how to shoot a BB gun while we were teaching him. I am excited to have another lesson with him he is open to learning and we left him with a Book Of Mormon. 

Yesterday was the Christmas concert, we invited all our investigators but they didn't come. Joan told me that morning she would and then canceled last minute. Mary, our investigator with a baptismal date didn't come to church either. In our last few lessons with her she seems to have forgotten why she made the commitment. She has severe memory problems so its hard to teach her but she knows her commitment and is working towards it. She needs all the help she can get if you could keep her in your prayers that would be helpful. 

  The Christmas concert last night was awesome! The best performance I have seen in any ward. They sang an African song that I have heard Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing. The last performance was silent night in different languages like: German, Greek, Italian, Russian, Spanish, French, Ugandan, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Mandarin. We are preparing to sing "Far far away on Judea's plains" ackapella (however you spell it) for the Christmas party this week.  

   Ya so my companion in the middle of the night sits up and shouts "will you read the Book of Mormon!" He is dreaming of mission stuff! I am done with my first transfer already! This week we ran into a lot of bible bashers, it was a very good learning experience for the both of us. We realized that we couldn't answer every question they had for us. They would ask questions but not listen to what we said without trying to twist our words. We decided that in those situations we can listen to them and simply testify of Christ. We don't want to waste time with these people when their are others who are already to harvest. 

A recent convert in the ward John, received the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday. His mother Mary is an investigator and that same day she came to a baptism. The service was for an 8 year old named Jacob, he is mentally handicapped and it was a great opportunity to see someone perfect be baptized. He didn't need to be baptized but neither did the son of God, he was an example to me of someone who is exactly obedient.