So this week has had it's ups and downs. For starters, it is getting really hard to teach people. Laura, our investigator, won't set a baptismal date because she thinks that she doesn't have a testimony, but she believes the Book of Mormon, so it's weird. A lot of people have been saying that they'll get back to us when they have time which usually means never. Tony has been saying that, but Moe came to the Trunk n treat activity we had so I think there's hope for them. We haven't had any new investigators but yesterday we met a guy tracting who said he had a friend who was LDS and he accepted a Book of Mormon and he said he might read it. He's about the only potential we've met tracting because Kyle is never home when we set up appointments so we stopped trying with him.
Every Tuesday we go to the thrift store that I think is Catholic run and we serve because it is non-profit. There we met a man named Richard Long. He is african-american and Elder Cluff and I don't think he's quite all there. He asked us to come by on Wednesday so we did. We got to his apartment and he let us in. He then turned on a CD playing some weird, Christian music and then he got on his little electric piano and started playing it. Actually it sounded like he was just banging on the keys because it didn't go along with the song at all and it sounded like Jacob was playing the piano. I had to try really hard to not just burst out laughing. He did ask us about the book we had and so we gave him a Book of Mormon and set up another appointment so we'll see where that goes.
Venice is the best though. She not only gave her mother-in-law a Book of Mormon, but she got her mother-in-law and her daughter to come to the Trunk n Treat. She is just the best. Hopefully through her example and happiness they will come to a lesson with her soon. There's also this guy named Donald Betts who we taught on Tuesday. I think I went over this last week but we set up an appointment with him on Tuesday and it was interesting. While we were preparing a lesson for him, we saw how often he had been taught in the past, which is a lot. He might be an eternigator (somebody who investigates for eternity). He had his wife and 3 of his kids murdered like a year ago so that was.... something different I guess. We talked to him and he said he wanted to get baptized but he wanted to quit smoking first and he wanted to get over the murders previously mentioned. So we invited him to pray about a date to set for baptism and set up another appointment so we'll see how that goes. He likes to talk a lot so it's going to be hard to teach him because Elder Cluff doesn't talk a lot and I only talk a lot when it's not to a stranger or it's about Star Wars.
So on Thursday we went to Rogers, Arkansas for a meeting for brand new missionaries. There was one in Tulsa which is a little bit closer but we arranged for a ride from a member in the Neosho branch with the Neosho missionaries. So we drove to Neosho and then a member drove us to Rogers Arkansas. We had an incredible meeting with President Shumway. The guy is incredible. Something that I didn't know is that he has turned the Tulsa Oklahoma mission into one of the most successful missions in the world. We also have one of the biggest missions in the world missionary wise. There are about 260 missionaries in the mission (there was only like 120 when he started). He was telling us about the last mission survey that all the missions have to take and how our numbers and percentages were through the roof. I seriously wouldn't be surprised to see him as an apostle one day, it's gonna happen. The lesson was two hours long but it was too short. I loved every minute of it and learned a ton. Hopefully I can train one day before President Shumway goes home so that I can go to that meeting again, which isn't likely because he goes home in July of next year.
So on Sunday, we had to go to Rogers Arkansas again. We had to get up at 4:45 so we could drive down to the Russ's (who are in our branch but live like 45 minutes away) and then the Russ's drove us to Rogers. The Joplin, Missouri stake was getting split and they were making a Monet, Missouri stake. The Rogers Arkansas stake was also getting split and they were making a Bentonville Arkansas stake. So the church rented out a convention center and Elder Bednar presided. It was sooo good. Elder Bednar is such an incredible speaker and the talk he gave was just fantastic. So I was really glad that they didn't broadcast it because I was really happy that I could go to that.
So this Wednesday we get to go to, you guessed it Rogers Arkansas! Whoo-hoo. We are having a zone conference where Elder Packer of the 70 (he just spoke in conference I think) is going to be there. We are going into it fasting so it should be a super good experience. They are also going to break the fast there and there will be food but it's at 9 so we're going to have to get up early again, sigh.
Hopefully we will get more investigators soon because it really stinks not having any appointments and having to think of stuff to do like tracting, I am not fond of tracting.
Keep me in your prayers and I love you all!
Love,
Elder Naegle
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