We've logged 1800 miles on the truck since we arrived. Our curriculum of the day is to "slow down." The urgency of the work makes it difficult to find a proper balance. We enjoyed a moment of comic relief last week as we sat in the parking lot eating our sack lunch (in the middle of nowhere) at the Elizabeth African Methodist Episcopal Church!
We have been working hard to catch up on four pages of media referrals that were way over-due. We visited three people at the State Mental Hospital in Chattahoochee. One of the people with whom we visited had been taught about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon by a fellow patient who is a member of the church. He was very upset because the other patients were telling him it wasn't true and asked what he could do about it. We referred him to the introduction to the Book of Mormon offering as a solution to have them read it and pray about it for themselves. This satisfied him, and he said, "I know it is true because I can see it in your eyes, and the eyes don't lie." It was a sweet and tender experience. I am so thankful for my previous experiences at the mental hospital in North Carolina which enables me to minister to the dear people here in the hospital.
Many wonderful things are happening. We are still teaching the Booths, Sadburys, Smiths, Lillian Hover, and friendshipping several others. We have second appointments with two families we contacted through the media referrals, the Jenkins family and Sharissa Cobbs. Sharissa just lost her job, her husband is incarcerated for spouse abuse, and she has two darling little girls about three and four years old, and another older boy. She called the media center to request two copies of the Book of Mormon hoping to find some answers. She and I really connected. We are going back to see her tomorrow. We gave her the "Finding Faith in Christ" video, embraced a long time with the encouragement that hope is on the way.
Trying to figure out how to help some of these people who are in extreme poverty situations is difficult. We often feel very helpless. But, the hardest part is living up close and personal with people who live in squaller with no apparent options for remedying their circumstances. All of the Church's materials about provident living are all long-term solutions to their problems. I am sure that with time we will become more comfortable knowing what to do about these very difficult situations.
Last Sunday the Quincy ward was almost packed. There were no empty chairs in Relief Society. Bishop Decembrino changed all of the auxiliaries except the elders quorum president! Good move on his part. It was one of the most spiritual meetings we've ever attended. Once again, there were many "coincidences." This will probably turn into another epistle.
First, a little background is needed. Last week we visited a less active member's home, Luci Robinson who is black. She has a beautiful fifteen year-old daughter, Montresha. Both haven't been to church in a long time. Luci wasn't home, but we had a nice visit with Montresha and her boyfriend, Travorish. We invited her to church and agreed to pick her up.
We also had a second meeting with Willa May Smith, a poverty-stricken woman we found through a media request for the "Finding Faith in Christ" video. She has two darling little girls, ages 6 and 11. Their living conditions are comparable to many third-world country situations. She is a very courageous woman who goes to school each day on the school bus with her little girls and works as a volunteer. She said she had been baptized, but her children had not. We invited her to come to church, but she said she had no way to get there. She lives about 6 miles out of town, we were already committed to meetings with the bishop and picking up Montresha. The bishop said he would see what he could do to have someone pick her up.
Back to my story about the coincidences. Unbeknown to us, President and Sister Summerhays, the mission president, were scheduled to speak at the Quincy ward. Also, Brother Torres from Salt Lake City, the first Spanish-speaking missionary assigned to the Quincy Ward in 1994 arrived along with a friend from Salt Lake City. When we went to pick up Montresha, her boyfriend, Trevarish, proudly decked out in his ROTC uniform, came to church with us. Several other new faces were spotted, and Bill and I were almost hyperventilating from trying to greet the new visitors, as well as prepare for our investigators class. In walks in Willa May Smith, ten minutes into relief society, announcing, "I told you I would come! She found a ride herself.
We started teaching Willa May and President and Sister Summerhays join us. In the discussion, President Summerhays asked Willa May what did she think the Lord wanted her to do. She said, "I don't know." He read in the scriptures about the day of pentecost when 3,000 souls were baptized. She said, "I've already been baptized." Willa May only answers direct questions and volunteers nothing unless asked. As President Summerhays continued to emphasize "this church", and Elder Zabriskie pointed to his name badge, she continued to hold fast to her story that she was a member of this church. Painstakingly, we learned that she knew about President Hinkley, and she watches the "Finding Faith in Christ" video every single day. She said she was baptized in a river some place near the GA/FL line by her uncle who was a bishop when she was about 14 years old. She said her husband was also baptized as a member. She wants her girls to be baptized, too.
Well, the tears flowed all around. The Lord had found one of His lost sheep! Maybe three more also.
In sacrament meeting, the bishop preempted President Summerhays talk, calling on the former Elder Torres to bear his testimony. He told about an experience he had in Quincy in 1994 that changed his life forever. He and his companion were tracting out the whole town street by street. One day his senior companion said they were going to Midway instead, riding their bikes about 1o miles to a trailer park in the scorching August heat. He and his companion went directly to where the Spirit was directly him. His companion knocked on the door saying, "We're missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Lord has sent us here today. Do you why he sent us here?" It was the home of Luci Robinson. She had been praying for the Lord to send her something to help her find her way. Twenty minutes into the discussion she committed to baptism, along with her two older children. Montresha was about 3 or 4 years old and was later baptized.
Elder Torres said from that moment on he stopped trying to do things his way because it was not his work but the Lord's work. He was very emotional as he shared this life-changing experience, and Montresha and her boyfriend were spell-bound by his testimony.
After church, we invited Elder Torres to accompany us to take Montresha and Trevarish home. It was a grand reunion!! Elder Torres shared the same story/testimony with Luci, posed for pictures, and made new commitments about activity in church. Sweet!
President Summerhays preached a stirring sermon about the sealing power of love that binds us all for eternity, using the examples of Willa May, Montresha, and another Hispanic investigator to illustrate his message. There were no dry eyes. He also said lots of wonderful things about Elder and Sister Zabriskie with the edict to slow down!
We are looking forward to a senior missionary conference at the mission home Thursday-Saturday. Elder Zabriskie has my sore throat and cold and is trying to rest a bit more today.
Just for the record, the senior missionaries do not have the same restrictions around communicating with their family and close friends. It helps us a great deal to hear from you. It is easier to post on the blog instead of doing all of the cutting and pasting for the e-mails. You can probably tell that the blog is our way of journaling our experiences. FYI: we now have a hybrid phone connection with our old phone number in Provo: 801-373-6785. It doesn't alway work, but if you need to call us try this number first so we can save our cell phone minutes to use while we're out proselyting. There is a two-hour time difference
Know of our deep love and concern for you all. Pray for us and the Lord's lost sheep.
Elder and Sister Zabriskie
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
One month anniversary update
Hey, y'all! We made it a month. If the next 17 are this good, we'll be doing mighty fine. And I mean fiiine. My southern accent is way back, thicker than ever in North Carolina. It's a whole different language here. Poor Bill, he's struggling a bit with the African-American lingo. He is also in a bit of a culture shock. He says that's an understatement.
Wednesday we met with a visiting general authority, Elder Craig Christensen, a member of the quorum of the 70 and his wife. It was a spiritual feast. All of the missionaries stood in a circle in the cultural hall, and Elder Christiansen, his wife, and President and Sister Summerhays came around and visited briefly with each of us.
We met in the chapel, and he came down front close to us and taught us about the importance of teaching by the spirit and understanding the gift of the Holy Ghost. He taught us about the different roles of the Holy Ghost and the importance of understanding what role the holy ghost is taking with us. For example, the Holy Ghost can be a teacher, comforter, testifier, and protector. The Holy Ghost functions differently according to the needs of the individual and is an extension of our Father in Heaven. He also emphasized the importance of "a better way" of doing missionary work, utilizing the members of the church instead of just relying upon the missionaries. I bore my testimony about how I came into the church because a couple who were new members of the church invited me into their home to teach me with the help of the missionaries. I shared the unspeakable joy that came into my heart when I heard their message. The spirit was very strong. Elder Christensen turned to President Summerhays and said, "Isn't she assigned to the Quincy area? President, you don't have to worry about Quincy."
Later, I felt prompted to share how sacrifice by missionaries can touch the hearts of investigators. I told of my difficulty with quitting smoking and how the elders' fasting was the thing that gave me the spiritual strength to stop. Afterwards, another elder said he came seeking answers to two problems, one of which was how to help one of is investigators to quit smoking. He expressed gratitude that the Holy Ghost prompts others to give us solutions to our problems.
Elder Zabriskie and I left inspired to work harder and be worthy of having the Holy Ghost with us at all times. On our way home, we stopped at the Fresh Market we mentioned in our last e-mail and gave a Book of Mormon with our testimony in it to the nice African-American man who waited on us at the deli the week before. He happily took the book and said he knew something about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and he would read the book. He has a great spirit and we think he will follow through. We're going back to see him Tuesday when we go to district meeting.
We continued our work this week with Arlivia Ray, one the woman we mentioned who is suffering from extreme poverty. We met with her sister who is a well-to-do woman in town. We are exploring several options to help this family, one of which is to build her a new home with Habitat for Humanity. Arlivia is depressed to the point of being numb and needs some professional counseling. Bill gave her a priesthood blessing last week at the home of Arlivia's neighbor, Lillian Hover. This woman is a saint! She has been carry Arlvia's problems for years, trying to help to the best of her ability. She loves the Lord, and testifies of Him frequently. When Bill gave Arlivia the blessing, she wept the entire time. She kept praising God for sending us to help. Yesterday, she said she was feeling left out and could she have a blessing also. She wants to learn more about the church, and we will teach her next Wednesday. This woman is remarkable; the strength of her spirit is amazing.
Yesterday, we went to the small adjoining town of Havana about 25 miles away. We delivered videos, Books of Mormon, and Bibles requested from media referrals in Utah. We also visited an inactive member and her daughter, Sister Hellon and Sister Townsend. We taught them OUR scriptures Moroni 10: 32 and Alma 32. We encouraged them to come to church and to invite the spirit into their homes through prayer and scripture study. The daughter wants to come but her mother is holding back.
We drive many miles, most often going around in circles trying to find these addresses. The GPS loses its brains every 5 minutes. Bill is the navigator; I am the driver. I am working on becoming a more patient driver because we do a lot of do-overs. Yesterday we wound up in Georgia! Finally, we found our referral about 50 feet from the Georgia line, the mission boundary. Some day perhaps she will say she was saved by 50 feet! Her name is Mary Harris. She treated us like her long-lost children, embracing us as she said, "We are all God's children."We are teaching her next Saturday. She stood at the door waving and watched us as we walked hand in hand to the truck. She said, "Look at that! You're such a beautiful couple."She said, "Now, y'all be careful backing out. Be careful going home."
Wow, just wow! So much love for two perfect strangers. These visits bring back many precious memories I had as a child visiting in the black community with my dad as he collected his nickels and dimes from his insurance route.
Before we found Mary we visited with Teresa Brown. She wasn't home when we got there, but arrived as we were leaving. She said she hadn't ordered a Book of Mormon, but her son had been reading one. Maybe someone else delivered it. We visited a bit and she also began to testify of the Savior. She said she wanted to learn all she could about Him, and we made an appointment for next Saturday. These are such valiant souls. She works two jobs even with a diagnosis of lupus. She said she is not claiming it, and believes the Lord is healing her of it. Wow, just wow again. Our hearts are over-flowing with admiration for such courage and faith in the Lord.
Today we taught a new couple that "just showed up" at church last Sunday, Qedrin and John Booth. She was raised in the Church but has been inactive for some time. They are 31 years old and are expecting a baby. John is a Baptist. They came over for lunch today along with Michael Johnson, the Elders Quorum President. They stayed several hours and John said he will work towards baptism into the church. We watched the film on the Joseph Smith story in addition to discussing the need for the restoration of the gospel because of the apostasy. He is very open and we had a great visit. Pres. Johnson is a great teacher and help us greenies a lot. He's quite a talker. Michael is also very funny. He said his dad told him he believed he had been vaccinated with a Victrola needle!
Well, I have had a very bad cold for three days, but somehow, the Lord gave me strength to carry on . Bill is making out our reports for church tomorrow, and we need to prepare our Sunday School lesson. I think we will have at least two people to teach tomorrow.
Thanks to all of you who pray for us. We feel your strength. Thanks for your encouraging words. It helps a lot to hear from you and to feel your support.
Love,
Elder and Sister Z
Wednesday we met with a visiting general authority, Elder Craig Christensen, a member of the quorum of the 70 and his wife. It was a spiritual feast. All of the missionaries stood in a circle in the cultural hall, and Elder Christiansen, his wife, and President and Sister Summerhays came around and visited briefly with each of us.
We met in the chapel, and he came down front close to us and taught us about the importance of teaching by the spirit and understanding the gift of the Holy Ghost. He taught us about the different roles of the Holy Ghost and the importance of understanding what role the holy ghost is taking with us. For example, the Holy Ghost can be a teacher, comforter, testifier, and protector. The Holy Ghost functions differently according to the needs of the individual and is an extension of our Father in Heaven. He also emphasized the importance of "a better way" of doing missionary work, utilizing the members of the church instead of just relying upon the missionaries. I bore my testimony about how I came into the church because a couple who were new members of the church invited me into their home to teach me with the help of the missionaries. I shared the unspeakable joy that came into my heart when I heard their message. The spirit was very strong. Elder Christensen turned to President Summerhays and said, "Isn't she assigned to the Quincy area? President, you don't have to worry about Quincy."
Later, I felt prompted to share how sacrifice by missionaries can touch the hearts of investigators. I told of my difficulty with quitting smoking and how the elders' fasting was the thing that gave me the spiritual strength to stop. Afterwards, another elder said he came seeking answers to two problems, one of which was how to help one of is investigators to quit smoking. He expressed gratitude that the Holy Ghost prompts others to give us solutions to our problems.
Elder Zabriskie and I left inspired to work harder and be worthy of having the Holy Ghost with us at all times. On our way home, we stopped at the Fresh Market we mentioned in our last e-mail and gave a Book of Mormon with our testimony in it to the nice African-American man who waited on us at the deli the week before. He happily took the book and said he knew something about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and he would read the book. He has a great spirit and we think he will follow through. We're going back to see him Tuesday when we go to district meeting.
We continued our work this week with Arlivia Ray, one the woman we mentioned who is suffering from extreme poverty. We met with her sister who is a well-to-do woman in town. We are exploring several options to help this family, one of which is to build her a new home with Habitat for Humanity. Arlivia is depressed to the point of being numb and needs some professional counseling. Bill gave her a priesthood blessing last week at the home of Arlivia's neighbor, Lillian Hover. This woman is a saint! She has been carry Arlvia's problems for years, trying to help to the best of her ability. She loves the Lord, and testifies of Him frequently. When Bill gave Arlivia the blessing, she wept the entire time. She kept praising God for sending us to help. Yesterday, she said she was feeling left out and could she have a blessing also. She wants to learn more about the church, and we will teach her next Wednesday. This woman is remarkable; the strength of her spirit is amazing.
Yesterday, we went to the small adjoining town of Havana about 25 miles away. We delivered videos, Books of Mormon, and Bibles requested from media referrals in Utah. We also visited an inactive member and her daughter, Sister Hellon and Sister Townsend. We taught them OUR scriptures Moroni 10: 32 and Alma 32. We encouraged them to come to church and to invite the spirit into their homes through prayer and scripture study. The daughter wants to come but her mother is holding back.
We drive many miles, most often going around in circles trying to find these addresses. The GPS loses its brains every 5 minutes. Bill is the navigator; I am the driver. I am working on becoming a more patient driver because we do a lot of do-overs. Yesterday we wound up in Georgia! Finally, we found our referral about 50 feet from the Georgia line, the mission boundary. Some day perhaps she will say she was saved by 50 feet! Her name is Mary Harris. She treated us like her long-lost children, embracing us as she said, "We are all God's children."We are teaching her next Saturday. She stood at the door waving and watched us as we walked hand in hand to the truck. She said, "Look at that! You're such a beautiful couple."She said, "Now, y'all be careful backing out. Be careful going home."
Wow, just wow! So much love for two perfect strangers. These visits bring back many precious memories I had as a child visiting in the black community with my dad as he collected his nickels and dimes from his insurance route.
Before we found Mary we visited with Teresa Brown. She wasn't home when we got there, but arrived as we were leaving. She said she hadn't ordered a Book of Mormon, but her son had been reading one. Maybe someone else delivered it. We visited a bit and she also began to testify of the Savior. She said she wanted to learn all she could about Him, and we made an appointment for next Saturday. These are such valiant souls. She works two jobs even with a diagnosis of lupus. She said she is not claiming it, and believes the Lord is healing her of it. Wow, just wow again. Our hearts are over-flowing with admiration for such courage and faith in the Lord.
Today we taught a new couple that "just showed up" at church last Sunday, Qedrin and John Booth. She was raised in the Church but has been inactive for some time. They are 31 years old and are expecting a baby. John is a Baptist. They came over for lunch today along with Michael Johnson, the Elders Quorum President. They stayed several hours and John said he will work towards baptism into the church. We watched the film on the Joseph Smith story in addition to discussing the need for the restoration of the gospel because of the apostasy. He is very open and we had a great visit. Pres. Johnson is a great teacher and help us greenies a lot. He's quite a talker. Michael is also very funny. He said his dad told him he believed he had been vaccinated with a Victrola needle!
Well, I have had a very bad cold for three days, but somehow, the Lord gave me strength to carry on . Bill is making out our reports for church tomorrow, and we need to prepare our Sunday School lesson. I think we will have at least two people to teach tomorrow.
Thanks to all of you who pray for us. We feel your strength. Thanks for your encouraging words. It helps a lot to hear from you and to feel your support.
Love,
Elder and Sister Z
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