2014-11-04

Riding In the Rain

Dear family and friends,

"Days feel like weeks, and weeks feel like days" This phrase is so true. It feels like only yesterday that I entered the field and now we're coming up on transfers. 

Halloween week was fun and a little scary to be completely honest. We have a rule here, which is probably the same for all missions, that on Halloween we have to be in our apartments by 6pm. Unless we're with members. Elder Mo'o and I went out proselyting and we were scared that we would get egged. Thank goodness that we didn't, just the regular rude residents and one group of teenagers that wanted adamantly for us to cross the street and "start something". Haha

It rained during trunk or treat. Fresno has been in a drought for 3 and a half years. It is a quad-stake out here and the stake presidents said that if we all did a quad-stake fast that the Lord will bless this area with rain. Well, i
t did. And rain it did.  

It continued to rain the next morning and Elder Mo'o and I, with just a jacket and our bikes, had appointments and people to see. The work does not stop, and neither will we. As we rode our bikes we constantly encouraged each other by quoting Joseph Smith, "Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren! And on, on to the victory!" I wish we took pictures because we were completely soaked by our second house. No one was home and the houses that had people home either forgot or "can't" see us. So cold and wet we went on. I was pretty convinced that we would get sick. We were soaked from noon till 9pm.

As we rode in the rain we stopped by this young lady, probably mid 20's that was walking in the rain with just a light sweater and a backpack. We explained to her who we are and in seconds she started to cry and asked if we can go over to a pavilion and talk. We taught her the Restoration, she told us a very sad tale of how she got to this point in her life, and we left. Before we did she asked if we had any water because she hadn't eaten or have had water in 2 days. You could tell just from looking at her that she was not only poor in spirit but in genuine need of help. Her face was hallow but her eyes shone of hope that was once there. I knew that she was not faking. My companion and I, however, only had our own tumblers with us. We had no extra water. As I sat on top of my bike the spirit spoke very clearly to me--"Give unto her what little you have" The story of President Monson and his example at the end of his mission touched my memory, as stated in the last conference, President Monson went home with the clothes he had on and even slippers, for he gave all that he had, even his shoes. So I took the water bottle that I really love, bought in the MTC, and planned to carry with me my entire mission, and handed it to her. She was overcome with tears and said, "Seriously? Why would you do this for me?" I replied, "Because if I had more to give I would, but this is the least that I can do. May God bless you and may you find your way."

It's strange because I was really attached to that water bottle. I took it everywhere with me, it was the first thing I bought as a missionary and I planned to come home with it. I couldn't believe how hard it was for me to part with it. But I learned something that day. All that I have out here, does not belong to me. I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and if He will ask of me to give, I will give-- I will do. This does not have to pertain to what I have temporally, but to give of myself for the salvation of the children of men and women requires me to give my everything. That includes my fears, weaknesses, and inadequacies. I literally gave myself over to Heavenly Father in that simple instance. 

I don't know if I will ever see that girl again, but I know what I did was right in the sight of God. I don't know if she will convert to Mormonism, but I hope that I exemplified what a Mormon would do--what the Savior would do. We may not be able to teach her, but we can be her friends. And when all is said and done I can look at her straight in the face and say I gave all that I can because God loves you and he trusted me to show you just how much that rainy day in November.

Mosiah 2:17.

This is a picture of the water bottle he gave away. Before he gave it away, of course. 


Hot cocoa, popcorn, and a movie after 9 hours of riding in the rain.