3/3/14: Stubborn People and Miracles

Sturgeon Bay is gonna be the coolest place ever in the summertime. I can't wait to talk to a million people on the streets and refer them to the missionaries wherever they actually live. but in the wintertime, it's super dead. tourism=no go. but the stars at night outside of town are AMAZING! :D

hey hey! hows it going? Missionary work is you know...missionary work :) goods and bads.

issue: people who have their own crazy theories about God and say that they're just theories and that they don't really know for sure, yet they won't let them go when we do everything in our power to show them via scripture that they're wrong!
a nonmember is convinced that God is an It and is literally the universe itself, and he believes in the bible yet says that it was corrupted by old white men, and believes jesus was just a prophet. so when we ask what he meant when he said "No man cometh unto the Father but by me" he says "I'm not convinced that jesus actually said that." See the problem here?
meanwhile, a member (whose more of a southern baptist, I think) insists that because we have no records of jesus from birth until 30, he wasn't actually the perfect person and only became sinless after his baptism, but was just like the rest of us before that. issues. How do you work with these people?

we set a date with Crystal and Sam! And I think they can make it. We just need to help them see the importance of church and get them a consistent ride since they don't have a car of their own. But Sam was like "My life is changed forever AHH SO MUCH SENSE mindblown" when we showed him the Plan of Salvation. It was great.

other issue: people who take lessons from us and the JWs, and have been doing so for years or at least months. How to get people to see that just getting spiritual things into their home is NOT the same as working out their salvation? *awkward moment when the JWs show up at their house in the middle of our appointment*

Elizabeth dropped off the face of the earth more so than I've ever seen anyone drop off the face of the earth. It's not like her at all to disappear without saying something and she always comes to church, and now she doesn't answer her door and her phone is disconnected. She saw 17 Miracles at game night on friday and it was really good for her, so she might be having a King Lamoni experience at her house and she'll be awake again in three days and convert the entire city. and state. That's what I've got my fingers crossed for.

We did some outdoor service transporting paint cans for like 2 hours on Friday, and I felt like I was back in West Allis. Being outside in the negative weather for extended periods of time...don't miss that at all. But the service was good :) And it kinda felt nice to remember.

Yesterday at 8:00 pm we got our car stuck on top of a snowbank (long story) and were digging it out for about 45 minutes before some good samaritans came along and by a miracle and some more digging, we were able to push it out. I was sure we were gonna have to tow it at first. Besides good samaritans, the miracle of the night was that it was -7 degrees plus windchill and I never once got cold. I wasn't even wearing gloves, and the only time my hands felt cold was when I was actually holding ice in them. Other than that I felt perfectly fine. It was a nice night. And the workout felt really good, heh heh :)

Lots of thoughts going through my mind this week. Reconsecration, 2nd Coming, Pharisees, charity, pride, and the work of the spirit were the main topics.
I've decided I'm going to write a book about different types of pride when I get home. It'll be like a 40 year project, but best project ever!! Also the gifts of the spirit would be another good book topic. dad--maybe you can find me good doctrine books if they exist on these topics? for the fun of reading when I get home. Cause I'm pretty sure someone else can write them way better than I can! then I wouldn't have to, heh heh :D

Transfers will be next week! I have ideas of what's going to happen, and what I want to happen, and they don't coincide, so I am gonna have to work that out and figure out what the Lord wants to happen. Hopefully before it comes :) Always an adventure as a missionary.

Love you all!
Sister Neal