Well I have been increasingly more and more broken in to the lifestyles down here. It has been an adjustment without question. The one thing that I've really been most struck by is just how prevalent Reformed Christianity is here. EVERYONE is either Baptist (99%, everyone else falls into the 1%), Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, and even Muslim! It is cool though, just how unique and separate the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is from all of these. It offers things that NONE of the others can. No one else teaches that we can live with our families for eternity, even if they haven't had the opportunity to be baptized or accept the Gospel. Most people in the world would be thrilled to hear a message like that. Unfortunately, many of these people have been told so many untrue things about our church (my favorite being a billboard that said, "don't pray about the Book of Mormon, that's how they get you!")that they shy away or quickly try and exit a conversation with us ASAP. It's so simple, that people refuse to contemplate the idea that it could be true!
So this past week the ball has definitely gotten rolling. Like I said there really wasn't very much happening in our area when I got here. We tracted into a guy named Gary, who is about 65, retired, a widower, and a heavy smoker (everyone smokes down here by the way). He was really open and willing to listen to our message. He had some very interesting beliefs that he shared with us, one of which was re-incarnation....I wasn't expecting to run into that one on my mission...anyways, we taught him about the restoration and the plan of salvation, and he said that he really liked the concept, but wasn't sure if he could believe it. We told him that the answers to everything came through reading and praying about the Book of Mormon, which he agreed to do. We are optimistic that he will progress.
We also had another very, very cool experience. While tracting on foot (we have bikes, but the south isn't exactly bike friendly....no sidewalks and most of the roads are just highways....needless to say we walk most places) a guy drove past us and told us to come to his house. We were kind of shocked to be honest! Come to find out he and his wife were baptized 30 years ago and never really had a reason for why they stopped coming to church. We asked him if they would like to be sealed for eternity in the temple one day, and that was something that really interested them. They made that there goal, and we've started to reteach them the lessons and to get them to come back to church!! Really, really good people. He has a heavy addiction with smoking, but that doesn't worry me. He can overcome that if his faith is as strong as I think it is.
We have been working quite a bit on trying to locate and re-activate people who haven't been to church in years. One family where we went into their house was a little bit creeping to say the least. Elder Gibson described the "walls as moving" with flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches. Pretty nasty. Some of the houses that people live in here are pretty nice though. That's definitely the exception, but still, there are nice neighborhoods around here. I've said this before, but people are very friendly and hospitable. I know this kind of contradicts what I said earlier, but we will have 10-15 minute conversations with people frequently about the church and our beliefs, and then they will just say, "Well God bless you for the work you are doing out here, you guys sure are wonderful people and are doing the right thing" and then will say they aren't interested in the church. Kind of funny how that works. Southern Hospitality I guess! I really haven't had any doors slammed in my face or anything like that. Very, very few people are ever rude or disrespectful to us. Elder Gibson pointed out that it seems a little bit unusual the kind of success and results that we have been having lately. I've definitely employed the "why are we called Mormons" tactic here....it is so stinking successful at getting people to listen and think about are message! Someone pretty sharp must've thought of that!
Well I want to share with what I believe has been the highlight of my mission so far. We were tracting Saturday night in one of these nicer neighborhoods, and got into a good conversation with a guy on his doorstep. I thought he was really intrigued at first and might've actually had some interest in the church. He was asking very good and sincere questions. When we started talking about the Book of Mormon, I knew we had gotten to the point where he had been waiting for. He told us that we weren't living the things that we said were in the Book of Mormon (funny he would know since he's never read it) and that he was worried for us. We had mentioned earlier about knowing the truth of our message through the Holy Ghost. He told us that the Holy Ghost was telling him that we all needed to kneel down together so that we could know that we were on an incorrect course and that our souls were at stake and that we needed to renounce the Book of Mormon right then and there. I looked that fellow square in the eye and bore the most powerful testimony I ever have. I told him that there was not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that the Book of Mormon was true and that I was engaged in God's work. I don't know if I've ever felt the spirit so strongly before as I did standing on that man's doorstep on that warm Alabama night. I told him that I'm sorry he didn't believe our message, and wished him a good night. He didn't have much to say after that. That experience helped everything click for me. I understand now what changes 19 year old boys into men after they go on missions. I know that that testimony cemented any doubts or cracks that I had in my beliefs of this religion or church. I am so grateful that I get to stand behind something so powerful and sooooo true as the Book of Mormon and the prophets, apostles, and ultimately Jesus Christ of whom it bears witness of. I hope all of you can understand the impact that event had on my life. I love all of you! Please be firm in the faith!!
Until next time,
Elder McKinley
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