This week was a wonderful week. It was a hard one, too. I'll start with the happy stuff.
On Friday we had an awesome zone leader/district leader training meeting. We were instructed by President Bernhisel as well as Bro. Watson and Bro. Wade from the proselyting division of the missionary department of the Church. It was so good! Some of the things they taught us completely changed my mission! Bro. Watson, who is the director of the proselyting division, was really good at speaking and motivating us, but it was the topic that really brought the Spirit. He focused everything on the Doctrine of Christ (faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end) and taught us how everything that Jesus Christ taught (and that we should teach) points back to the Doctrine of Christ. I wish I could have recorded it because it was amazing. At least I took 4 full pages of notes. It was awesome.
Saturday was a great day as well: I got to baptize Trevaughn, the 9-year old boy we've been teaching. It was so great. It was awesome to see how many members of the ward came to support him even though he's really young. It was probably the first time his mom, Yvonne, set foot in a LDS church building in a really long time. Among the people there to support him were Angie, his step-sister; Tristan, her boyfriend; and one of our other investigators, Lynette. Lynette loved the service and seems to be even more excited to be baptized herself. We taught her about the Word of Wisdom in a lesson right after the lesson and she is excited to receive the blessings promised for obedience to that commandment. Following the lesson she watched the Relief Society general broadcast and loved that, as well.
It was also a hard week because I had to say goodbye to a lot of people I love. Sunday was fast and testimony meeting (because of general conference this coming weekend) and after Trevaughn's confirmation I wanted to bear my testimony one last time to the people I've been serving around and with for the last 7 and a half months. As I sat on the stand and waited for my turn to speak, I looked out over the congregation and saw all the people I have come to love---members and investigators included. I had planned to only let them know that I was getting transferred because I didn't want a lot of attention, but as I began to share my testimony, the Spirit prompted me to briefly explain the whole situation of me returning home to resolve medical issues. It was hard to hold back my emotions and I realized really how much I love these people! As I shared the short story and testified of the truth, the congregation, little children included, went completely silent and I felt the Spirit again confirming to me that I'm doing the right thing in going home for a time. After sacrament meeting, a man who we helped return to activity and his still-semi-returning-to-activity wife came to tell me goodbye. I had only really spoken with her once or twice, but she had tears in her eyes and thanked me for sharing my story with her because it had really spoken to her. Her husband said that he didn't want to come to church that day, but his wife told him that they needed to go (it's usually the other way around). I'm grateful that she followed her prompting that she needed to be at church and that I was able to receive a prompting to share something that could strengthen her testimony.
Aside from that confrontation with that couple, though, I almost regretted having shared the whole story with the congregation because I got a lot of attention in the halls and classes after sacrament meeting. I felt very, very loved, though, by the Hope Mills 1st ward. Several people wanted to exchange hugs, handshakes, and/or contact information. A lot of people spoke comforting words and I was able to say goodbye to some people we've been working with that I probably won't be able to see again. One priest even gave me a hug and told me that I was his second favorite missionary ever (I'll take it)! I was touched by how much the ward showed love toward me, including people I didn't think I knew that well. I feel, though, that the Hope Mills 1st ward and many of the people in it have made it into a special place in my heart.
After church a drunk kid tried to break into our car. Luckily, Steve, who got baptized the week before Trevaughn, saw him, stopped him, took his knife from him, helped him calm down, and got the police to come pick him up. Go, Steve! :)
That's about it! After this I'm going to pack up some stuff and I head out on Wednesday. You can reach me by email at kennyschank@gmail.com (if I remember correctly). See you soon, and make sure you watch General Conference! I promise it will be worth it!
With love,
Elder Schank
