July 1, 2005

  • "And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd, Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud. And I know that you'll use them, however you want to" (Anna Nalick).

    So I went tracting today with the missionaries to get into the grind of the work and catch a glimpse of my next two years. We just went for an hour or two in Buffalo Grove- down Horatio and some other street. It was really a good experience for me. For some reason at first I was really scared. As we went on I realized though that the people didn't really mind. I mean some did, but most were very friendly and happy. The weather, of course, helped.

    Three people accepted Books of Mormon. The first was a nice woman from Russia who was staying with her sister for the summer. She was excited about the Russian Book of Mormon we gave her- saying that she would start reading it today. That made me feel instantly better about the work because it was obvious that she was genuinely and sincerely grateful for the gift. A few doors down a Russian man accepted the Book and agreed to meet again in a few weeks after reading some parts and praying about them. That was exciting. The third contact we made was with a young man around my age, maybe a little younger. I was the one who had knocked on the door. I explained that in honor of Joseph Smith's 200th birthday this year we were sharing a message about Joseph Smith and his work. I explained the Book of Mormon to him, and left him with a copy of it and a pamphlet of Joseph Smith's testimony. He also agreed to visit again and talk about it in a few weeks. All three seemed sincere and excited about the Book. Maybe nothing will come of it. Maybe something will come of it. Either way, I think the Spirit really bore witness to me that this is a good work, and that success is not impossible. The door is not going to be slammed in my face at every door step. After all, my mom is happy after being introduced to the Church from missionaries who knocked on her door.

    I'm very excited to bring the people of East Los Angeles the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ and this wonderful message that is the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

    "Sometimes I think that I'm not any good at all, and sometimes I wonder why, why I'm even here at all. But then You assure me I'm a little more than useless, and when I think that I can't do this You promise me that I'll get through this and do something right, do something right for once" (Relient K).