Waller Ballers

So today for P-day we played soccer with a member down in Houston and that was pretty fun.

It's been a good week, a little frustrating because everyone and their dog was out of town for spring break but nonetheless full of miracles and edifying experiences.

On Monday we had an FHE with Wilson and set a baptismal date with him for April 23rd! He also said he wants to marry our recent convert Yadira so we'll see about that haha.

On Tuesday I gave a baptismal interview to the Oakcrest elders' investigator Wilson and was very impressed with his testimony and desire to be baptized and serve in the church. And then on Friday we get a text from the Oakcrest elders telling us that Wilson dropped his date because he got cold feet and a ton of opposition from his family. He said he needed more time. He ended up coming to church on Sunday and telling the elders he wanted to wait 2 weeks to get baptized so it's all good, but it made me think about what I would do if I was in a similar position. It certainly wouldn't be easy to have family members telling me they strongly disagreed with my religious views and that I was making the wrong decision, even if I knew the truth. But as well I decided it's important to have some backbone and stand up for yourself because there will always be opposition to that which is correct.

On Friday I went on an exchange with Elder Miranda from Peru and had a blast. I'm really impressed with how much better his English has gotten over the course of only about 4 months here in the States. He still struggles understanding African Americans and those with thick southern accents, but to be fair everyone has a hard time understanding those heavy accents.

On Sunday Norberto and Vanessa finally came to church! They have a lot of questions but we are hoping to set a baptismal date with them if we can get over the hurdle of "I've already been baptized." But they are a lot of fun to teach because they make jokes and they're real with us. That's the thing I've come to love about the mission, the relationships you form with people you don't know super well. As well as how much better it is to teach someone after you've gotten to know them and their situation. The more you are genuinely interested in the lives of others, the more likely they are to listen to what you have to say. Elder Blackford has taught me a lot about being homies with everyone and it's helped a lot with gaining the trust of members.

Elder Barrus

THM

Splits in Waller