From Josh:
Well this week was quite interesting a few experiences jump out immediately.
So, we were knocking on doors like we usually do everyday and we knocked into this one guys home and we went off telling him about who we were and the message we shared, he wasn't interested and so we moved on, Elder Nelson commented on how it looked like there were two woman in the backround he had noticed I didn't think much of it and we moved on, quite a while later we were nearly finished knocking on doors when the same guy pulled up in a van and shouted at us that he wanted us to come to a party, that his sister was interested, in our minds we were like sweet someone to teach but when we got there we walked in and he took us right to the back where his sister and her friend were sitting in the back in very revealing bikini's it and it was really awkward but we taught the first lesson looking really intently at their faces and eyes trying to block out the fact of their attire and in the end we were able to give them a Book of Mormon and a few pamphlets and testified it was true, we said that we had some appointments to go to so we couldn't stay for the party (it was his sisters birthday) and we left, thinking about it and their intentions I don't think it was the message that his sister was interested in. and we were just brought in as presents to his sister! it was perhaps the most awkward experience I have had on my mission.
Being with someone for a few months is very interesting because the first month i feel is fine, easy to get along with but by the end of that month you start noticing small things that just gets on your nerves and if you let them they will just make you so annoyed that you can't stand each other by the end of the transfer, that was how it was last transfer, but the cool thing is when you decide to love someone despite their differences, it takes patience and a little bit of charity at times but when you decide to love someone things get better. It took a while but I am feel like I am warming up to Elder Nelson, he has his quirks and things that tick me off at times but I really am making an effort to move past those things and view him in a better light.
The other day we got together as a zone and talked about not being casual in our observance of being missionaries, and I think that applies to all of us, we were admonished to find what we were taking casually whether it be the music we listen to or the way we teach, and I would like to extent the same exhortation to you all, find what in the gospel you are taking casually or feel you may be lacking in knowledge in and dedicate yourself to living in a better observance of the gospel, whether it be music that may not be appropriate or exactly in line with our beliefs, the words spoken to each other, the friends we may have, what kind of attitudes we have towards others. Whatever it may be look for what you may be feeling lax on and bring it into line with what Gods will is for you. I will do the same.
I love the gospel, something that the experience with those ladies taught me was the value of putting restrictions on our minds, when i was going to a counselor to help me overcome pornography he told me of the line of sin, where we need to be as far away form it as possible, and creating stops and checks to help us, the farther we go from the line if we don't establish warning lines then we will just fall. I thin of the analogy of clipping in, if we never clip in when mountain climbing we will fall all the way down, but when we create those stops we will not fall all the way down but we will be able to catch ourselves and continue climbing to the kingdom of heaven.
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