So our seeking with faith this week was going pretty good. We had 6 hours by Friday, and on the weekend we normally have lots of time to do seeking. But then I came down with a fever, that I caught either from Elder Herald or from Elder Sorenson, so we ended up staying in for pretty much all of Saturday. That sort of put a damper on things because we were pretty pumped to hit our goal for the week. We did do quite a bit of seeking with faith earlier in the week and we had some fun with it as well. It reminds me a lot of Corona - people are not outside too much during the day, or the people that are outside are pretty nice but just super busy. But we were getting one or two potentials per day so we were feeling productive.
One cool experience from this past week is that on Friday we went over to the Greenman's like normal, to teach his granddaughter and her friends. We hadn't been able to do that, because of various activities, for almost a month. So we were pretty glad to be back there. When we showed up though, they were putting on a birthday party for one of her cousins and we ended up helping decorate and then eating. But at the end, just as we were about to excuse ourselves, Brother Greenman brought them all back together and we were able to share a short message with them. Even better though, was after the short message as we were going to our car, we saw a guy outside. Of course we are supposed to talk with everyone, but sometimes after feeling like your time has not been spent as effectively as you would like you just want to get in your car and move on with your schedule. But we decided to go talk to him and he was a super friendly guy so we talked to him for about 10 minutes. We invited him out to church and he said he'd think about it and he also set up a return appointment for Wednesday. They seem like an awesome family and I can't wait to see if they go anywhere. I could be jumping the gun and seeming too positive, but what's wrong with hoping for the best.
Another cool experience was that the Valle Vista Elders texted us the name, address, and phone number of a less active lady in the Ward. We were able to get in contact with her and meet her on Friday just briefly. Then on Sunday we were able to talk with the Ward Council about her and get a member to drive over there to pick her up. It wasn't necessarily anything spectacular, but it's one of those moments where everything comes together and you see how missionary work can go at it's best. We'll be going back to teach her on Wednesday, and since she lives in a group home we are hoping that maybe someone else will be willing to listen as well. But we also run the risk of them being pretty crazy and possibly unaccountable, so we'll be wary of that situation.
I think the most important thing I have learned about myself on my mission is probably just that I have the potential to influence other people. Therefore I need to push myself to go out of my comfort zone, to try new things, reach out to others, and mostly just to do my best at everything I undertake. While being a Zone Leader may have been one of the "most successful" times of my mission, I think that I'm more proud of other things that I have been involved in. Things like improving an area, such as Valley View or Perris, from what I found when I arrived to where I left it when I transferred out. Also seeing the changes in Elder Herald from the time I first met him compared to now and to see his growth as a missionary. But all of these things came from trying to go above and beyond instead of just doing the basic requirements. As a Zone Leader you and your companion are both pretty competent and confident, so if you are both doing pretty good most of the time, things will be alright. But if you put forth your full effort anywhere you are serving, it will make a difference in the outcome.
I also think I learned that I need to be more willing to ask for help. I'm not stubborn in the way that I try to argue with everybody, but sometimes I'm stubborn in that I want to be independent, whether that is independent from the way we are taught to do things or independent from asking for help from the Lord. I've definitely learned that my prayers can be so much more meaningful and helpful if I make an effort to ask for help. I've learned a lot of different things, and I'm sure if you were to ask me again on a different day I would give you a completely different answer because there are so many aspects to what a person learns from his experiences,
I'm excited to be able to talk with you guys at home soon! Can't wait to see all of you.
From the West Side . . . . .
Elder Cornaby
Another cool experience was that the Valle Vista Elders texted us the name, address, and phone number of a less active lady in the Ward. We were able to get in contact with her and meet her on Friday just briefly. Then on Sunday we were able to talk with the Ward Council about her and get a member to drive over there to pick her up. It wasn't necessarily anything spectacular, but it's one of those moments where everything comes together and you see how missionary work can go at it's best. We'll be going back to teach her on Wednesday, and since she lives in a group home we are hoping that maybe someone else will be willing to listen as well. But we also run the risk of them being pretty crazy and possibly unaccountable, so we'll be wary of that situation.
I think the most important thing I have learned about myself on my mission is probably just that I have the potential to influence other people. Therefore I need to push myself to go out of my comfort zone, to try new things, reach out to others, and mostly just to do my best at everything I undertake. While being a Zone Leader may have been one of the "most successful" times of my mission, I think that I'm more proud of other things that I have been involved in. Things like improving an area, such as Valley View or Perris, from what I found when I arrived to where I left it when I transferred out. Also seeing the changes in Elder Herald from the time I first met him compared to now and to see his growth as a missionary. But all of these things came from trying to go above and beyond instead of just doing the basic requirements. As a Zone Leader you and your companion are both pretty competent and confident, so if you are both doing pretty good most of the time, things will be alright. But if you put forth your full effort anywhere you are serving, it will make a difference in the outcome.
I also think I learned that I need to be more willing to ask for help. I'm not stubborn in the way that I try to argue with everybody, but sometimes I'm stubborn in that I want to be independent, whether that is independent from the way we are taught to do things or independent from asking for help from the Lord. I've definitely learned that my prayers can be so much more meaningful and helpful if I make an effort to ask for help. I've learned a lot of different things, and I'm sure if you were to ask me again on a different day I would give you a completely different answer because there are so many aspects to what a person learns from his experiences,
I'm excited to be able to talk with you guys at home soon! Can't wait to see all of you.
From the West Side . . . . .
Elder Cornaby