Elder Ryan White's Mission Blog: Trust in the Lord's Time frame for Conversion

Well it has been a great week of miracles and struggles that is for sure!!!

It has been some really weird weather lately, because it will rain and then be super sunny. But luckily it has not been too hot lately!

Well this week I had the chance to have an interview with President Stoddard. He interviews the entire mission every 2 transfers. He attended our zone training, it is always such a thrill to get to sit down with him for a few minutes and talk about the work. He is amazing, he really does love each missionary individually and really expresses that love. He really is there for us and you just feel all good walking out his interviews.

So our baptismal date with E. is kind of is on hold...because we talked with him on Tuesday and wanted to see if we could move his baptismal date up. Just because I kept feeling like we needed too and when we brought it up, he told us that he doesn't know when he wants to get baptized. That same day he was also in the hospital with the random big bug bite. We gave him a blessing and he actually got healed the next day, blessings of the priesthood power. But yes he has gotten cold feet, just because he is stressed out. After the meeting I wondered if we had done something wrong. Elder Butler and I got back to the apartment and talked about it, we decided to say a prayer and ask the Lord what he wanted us to do. We got a huge spiritual confirmation that all is well. And then I remembered what Jeffery R Holland said, "SALVATION IS NOT A CHEAP EXPERIENCE". I realized that we needed to push Emil because he needs to struggle to ask God and have a rock hard testimony that the gospel is true. If we just baptized him and then he has to go home, where would his conversion be, because back home their isn't much of a support system. He needs to be converted not just baptized. Well we actually met with him the day after to help translate somethings, we talked about it again and still he was just saying how he doesn't know. I started getting those feelings again. That evening I decided I just need to turn to prayer and not give up. I have never pleaded with the Lord more about something in my entire life. The next day I woke up and realized that we as a companionship needed to fast for E. also B. (the woman who had her baby blessed). It was a super hot day on Saturday and we did a street display and had to ride our bikes a ton. By the end of the day we were toast, but we closed our fast and prepared for Sunday. We showed up to church and Emil showed up also. We had sacrament meeting and then went to meet with him but he said he was going to go out of town for 2 days and had to leave. My heart was broke, I thought for sure today we could clear everything up and make it better, this is what we were fasting for! Then I told him "Brother, we need to talk". We usually met by upstairs in the building where it was quiet. But for some reason we went into the genealogy room where all the microfilm readers. We said down and then I realized it was also the baptismal room. We started talk about baptism again and he just said how he is waiting for his answer on when he needed to be baptized. I looked him in the eye and just told him about our worry and all we had been going through in his behalf and how we had fasted for him. I then said, E. "We knew each other before this life, we both knew that I would be called to Germany and that I would find you and baptize you." He knew exactly what I was talking about and then I bore testimony of the love his Heavenly Father has for him and he grabbed my hand and said "I know, Thank you." He then he went on to tell us that he knew when I told him we needed to talk that we were going to the baptismal room and not upstairs and then he said "I can smell baptism, its right around the corner". He said that he prays for it every night and says that he will be baptized and that the Lord is getting ready to tell him when.

Crazy story but awesome! he is so prepared for the gospel it is unreal! He really wants to be prepared for this covenant that he is making!! I trust him fully that he is praying to know the day for baptism. I still plead with the Heavenly Father every night to show Emil what he needs.

Well we also met with B. this week. Interesting lesson to say the least, we finished talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ and then I just got courage to talk with her about baptism again. We brought it up and she told me pretty much she is just waiting for the date and she is still praying every night for a baptismal date. She just needs the courage to take it to the next step. Kind of Frustrating this week, but its okay. everybody is moving in the right direction!!

R. is doing well also! Tonight we are teaching her at the W family house and hopefully will set a baptismal date with her! She finally on Sunday came to church!! She got up to come to church but he car wouldn't start so she rode her bike!!! She is so cool and lately we have been seeing her everywhere!! So coool!!

Well miracles are happening here in Hamm!! The Lords field is white and ready to harvest we just need to work and have courage. I truly have to say that this week had taught me a lot about patience and realizing that we can't do it on our own. I realized that with E. I thought that I could solve all the problems bear and invite the spirit and it would be easy. But through the trials I realized that we need to put our trust in God and that is where we find true hope. If we are struggling with something and the future looks bleak, remember that it because we need to hand over the steering wheel and just ride. Trust that our Heavenly Father has our best interest in mind! He always will and always has!

Quote from the week "We dont need to be perfect, we need to be perfect at trying"

Love,

Elder White