Still in Nanaimo for now

Still in Nanaimo for now
Elder Samis on the ferry

Wednesday 25 March 2015

March 23, 2015 - Area 3: Campbell River

Tested Patience

Missions are full of ups and downs and this week is no exception. On Friday we managed to see the Bammon family but the result of the visit was very disappointing. Jeff got himself into anti-church sources and has clearly been studying with us for the wrong reasons. And so there was no point in continuing our visits. We just couldn't believe it.

Earlier in the week we began teaching a woman named Adrian. We taught her the Restoration and she seemed to zero in on what we were saying, even with her young kids making a fair bit of noise. She accepted the possibility that everything we told her was true and she agreed to set a visit up for the next day. When we went to the appointment a friend of her's answered the door telling us that she was sick and in bed. We tried again the next day. This time Adrian answered and seemed happy to see us. She agreed AGAIN to have us come back the next day. We did, and this time the same friend told us she wasn't home...

Well, we'll try her in a few days I suppose. It just seems like we've gotten stuck in a rut. One of the ruts that naturally comes when you serve as a missionary. It feels like we've been doing all we can to work with people but they have refused to use their agency to choose the right. There's just nothing we can do about it. If you have or have ever wanted to serve a mission, you'll learn that the Lord's timing doesn't always seem convenient but it's still ALWAYS for the better. You also begin to see a lot of the tender mercies that come to you in times like these.

A good example of this is the fact that yesterday, as a week of trial was ending, the Knowles decided to place us on the dinner calender that night. The Knowles family also happen to be our landlords and they've done a fine job of providing us with some of the things we need. 

When all  is said and done, moving forward is the best thing to do. I'll end this email off by saying that I've been so grateful for my mission and all that it's taught me. I know that heavenly father and Jesus Christ are both a lot more disappointed to see people we teach turn away from the truthfulness of our message. Elder Jeffery R Holland in the 2012 General Conference stated: Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world.
I know this to be true. May we all remember it. 


Elder Maclean Samis        

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