Four Corners Mission: The Rez Dogs Strike Back

1/23/17 Email:

So this week has been a really productive, spiritual, exciting week for us here in the wonderful land of Tuba City. We are working really hard with one of our investigators, Thomas Littleben. He is on fire, and really wants to get baptized. The only thing that was really holding him back was he needed to marry his girlfriend. They are getting married this weekend, so although I missed my brother's wedding, I will get to go to a different one. He was actually considering doing his baptism in between the wedding ceremony and the reception, which would have made it a waptism, but they have decided it would be too much for one day, and they would like to enjoy their marriage. But he is getting baptized the following week. So that is exciting.

It is amazing to us, because one of our other investigators, who is a little girl about 9 years old, hasn't been to church much, can tell you everything about a tithing slip. We were teaching her and her older sister, and she just laid it out for us which was pretty cool.

We also had an appointment with a family we met tracting, and they were so prepared for us. The parents, who are in their 70s, are less actives and haven't been to church in at least 40 years, said that they have been praying for some help and guidance, and then we knocked on their door, and they took that as their answer. So we had a bout a 2 hour lesson with them and when we were getting ready to close we asked the father to say the closing prayer, and the spirit was so strong, and everyone in the family was in tears. So that was really, really good.

I went on exchanges with my district leader, Elder Stott, and I had a great time with him, and I am really glad that he is my district leader, because he really shows how much he cares for each of us missionaries.

On Thursday, me and Elder Hudak had a lesson with another less active man who pretty much told us that our choices don't matter because we are all predestined for things and it doesn't matter what we choose to do as long as we believe in Christ. So we had a long lesson with him, and he would use these really weird analogies using mother earth, horses, bananas, and nuts... it was so confusing, and I was lost for most of the lesson, but it was funny.

We also met with Sariah Yazzie again, and she seemed really sober this time, so that was good, and we had a really good lesson with her and her son about the Plan of Salvation.

But Saturday... So we went tracting, in the morning, to one of the areas that are usually safer to tract. So this is where the title comes in... I have always been nice to the dogs here, and I try to give them a good rep, but all the missionaries disagree with me. So most dogs that may not seem very nice I can sometimes reason with them and things are chill. Well Saturday I was proven wrong. We walked to the door of this one house, and I couldn't exactly tell if it was growling at me or if it was just being cautious, so I didn't really pay it much attention and turned so my back was facing it. Well obviously he didn't like me and he came up and bit me. It wasn't that bad, just put a couple of holes in my pants, they aren't big holes, and he scratched up my leg, but there wasn't any blood so we were good there. After I was questioning to say that I was done for the day but we decided one more house. That one more house was a less active man that has wanted to come back to church, and he told us his life story. He is a Vietnam veteran, and had a troubling life, but knows that the gospel is right and he needs to be there, so that was a blessing for not giving up.

Sunday was a really good day. We had quite a few of our investigators and less actives at church!! But the usual teachers weren't there, so we taught Gospel Principles, haha. After church we went over to a birthday party for one of the kids of one of our investigators. He just turned 2 and is just a bundle of energy! But it was fun, When we were leaving I accidentally dropped some pesto on their floor... I felt like a clutz but I did clean it up as best I could.

And before we emailed today we went to Denny's and they payed for me to attempt the pancake challenge...