We enjoyed another full week.
From FHE with a less active family on Monday to a Stake Youth Missionary
Preparation activity on Saturday we were quite busy. Then on Sunday two less
active members attended church for the first time in 3 years and a recent convert taught the Gospel Principles class, these two events were then
followed with a Book of Mormon fireside, "A Journey of Faith" Sister Johnson and I had previously arranged. We told the branch
that we would provide a quarterly fireside the fourth Sunday of the first month
of every quarter. Our next one will be the 27th of January. We hold
these firesides after a potluck meal served on that day. That way people don't have to travel as much because of the distances involved.
We are enjoying the Spirit of
Elder Trout who took the place of Elder Allen. We think he will be a good replacement serving along side Elder
Young here in the Iron Mountain branch. He transferred from within 10 miles of the Illinois border all the way to Michigan. It is easy for him to make friends and
he seems genuinely concerned when you talk with him. Elder Trout is is a twin and one of seven children. He has two older siblings then he and his brother (who is also serving a mission in Montana) are next. They entered the MTC the same day. There is another sibling then the final birth was another set of twins, a boy and a girl. The family is from Las Vegas.
A real highlight of the local missionaries’ activities this last couple of months was the activation of the five member Watt family. Those family members that could, received temple recommends and
those who are not yet fully eligible are working towards theirs. Their goal is to be
sealed as a family. It’s humbling and exciting. In fact they will all be in the Chicago Temple this Saturday doing baptisms for the dead.
We had another excellent meeting
with Bob Peters our forever investigator. We asked him what his objections really
are to being baptized. Why he didn’t do it with his family 30 years ago? He
referenced the hypocrisy in the branch but what he couldn’t understand was the
reason his own wife divorced him when families are so important in the church.
We testified that his becoming a member wouldn’t change some things but what it
would do, because of Christ’s Atonement, was allow him to forgive and must
importantly allow the Savior to heal his heart. Tears flowed and the Spirit was
thick. We once again challenged him to be baptized and to experience this
wonderful gift from God. Our faith was strengthened and we are even more hopeful.
In addition to our visit with Bob last Thursday we participated in two quite different events. The first was my (Elder Johnson's) visit to my doctor to check up on the meds I am taking to see if they are actually doing any good (they might be). While there I mentioned that my two younger brothers, each living life in a riotous manner (they have been known to eat cheeseburgers and even an occasional Polish Dog), had some troubling heart problems. One, the youngest, with full-on bypass surgery and the other recently undergoing a stent procedure. My doctor, never one to ignore my idle chatter, suggested we might want to just see what my insides, especially my heart, were up to. An EKG was administered by two 12 year old nurses, one with hands she must refrigerate between patients. After the machine whirred and buzzed it spit out a slip of paper indicating an electrical disturbance in a lobe of my heart. According to the doctor all perfectly normalish. The result is I have a stress test and a carotid artery ultrasound both scheduled for next Thursday morning. I did get even however by giving her a Book of Mormon with encouragement to read it. I asked and she did say it was the first Book of Mormon she had ever touched. Prayers in my behalf are solicited, much appreciated and will be readily accepted.
Our other Thursday event was attending the annual Breen Senior Center dinner to honor its many volunteers. the food was great. We have grown quite fond of several of the volunteers that serve area seniors at that facility. We both commented on the caliber of the people present and their positive attitudes. It has been an honor to help this worthy cause.
Having “real” fun,
Elder and Sister Johnson
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