Monday, October 20, 2014

October 20

This week my companion and I realized that we are in the movie groundhog day. It feels like we have the same things happen to us every single day; it is actually rather depressing......

Monday we had p-day and there were no stores open so we really didn't have anything to do all day. After though we had a turkey dinner with our ward mission leader and his family so that was really good.

Tuesday we got groceries, had lunch, and then we did our online work, stopped by a few members and shared some spiritual messages with them and raked some leaves. We stopped by some more Less-active members homes to no avail. We met with J and X and read scriptures with her and shared dads conversion story and that seemed to really hit her hard. It was really good. Then we had our two other appointments cancelled on us so we went to the seventh day Adventist seminar and got to meet with and fellowship with some of the membership there, then we started exchanges.

Wednesday we went with the Sister missionaries and gave Sister H a priesthood blessing and shared a message with her. Then we had lunch and did our online work, then we walked over and saw B at his store and he introduced us to his colleague who we gave a Book of Mormon to. Unfortunately he is not at all interested in having us coming and teaching him. Then we had dinner and went to the last Seventh day seminar and met some more people there and were able to give out some pass-along cards

Thursday we raked some leaves for some members and for a place that that member gave us a referral to go and rake for! Then we went to Boon Cafe for lunch with our Seventh-day Adventist pastor and Seventh-day Adventist Evangelist. Seventh-day Adventists are vegetarian and lots are vegan so Boon Cafe is an all vegan place. It was actually really good and we had a good conversation on our religions and shared a few of our beliefs with them. After that we did our online work and then we street contacted for a while handed out a few pass-along card and then tried to see some more less-active members to no avail. Then we had a dinner appointment with the Cardona family which is always good, shared a message with them and then we went and saw B and were able to have a good meeting with him and we helped answer a lot of his questions.

Friday was our Zone Conference at Dalhousie Chapel. So we drove across town and had a conference and got to hang out with Elder Per Gosta Malm of the second quorum of the Seventy. He was a really nice guy and very funny. We had a good morning session and then the best lunch I have ever had at a Zone Conference, must be because there was a General Authority there so they stepped up their game, then we had our remaining training and teachings from him and learnt a lot about how to have different viewpoints on contacting people and looking more for signals. The whole theme of his training the whole day was based on two things: 1. The Gathering of the Tribes of Israel, and 2. Preparing for the Second Coming of Christ. He related all of it to hastening the work of salvation. Lots was learnt and then following that he showed us some of our mission stats which were very depressing. After the conference I felt rather uplifted but also very depressed realizing how bad of a missionary I am and how it's almost over! But after that we drove home and had a dinner appointment with the O`s and had a good lesson with them and their daughter. Then we went to the remainder of Basketball night.

Saturday we went to the Seventh-day Adventist Sabbath day service and that was something different. We met some more people and were even able to hand out some more pass-along cards and I was seated beside a lady who was from Lethbridge and when she found out that I was from Medicine Hat she talked to me the entire meeting. They were all really nice people. Then we went and had some rabbit food with them for lunch, which was actually pretty good. We invited the Pastors to come to stake conference on Sunday but they were not able to make it on the short notice, hopefully next time though. After that we went out to Brother H`s place again and helped him rip up all of his carpet and then we laid a bunch of hardwood floor down, ate pizza, and then laid some more floor, then came home.

Sunday we went to Dalhousie again and had Stake conference and B came. There was a new stake presidency called so that was interesting. After all the testimonies and what not were given Elder Malm`s traveling companion spoke and then Elder Malm spoke and gave a really good talk on how the members in the stake here need to go to the temple more and how more people need to be getting temple recommends so that the Winnipeg Stake can be a stake of Zion and so they can actually get their temple here! So after that we went home, had lunch and said a prayer that someone would come to us as we went out for the rest of the day and provide us with an opportunity to share the gospel. And before we were even able to get into our car a guy came up to us and asked us about our Church and we had a really good discussion with him and were able to bear testimony of some truths and what not; it was a miracle for sure. He was the first person who we have met on the street in like a month that has actually been interested in our message. Unfortunately he was not interested in meeting with us but we gave him our card and he lives in our apartment building so I am sure that we will see him again. Then we went out with the sisters to one of the less-active sisters they have been working with and we gave her a blessing and shared a message then we walked to a less-active members home to give them some Bread and a Pie and on our way of a walk of over half an hour we only had one person who would even stop and talk with us!!!! Anyways we got to the house and got invited in and we had a really good discussion with one of the members of the family who is less-active and has been closed towards us in the past but that day he really opened up to us and we got to resolve some concerns and set up a return appointment. So that was another miracle that day. Then we rushed to an unplanned dinner appointment (Our investigator wanted us to come over last second) but when we got there, there was some tension in the house and she just got up and left.  Her roommate a said they had an argument about cheese... But we went to try and get her to come back but she was gone. So we ate some of the food awkwardly and left because she never came back and we went to B`s and he fed us and we had another good discussion then we came home took indicators and went to bed.


Today we took our car in because it had a recall and it is all good now had p-day activity and played basketball got groceries and then now we are e-mailing... 

Have a good week.

Love Elder Shane Dola

Monday, October 13, 2014

October 13

Happy Thanksgiving too! We did nothing today! Nothing is open so we can’t shop so we had p-day activity, went to the gym, and that was all we did all day...later we will be going to our ward mission leader's home for dinner which should be nice!

My week was okay. The dog bites are all healed up now. 

Monday we had P-day and then we had dinner and went with the L family to their daughter's soccer game again. It was the final and unfortunately they lost and a member of their team got kicked and his foot broke in half... we ended up walking one of their daughters dogs the entire time because the husband of one of the daughters had a bad back and the huge dogs were pulling too much trying to get to the soccer ball to eat it. But it was good to be able to be there with them. They thanked us for coming with them and said "they were happy to have such good missionaries to help them but more importantly it was nice to have good friends to spend time with" so that was nice that they appreciate us so much even though I don't feel that we do all too much!

Tuesday we did on-line proselyting for a while and then we tried to contact some people on the streets to no avail. Had lunch, and made crafts with the sisters and the other Elders in our district for a member. Had dinner and stopped by a few Less-Active members’ homes, who we don't know to no avail, and then we went and had FHE with B, a recent convert, and then went home.

Wednesday we had district meeting and I had the sisters and my companion have a companionship inventory so that was fun. They hashed out some issues and now there is a less contention in our district, which is good! This mission has so much drama between some missionaries. It is worse than middle school! Then we had lunch and finished making our crafts, and stopped by some more people. Had dinner, stopped by some more people, and met a man who served a mission in the Philippines, and he has a testimony but wouldn't tell us why he is less-active.

Thursday we did our on-line work and then we walked around and contacted people around the museum to no avail. Then we had lunch, and raked some members leaves, and visited with B, a less active member who was recently baptized and has fallen off the path, but he contacted us and really wants to straighten up. He invited us to dinner on Sunday for thanksgiving and was going to come to church! Then we went to the H's and had dinner and helped him rip down his fireplace.

Friday we weekly planned and then we had lunch and did our on-line work. Then we went and raked some more members leaves and then we went and had dinner at the Ba's, which is always good, and we shared a message with them following. Then we went to basketball night, which has been dying down a lot lately.

Saturday us four Elders went out to the H's again and helped him with his wall again and Elder Ruth and I went and helped his neighbour build a really big shed all day. That was fun. Then we came back into town and had dinner with our district and the gateway district at sister Corley's, who made us all turkey dinner.

Sunday Brother L and Ba both came to church, which was good. However, B didn't. We called him and he said he was coming, but never showed up. We stopped by after church and he said he fell back asleep but to still come to dinner at 3:00, so we went out and contacted a few more people and then we went to his house for dinner. We got there at 3:00 (the time that he invited us to come over) and everything was already gone, all eaten and cleaned up, so we went home and ate some old welfare bread and some old welfare muffins for dinner instead...then we went and contacted some more less-active members to no avail. Most of them told us to go away. Then we did our on-line and contacted some more and none were home so we came back, collected indicators, and went to sleep.

Have a great week! Take care!

Love Elder Shane Dola
 at the soccer game



Thanksgiving crafts!


Don't you think this would be a great Christmas present for me?





Monday, October 6, 2014

October 6

This week nothing too much happened. I don't have too much to report, we were able to visit with a couple pastors from the Seventh Day Adventist church on Monday which was fun they bought us dinner, some really nice people. Then we taught J again....

Tuesday I don't recall anything too spectacular happened. We helped a less active move some things from her yard and met with B.

Wednesday we had district meeting and we did get to go to a soccer game.

Thursdays was transfers and we were able to meet with J and X again and we went and cut our Ward Mission leaders lawn.

Friday I am not in remembrance of what happened...

Saturday we had conference and then we had a meal with 22 missionaries by some of the members in our ward. Then we had conference, and then a dinner party with another member family in our ward, then the priesthood session, then we came home.

Sunday we had conference, lunch, more conference and then we had dinner and planned for the next week and made a bunch of phone calls.

But I love you mom. You take care and do not worry about the dog bites. If anything was seriously wrong the mission would have contacted you! :)

-Love Elder Shane Dola