Pat a cat pat a cat

Hi! This marked another great week in the field. This ward fast is really moving the work forward. It’s amazing to see the miracles that happen with fasting. It gets me every time.

Spiritual: Why is the Gospel even important? Today shall I answer that grand question with a story. Yesterday we were with a member and were trying to go visit a potential investigator. This man had told us a little bit about himself and told us his situation. His name is Rene and he has a daughter that has cancer. He works two jobs and is stressed out of his mind. He is a hardworking man and has a desire to learn about God. We went over to go see him and he wasn’t home. Even though we had set an appointment. (this is not uncommon.) Oh well! His daughter answered the door and started to talk to us. This was Shaylee his daughter who has cancer. When we talked to her we found out more of her story and what had happened. Her life was going great. She placed high in the Jr. Olympics and was pursuing a path to go to the actual Olympics, she was the lead scorer on her high school soccer team and had high hopes for that and all of the sudden she developed brain cancer and it was gone in an instant. She is now confined to a wheelchair and is not very happy with life. She felt like it was God who took her dreams and hopes away and now she is really upset at the way her life has gone and the events that have led to her being where she is. When we talked to her it just broke my heart. She was so upset at where she was that there was no hope in her heart. I was really concerned about how to help her. I realized that what the gospel gives us and why it’s so important is because it gives us opportunity for a change in perception. When we have hope in the resurrection and we have faith that Jesus Christ really did what he said that He did, we can look forward and be happy. We can turn our trials into opportunities to help others. Living the Gospel does not entitle you to be completely free of opposition or pain, but it does entitle you to change your perception and your reaction to live a life of service and help to the people around you. This is not something we can really go over and say to Shalee right now, she has some other issues that we need to help her with before that time but we are going to work with her and help her on her path to knowing God. I love this gospel. I love the Savior. I am so happy that I have the ability and the hope to change my perception of tragedy into a mindset of service, humility and love for others. I know that Heavenly Father did not send us here to fail. He sent us here on earth to live so that we can grow. I love this and I know this. 

Funny: In missionary work it really is helpful to pay attention to the person you are talking to. This will help you know their needs and learn how to help them. It is also crucial for you to pay attention to their surroundings. Both are essential for good missionary work. We were street contacting and we met a lady who was holding a cat. I stopped and asked if I could pet the cat. She was a really sweet lady and that was a really fluffy cat. I walked over and gave the cat the old scratch behind the ears. The cat was a little freaked out but I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was normal. I am a scary tall guy with a bike helmet on and a machine of death with two wheels next to me. I kept talking to the lady and for some reason she kept backing away from me while holding the cat. I would come closer and she would go farther away. Eventually she said that she really had to go because the cat was done. I tried to talk to her but she just started to walk away. That was really strange because for the most part people that will talk to us and we get that far with will stay and listen to the whole thing. It was odd. I asked Elder Barney what his thoughts were about it and he said "Didn’t you see the cat?" Silly Elder Barney. I saw the cat and I even played Pat the Cat. He told me that when I had patted  said cat that the cat didn’t like Elder Black. It had its claws out and was clinging to this lady very tightly. Whenever I got closer it would get more and more freaked out and would scratch the lady even more vigorously than before. I was probably not very good that every time she would back away I would take a step closer. Oh dear. I felt bad about that. I did learn a very important lesson about observing the situation that people are it. 

Where I am at: This ward fast is awesome. We have met someone every day that we think has some solid potential. It’s super cool! Strangely though every time we meet someone it’s after we have a huge long bike ride to the top of our area and are completely out of breath. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven! We have Zone Training Meeting on Friday and we are really excited about it. Our theme is going to be based on Ether 2 and how the Lord answers prayers. I am doing great and loving this work! I love love love the Fort Ord Ward! This is awesome. I love the stories and the strength of the members. Things are going well! I love you all!