I know super exciting subject heading, right? I hate to say it but
you will probably be disappointed with the reasoning behind it. I will tell you
of the marvelous experience I had yesterday to inspire it here in a sec. But
first, it has been a great week! It has been very bittersweet. I think the odds
of getting transferred are pretty high. I think the ward is expecting it too. I
have really grown to love the Ames 1st ward. This area is definitely going to
be one that I am excited to come back to after my mission. That is one of the great
blessings of serving a mission relatively close to your home state. I will be
able to visit these people pretty often. Hoorah!
I feel like I haven't given an update on Elder Balderston's
magnificent progress as a missionary for a while. He is such a stud. We have
such good times. We laugh a lot while we are knocking so that helps make the
endless rejection a little bit more fun. He has really grown as a missionary.
The growth in his testimony is evident by the way he now is as a missionary. I
am stoked to see all the good that he will do and I am so grateful that the
Lord has trusted me to be his trainer. I hope that he has similar feelings
towards his trainer as I do towards mine. I am definitely going to miss
him if I get transferred. I don't find out until tomorrow so you guys will have
to wait in suspense until next Monday.
One cool thing that happened this week was a dinner we had on
Friday night. There is a deaf family in our ward who invited us over. Of
course, I don't know any sign language so they had another family there to
translate for us! It was a wild night. I am happy to announce that I can now
sign, "This is good spaghetti." I am pretty much fluent.
Yesterday before church, we were doing the usual missionary stuff,
you know shaking hands, talking about Trump, kissing babies, the works when one
of the coaches from BYU's track team walked in followed by eight or so of BYU's
team. Yes that includes a couple of the cute distance runners, but of course I
didn't notice. Virtue garnishes my thoughts unceasingly. Eye single to the glory,
right? There was a meet here at ISU. Immediately a wave of trunkiness flooded
over me. I talked to the coach about the meet and I wanted to lay on the floor
and cry for a little bit! I miss track! He was impressed that I was a high
jumper and would be doing so for USU when I get home. Who knows I may end up
transferring to the Y after a season or two.
The fun started after sacrament meeting. The primary presidency
was frantically running around to find a piano player for music time. Fortunately,
Bishop Cannon knows I can play the piano and was more than happy to offer me up
for the job. It was fun actually! I miss primary. I haven't played a lot of the
primary songs for a long time so it was kind of a struggle, but I think it
ended up going alright! Nephi's courage wrecked me! I would definitely enjoy it
if after I am known as Elder Obray the missionary, I will be known as Brother
Obray the primary pianist. I can't think of a more fulfilling calling.
On Saturday, we went out to dinner with Q for what is most likely
the last time. It was fun. Texas Roadhouse was too busy so we decided on a Chinese
buffet down the street. Q got me to taste all kinds of weird stuff. I ate sushi
for the first time and actually really enjoyed it. I ate a claw fish and the
highlight of the night was an entire octopus (it was small), tentacles and all.
It was quite the feeling chewing on the little sucky things. What an experience.
It was sad to talk to Q about getting transferred. I am really going to miss him.
We have become really good friends through the course of his conversion. I am
sure that he is the reason that I was called to the Ames area. I will remember
him forever. I am eternally grateful for the answer to my prayers that he has
been. He helped get me through a rough patch on my mission. I sure hope that
someday our paths will cross again.
Not much else to report on but I will end with a cute
thought.
I heard a statistic that out of every one thousand people that
missionaries talk to from knocking, only one person gets baptized. I am
reluctant to say that it checks out. I counted up all of my OYM's in Ames and I
have talked to nearly two thousand people about Jesus Christ. Only two people
have accepted it and one of them wasn't even from knocking. I am convinced that
if we labor diligently to invite others to come unto Christ, especially when we
don't necessarily see the fruits of our labors, we are showing Heavenly Father
that he can trust us with his elect. Serving in Ames has been a huge blessing
because it has helped me to continue to work even when I don't feel like I am
having success. Who knows maybe one of the one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight
people who rejected us at their door step will someday get baptized because of
a pass along card we gave them or from a feeling they had when we talked to
them. The fruits of our labors are not always evident at the present time. We
are to trust in the Lord, labor diligently with a good attitude, then will his
arm be revealed. I am grateful to have been able to teach two people here in
Ames who are now active members of the church. I would come on a mission over
and over even if I knew that I would only teach two people who would choose to
be baptized. I love this work. At the end of the day, all the rejection, all
the appointments that fall through, all the stress, and all the trunkiness is
worth it, because this is the Lord's work.
D&C 18:15 says "And if it so be that you should labor all
your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul
unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my
Father!"
I love you guys and I can't wait to talk to you again on Mother’s
Day. Have a great week.
The Primary Pianist,
Elder Obray
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