Week 43; I Love Yinz

Photo Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QuW5JQQJL6emqhb68 Wow, what a week we’ve had here on the Northside of Pittsburgh. I can say without question that God is providing for us daily. Recently I’ve been pondering a lot about what it really means to be the missionary the Lord would have me be. More than just doing the work, I’ve been searching to find my identity inside this mission. What I’ve learned this week is that it comes down to one thing: keeping the Spirit with me at all times and responding immediately to the promptings the Holy Ghost gives me. When I’ve acted instead of second guessing, when I’ve shut out that second voice of doubt, everything has fallen into place. I’ve gone to bed each night more fulfilled than the last because I knew, without question, that I was exactly where the Lord wanted me to be that day. That truth was driven home during our exchanges this week. On Thursday I had another incredible exchange with the APs, and I was paired with Elder Verdine. I think that makes five exchanges together so far in my mission. We kicked off the day with service, helping a Jewish man clean out his entire home. Hard work, but he fed us Subway afterwards, so it was a good time. After that we blitzed their area. Every single lesson we had planned fell through. Instead of getting discouraged, we went back to the basics and committed to finding for the rest of the day. We had a long talk in the car about identity and growth. Elder Verdine and I are a lot alike, and it was powerful to counsel together about breaking past the plateaus we both feel in our work. We talked about what it really takes to become the missionaries the Lord needs, and how to better act on spiritual promptings and recognize answers to prayers. From that point on, we just went out and did good. No doubt. No hesitation. We followed every impression we received. By the numbers, it was our worst exchange yet: we found exactly 0 new people. But I can honestly say we’ve never felt more fulfilled or more full of joy. We were where the Lord wanted us, and that was enough. I’ve been thinking a lot about why the Lord works that way. He knows exactly where every person who will be baptized is. He could lead us straight to them every single day. But He doesn’t. Sometimes the Spirit leads us to the harder streets, to more rejection, to more closed doors. Because the Lord’s purpose isn’t just to rack up baptisms. His purpose is to shape us into righteous, steadfast disciples. That means He will refine us, mold us, and stretch us until we become more like Him. So yes, we will walk through hard times even when we are following the Spirit exactly. But it’s all for the rolling forth of His righteous purposes. Sometimes we’re sent to a street not for the people who live there, but for us. So the Lord can trust us, so He can prepare us, so He can shape us according to His infinite wisdom and knowledge of what’s best for us. And the week only kept building. On Wednesday I had an exchange with the Oakland Zone Leaders and was with Elder Hackett again, this time in his area. With school out on campus, we spent the entire day downtown talking with people on the streets. It was incredible. Being in Northside, we already head downtown every day for a bit, but this was like my daily intake of downtown Pittsburgh on steroids. And the Lord blessed us. We found more than 6 new people that day. One of them was Ronnie, a humble woman who is going through an awful time with her husband’s abusiveness. The Spirit was so strong as we shared Mosiah 3:6-9 with her and testified that Christ knows her perfectly, that He suffered for her, and that He can bring her peace and comfort right now. We prayed with her, and she opened up. She said she’s willing to come to church and wants us to give her a tour. One personal focus I had that day was getting rid of robotic church invitations. I worked on being creative, natural, and Spirit-led in how I invited people. It made all the difference. The conversations were real, and people responded to it. Elder Hackett is an amazing missionary. He’s spent his whole mission between Penn State and Pitt campuses, and I take a lot of inspiration from the way he teaches and finds. He’s helped me see how to be bold without being forced. Here in Northside this transfer, we’re consistently finding 15 to 20 people every week, and still not a single person has come to church yet. That could be discouraging, but I’ve never felt more sure that the Lord is in the details. I know that as we continue in faithfulness and obedience, acting on every prompting we receive , the Lord will provide. I know He allows droughts and dry spots even when we are doing everything right. But it’s our obedience and faith inside those trials that qualifies us for Him to magnify our efforts. He will multiply and replenish us. He will give us the success to meet and exceed every goal He has set for us. I know this is the Lord’s work. I know He lives. I know He is shaping me every single day. With all my love, Elder Batman