Okay, now for the week's events. So they week started off pretty dismally. I was getting mad at my companion partly because he was being lazy and partly because I was going along with it so I was blaming him in my head. I was also disappointed because last montyh we had over the goal of weekly baptisms and this month was looking really stink in comparison. I know I should be happy with the 2 bap. dates we had set but in this mission that sucks. The people here are so ready for the gospel, especially in our area, so there's no reason not to baptize weekly. Anyways, I was steaming about how bad we were doing and how we weren't teaching any new people until we had zone conference on Thursday.
At zone conference we had a member of the area presidency, Tad R. Callister. He spoke about a ton of topics here and there but the last thing he spoke on was on being a consecrated missionary. Essentially a consecrated missionary is one who puts everything he has on the alter of sacrifice. He gives up his time, talents, fears, thoughts of home, girls and life there. He gives up his pride and his will. A consecrated missionary gives up all of this and becomes totally subservient to the Lord. After the conference and when we went home I realized I hadn't been acting as a consecrated missionary. I was dwelling on what it will be like to come home and was looking forward to moving on out of my area. Essentially I was saying that the area I'm in wasn't worth my time. I was being selfish. Even as I realized this it was hard to just up and change how I was feeling in an instant. I was still feeling angry and was getting depressed because I hadn't gotten any mail at zone conference (we only get mail every 6 weeks). The next day on Friday I just decided to fast for strength in overcoming my natural tendencies. I naturally want to blame others for my lack of success and I naturally want to sleep when my comp is napping but I knew I had to overcome that.
Friday was probably the worst/best day to be fasting. We spent the day visiting referals and delivering their requested materials so we were biking all around town. Oh yeah, and it was raining. Well, not really raining, more like pouring. My pants were completly soaked through and I was grumbling cause my scriptures in my backpack were getting wet. Then my seat bolt loosed up so my seat was tilting way back and there was no way for me to tighten it so I couldn't ride sitting down which was super annoying. Finally, right after delivering a Book of Mormon to this guy on the farthest side of town, I hopped on my bike to find that my tire was flat. This was the 3rd time I'd had a flat tire and the worst time by far. I was so stinking mad cause then I had to walk my bike home in the pouring rain. I got even madder when my comp told me he couldn't walk because it would ruin his shoes so he would ride ahead like a mile and then wait at a bus stop shelter for me to catch up.
So there I was, walking by my self for the most part down the streets of Hamilton in the pouring rain. I could only think of how much this sucked for so long and then I started to pray that I would be able to not only overcome this, not only to endure my time here, but to do well in this area as well. As I prayed for this the scipture in D & C something came to me, the one where it's the Lord comforting Joseph Smith in Liberty jail. I couldn't remember the whole scripture but one phrase did come to mind: "and if the billowing storms should rage upon you... know this my son that it is for thy good." I kept thinking this over and over and I was crying as I kept thanking my Heavenly Father for the oppurtunity to walk home in the rain. My prayer for strength became a prayer of gratitude as I thought of all the ways I have been blessed in my area. Of coarse I've been blessed in coming to New Zealand, that was an amazing blessing in and of itself but my very specific area has been such a blessing as well. At zone conference I learned that of all the elders from my intake I've been the only one who's had a baptism and I've had 5 already. Even out of the districts in our zone I've gotten the best. My eyes were finally opened to what I've been given and I just bawled my eyes out. It was fine cause my comp was a mile and a half away most of the time so he still thinks I'm tough.
When I got home I was like totally committed, so ready to be a consecrated missionary Saturday was another rainy, hard day but I was so much happier. I think the Lord was just trying to see how committed I really was because it wasn't until Sunday until the miracles came. In one day me and my comp were able to find and set 4 new people for baptism later this month, bringing us past what we were able to do last month. I am just so happy to be where I am and to have a Father in Heaven who helps this stubborn son of His along. There's really no place on Earth I'd rather be than Hamilton, New Zealand and no work I'd rather be doing than His.
Best. Week. Ever.
Love you all,
Elder Keifer
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