Events that make a mission worth it.

A few weeks ago we were tracking through an area looking for people to teach. At a point I was ready to just head over to one of our recent converts and teach her a lesson and call it a day. My companion, before I said anything, said, "Let's go over here." Obviously being the "senior companion" I could have just gone through with my plan.
But we did what he said. We walked over, talked to few people near a house and after they left we stayed near a house playing with some little kids (when in doubt just play with the kids). It was getting dark, and after a few minutes a young kid (18) came up to us and sat comfortably at the stoop in front of the house, obviously claiming that he stayed there. Assuming the invite (like any good salesman) I just went and sat next to him and started talking to him about his day. He just came from a soccer competition that he played in all day in town. He scored something like five goals, so immediately we were friends. As I began to really introduce myself and my message, it seemed that the only voice he could hear was mine. My companion was sitting on my right side and he (Alex) was on my left, and with the kids still making noise, I could see that it was really just going to be a quick lesson on my own. I basically introduced the restoration in about 5-10 minutes and gave him a small pamphlet to read. He followed very close during the lesson asking basic questions to clearly understand what I was saying. When we were getting ready to leave he told us that as he was walking across the bridge from town he felt something telling him that there were visitors waiting to give him something at home. He told us that as he felt this feeling he thought to himself, "What is this feeling? Who are these visitors? I'm tired." It was very apparent at that moment to him and us that we were those visitors.

Alex was gone a while playing soccer in Kampala. We finally met with him briefly at one of our powerful recent-convert's home who has a DVD player. We watched the short "Restoration" film with him, shared more about the Book of Mormon and left him with a copy. The member, Mary (who he knows), bore great testimony and then he had to leave to go to Mukono. Just this week we were able to meet with him again. He stays with his brother's family, but no one was home except for him. He welcomed us in and we sat down on his couch which had no seat cushions while he turned off his radio. We went over the only chapter he had time to read, Mormon 1. Then we read Moroni 10:3-5 together. The spirit was very strong. My companion then read 3 Nephi 27:19-20. I thought it was a little bit off from the lesson, but my companion then began to speak strongly about the atonement and I again felt the spirit. I looked over to Alex and after a moment of silence he apologized because he had started to cry. He than began to explain to us about the feelings he had been feeling while he had been reading the things we have been giving him during the week. He said how he felt something going through his entire body and mind and that while we were talking to him he felt like he was "receiving good things inside him and the bad things were leaving." We tried to help him understand these feelings and then committed him to baptism. In his closing prayer he thanked God for sending him "these Elders." The next day he was at Jinja District Conference with Book of Mormon in hand. Things like that make a two year mission worth while.

I thought you'd like the story. I'll let you know more as it unfolds.

Dad, send me a picture of the soccer team, of course with you in it. My Dad's a soccer coach. I like to think I had part in your conversion. Have a nice week.

ELDER WRIGHT