06/08/2026
Lol Totally Thought We Were Boutta Get Kidnapped😅
Photos:https://photos.app.goo.gl/JdLLAhdczwxVhGiw6
Stories
lets start it off with my split on tuesday with my batchmate Elder Arnson. He had a goal to find 6 people that day, so we got to work with the finding. It was pretty good honestly, we were finding a fair bit of people that seemed somewhat promising. Then we come to this one ladies house. We start teaching her on the sidewalk and everything is going good. I teach about the BOM as I usually do on finding lessons, and end it by asking if she wants one. Then she says she already has one. Hmmm I thought, she must've had other missionaries visit her before, probably should've asked some better questions at the start. Oh well, thats still good, shes got a good foundation you know. Then Elder Arnson asks her if shes already baptized. "Thats a little silly" I thought, she would've definitely said something if she was a member😅. "Yup, ive been a member for quite a while". 😐. What. "Why didn’t you say anything earlier😭" I said. "Well I wanted to learn with yall". 🫠ok🫠.
So yeah, I'm so good at finding, shes been baptized for over a year😏.
Later in the day we do a bit more finding. We knock on this one ladies house, and she opens the door having clearly just woken up. We get to teaching the BOM, naturally, and I have this example I like to do when teaching it that I picked up from my trainer. Basically I say the Bible is like rice, and the BOM is like toppings (btw that is every meal. When you go to a place to eat, you just order the toppings/meat you want. Rice is a given). Rice isn't delicious alone, and just toppings doesn't fill us up. We need both. Like how we need both the Bible and the BOM. Well I ask her, like always, "is the rice alone delicious?". "Yes". Oh boy I thought, It's gonna be one of these lessons. Well later on she says she's part of a religion that believes in 2 types of Jesus, and she needs to know which one we believe in. "Uhhhh we believe in the Jesus that is the God of the Old Testament, the-"
"yeah yeah yeah, but like which one?"
Which one??? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?! I eventually just said we are basically just kinda arguing, so I'll just bear my testimony and leave. We go to close with a prayer and naturally I ask her to do it, but then she says "I can't because I'm in the presence of males. Therefore I am unworthy to do it. If you remember when Jesus started his church-"
"OK my friend can do it no worries"
"No if you want me to-"
"No no, if its against your faith I don't want to be a bother, my friend can do it"
"Ok"
So yeah, that was Tuesday.
Saturday we are going to our golden village again, and its like a 2+ hour walk. But luckily, someone stopped for us on the way to give us a ride. We get in this van, and there's no seats, its just the front, then a bar separating the front and back that made it look like we were arrested, then the back with some cardboard boxes...so naturally we hop right in with smiling faces and grateful hearts.
Well anyways we finally get to our little turn off in the dirt road, so i say "here".
No stop.
"Here!"
No stop.
I turn to Elder Enriquez and im like, oh brother🙃.
Elder Enriquez says "HERE!"
"Oh here?"
"Yes"(I don't know why there isn't one, but imagine a "phew" emoji here)
Then we get off and go do teaching, then was also able to catch a ride back. So blessed.
Testimony
We are less than dirt. I know I know, strong way to start a testimony, but just stay with me here, arms and legs inside the ride at all times. God blesses us constantly, every day. And we do nothing to deserve it. Except for keeping Gods laws, our blessings do not come from anything of our own hands. Our prosperity, is God giving it to us. And as soon as we start to forget that, and God, everything will go away. Or worse. It stays and we get more and more prideful until our soul goes away. Take a moment to remember God, because he has never forgotten you. I promise you will be blessed.
Invitation
Its quite simple. Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Don't let God go unappreciated.
Tena tiako ny fianakavaiako
Brayden Stevens
