So after a week of waiting, we were finally able to watch General Conference! It was really awesome, and to be honest, it's the longest I've ever stayed awake during General Conference. I guess the talk that I liked that I'll share with you all, although you've all heard it already, is the one given by Dallin H. Oaks. He talked about three things that any member can do anywhere around the world. He was talking quite fast, so I wasn't able to get it word for word, and it's probably a little different from what he said, but this is what I took from it: 1) Pray for the desire to help with the missionary work, 2) Keep the commandments and be an example to those around you. It kind of reminds me of the story of Alma's son, Coriantumr was his name I think, who didn't follow the right path like his brothers did on their missions. Contrary to their great efforts and righteousness, Coriantumr didn't exactly do everything he was told or keep all the commandments, and Alma told him that it was hard to teach these people now because of Coriantumr's bad example. Today we need to be examples and be the best members we can, so that others can see us and be willing to hear what we have to say. And finally, 3) Pray for what you can do in your specific situation or circumstance to do missionary work, and pray with real intent, meaning you are committed to acting on the promptings and inspiration you will receive. Anyways, that's what I liked about his talk.
So other than that, this past week was pretty busy. There were a lot of meetings and traveling to do, but we were still able to fit in some door knocking, like usual. One interesting situation was when we knocked on a door and the man opened his door, saw us, and said "not interested" and began to close it before we could say much. So we just said, "have a good weekend", and began to walk, but for some reason I didn't hear the door slam. As I glanced back, I saw that it was still cracked open, like he was contemplating coming out and saying something. I thought he was going to yell at us or something, but he opened the door and said with a much kinder voice, "hey, uh, do you guys want some drinks?" then he got us some sodas. I think a the simple words of "have a good weekend" helped him to realize that we weren't just going around looking for people to convert, but that we actually cared about the people who we talked to, and that may have helped change his heart. I really don't know what he was thinking, but I guess the lesson learned from this experience is that a few simple kind words, even to people who may not be so kind to you, can go a long way.
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