Elder Terry, Eric's new companion, is a young man from Lone Peak High School where Eric went to school. They didn't know each other well at school but were in the MTC together and got to be companions for the last week or so there, since Eric's MTC companion went to Montreal- Haitian speaking. Eric really appreciated Elder Terry's sense of humor and I think it will be good for Eric to spend some time with someone who will lighten him up some. A side note-- Elder Terry's grandparents lived in the church congregation in Paul, Idaho, where Kent grew up and Eric's grandparents lived. We found out after they were both called to work with the Haitians in the Fort Lauderdale mission, that Elder Seamons' grandparents were at Elder Terry's parent's wedding ceremony. It is a small world!
October 24, 2011
Hello Everyone! Elder Terry is my new companion! I am so excited about that. He is a really good missionary and we are having great things going on right now. Elder Shipley and I had many investigators going into this transfer and we have been keeping busy. Ernst and Carrine are being baptized this week! I am so excited about that. Carrine is doing super well! She has been to church on her own, and we haven't had to search for a ride for her for the last 5 times she has come. Sister Monestine told us that several members informed her that Carrine has been calling people that she didn't see at church on Sunday. That made us so excited. She is going to be a great member! Ernst isn't doing quite as well. He wasn't at church for the last two weeks, so we will see what is going to happen, but it might have been because of his work, which is on call and sometimes makes him work on Sunday. We did make a goal in the Book of Mormon for reading, and he says he will accomplish it.
Gulbert feels good about the restoration, Book of Mormon and everything that we have been teaching, and he has been praying about it, but he doesn't feel ready yet and he is afraid of falling away after he gets baptized. It is a common problem with Haitians wanting to be perfect before baptism. Roni, his brother, has been reading every day and he has a desire to be baptized which wasn't there before. I am seeing a change in him. But he wants to do it in his Mom's church. He doesn't fully understand the restoration yet. We will have to go over that again.
This is going to be a really exciting transfer. We have all of the skills we need as a companionship. We still have to develop more, but we are both very experienced, so if we work hard and try our best, we will do pretty well. We have been slacking on Daily contact and member work. Once we get both of those rolling well, we will be able to have much success. The members are such a powerful source in an investigator's conversion.
Spencer and his wife are learning and understanding the restoration really well. Spencer has been telling us that he has been saying specific prayers and asking if the Book of Mormon is true and if Joseph Smith is a true prophet. We emphasized that a lot in one of our past lessons with them. They just need to come to church more. The family has been once. More dilligence in church attendance will do a lot of good. We just don't want to baptize people who "fullfil the requirements," but are truly converted. I have seen way too many people that have had that happen. Our ward list in the Miami Shores Ward has 600 or so people in it, but only 250 come. In Coconut Creek, there are about 900 people on the ward list and only 300 or so that go. We need to have better retention in the church as a whole. I do feel good about Dupont though. He is doing really great. He takes the bus every week to the church and he has come out with us many times and he understands the Book of Mormon really well. But even more than what the people we teach are doing, looking at the desires of their hearts and their dilligence in what they do is important. There are many people who can come to church, but if they come five times because a member gave them a ride, and then they get baptized, they might not continue to come without people pulling them along. Elder Shipley and I worked a lot on helping people become self-sufficient as they become newly baptized and confirmed members of the church.
Pray that we can be the best missionaries as possible. We have been blessed with an extremely fruitful area. There are so many people who agree to meet with us and listen to our message. And many of them agree to keep their commitments. We just need to do our part to be there to help them. I have a sad story from this week about how we were not their for an investigator:
There is a Haitian man named Brother Tido who has been in the United States for many years and he married a Jamaican woman. He has serious problems in his feet and when he walks a few feet they begin to swell. He has been in a lot of pain for the last few weeks and we gave him a blessing. The North Miami Beach Spanish elders contacted him, but they still pass by when they are in the area. We had some appointments that fell through with him because we couldn't go over, but we forgot to call him. They passed by and he was telling them about how we had an appointment with him, which he had missed a doctor's appointment for, but we didn't come. Then we came to appoligize and we invited him to church. We said we would try and find a wheel chair for him so he could go. He was really excited and we set another appointment too. We had that fall through because of something (I don't remember what), and we called the elder's quorum president and he said he would get a wheel chair somehow, but we called him later and he never responded. So in the end we missed two appointments with Tido and we didn't get him a wheel chair. He told the other elders that he can't trust two liars who don't keep their word. I felt so horrible when I heard what had happened. I feel like I have completely failed that man. The other elders told me they feel like he is ready to be baptized. I should have been more responsible with him. We have just had so many people to see that I wasn't thinking too much about Tido. However, I am going to make sure that we go over, apologize, tell him that we now have a wheel chair, becaue we got the okay to let him use the one in the church, and we will be better at keeping our appointments with him. We are never going to break his trust again. No one who doesn't be true and faithful in all things can't be a representative of Jesus Christ. Because Christ would not fail a person. I am going to be a better representative this week.
I know that the Atonement is real and that we can be redeemed from our mistakes. It is the most wonderful part of our message. I know that God is preparing people to meet with us, as well as missionaries all over the world.
Several wonderful things are happening over in Coconut Creek that are really exciting. I taught someone named Nika Alexander over a year ago when I was with Elder Bolz, but we lost contact with her. She had many problems in her life back then. Elder Chandler and Elder Terry told me that they looked her up in the area book and they stopped by. I put a big note that future missionaries needed to check up on her. Plus Elder Chandler had taught her for a few weeks as well. Nika apparently was in the shower and she was crying and she told god that she felt totally abandoned and that she needed help to overcome her problems. as soon as she finished the prayer, she heard a knock on the door. She quickly got out, dressed, and she opened the door, and the missionaries were standing there. She was really shocked and she let them in. Then she started sobbing and she told them all of her difficulties and how she was looking for a sign that God still cared about her. She agreed to prepare for baptism! Also, Daline Figaro who Elder Rybin and I were teaching is finally getting baptized this week! I thought the day would never come! I am so happy! That girl is awesome! A long time mystery has been solved though. I wondered why her mom was so against her being baptized, and the other missionaries told me that her mom went to a church where they taught people voudou. I have noticed that most people who are into voudou feel threatened by us and that they don't want their children getting baptized in the church we represent.
Anyway. Coconut Creek is doing well. Miami Shores is doing well. I am so happy now! I love you all! Pray that we may have success. Bye!
Love,
Elder Seamons
Some interesting "Wow" stories from the mission:
“We taught a family the restoration on our next visit and they ate it up as if they were starving for the truth the husband, Alex was asking us during the lesson the same question that Joseph Smith had [James 1:15]. We excitedly taught them and introduced the Book of Mormon to them, and the wife, who had been pretty quiet yet receptive, opened up to us and told us about a dream she had a few nights ago. It was about her neighbor, the one who referred the family, and she had offered her a bible but this one was different. She said she didn't recognize the book until we pulled it out and gave it to her. She quickly said ‘that’s the book!!’
A story from President Anderson:
We received 9 new missionaries this last week (Tuesday) and after interviews and orientation, we sent them out to leave a Book of Mormon (they had written a testimony inside the cover) in a nearby neighborhood. They came back excited about the great experience they had. As we were in between sessions of Stake Conference in Fort Lauderdale Saturday, a sister came up to us, and the Stake President, and told us of a story she saw on the Miami Network News. The reporters were interviewing people in a neighborhood (about a mile or two from the Mission Home) concerning a tornado that came through and devastated the area on Tuesday night, destroying dozens of homes. One woman they were interviewing was asked how her home sustained no damage yet both homes next to her were almost destroyed. She told the journalist that 10 minutes before the tornado hit, 3 young men in white shirts and ties came to her house and left a sacred book. She then showed the reporter a Book of Mormon and they opened it on camera and read parts of the testimony that was written inside the cover. It talked about the truth of this book and that it will be a source of the Spirit and protection. She praised and thanked Heavenly Father and these Missionaries for leaving this book which she testified on camera protected her home.
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