Serving in Kentucky: Knives!

Sept 26, 2016

Dear Family,

-Monday-

Normal P-Day as per usual. We shopped and emailed. Elder Salazar's bike broke down and I tried to fix it but we learned he's going to have to replace some parts. My hands got black from all the grease that got on them. I got a box from home! I always love getting boxes from home!

-Tuesday-

Tuesday's plans looked great. We had some service for a member and another meal appointment with Mr V in a member's home. Unfortunately... that all fell through. No service and no meal. We basically spent the whole day biking and talking with people. We tried one referral we got who lives in the top corner of our area. It took an hour to bike from the church to this referral. He didn't answer. It took another hour to bike back :).

We learned the Indian Trails Elders contacted PJ in their area. You may remember PJ was an investigator we had about a month ago who we lost contact with. Apparently he still wants to meet with us. He's been reading the Book of Mormon in our absence. We dropped him because he wouldn't answer his door or his phone. Maybe we'll be able to pick him back up.

-Wednesday-

Service day. We went to ReStore and sorted doors all day long. For some reason people keep donating doors to them. They have more doors than they can sell. Usually whenever we go there, we deal with a lot of doors.

Later on in the day we went to the Methodist church and helped out there. Nothing unique happened this time. It's always good to help out at other churches. As we serve, we make friends and people see we're not weird :).

At the end of the day, the ReStore group took us out to Rafferty's. I got a medium rare T-Bone that had this sauce made from Pineapple Juice and Soy Sauce. It was really good but nobody can do medium rare like Carrabbas.

-Thursday-

District Meeting. Elder Williams and I forgot we were giving a short training for the meeting until the morning of. I felt like Brian Regan when he said "Oh no! That's due today!". With the little prep we put into the training it went surprisingly well.

After the meeting we went on an exchange with the Indian Trails Elders. I took Elder Robins to Hurstbourne. For the most part, we spent the day talking with peeps. We had a member meal with the Jansson family. They fed us breakfast for dinner. That's always the best dinner!

Later on we were biking around and this huge dog decided to chase us. It wasn't trying to hurt us. It was just having fun running next to us. However, it decided to try and dart between me and Elder Robins. He wound up running over its food. And it still followed us for a while after that. I'd say it followed us for a good quarter of a mile or so.

-Friday-

Elder Robins and I started off teaching Mr Ch about the enabling power of the Atonement. It was a good lesson. We used Alma 7:11-13 to explain everything and we had a good conversation from it. Mr Ch actually committed himself to pray more without us bringing up prayer. Hopefully he continues to act.

After we left, we got doughnuts at the Krispy Kreme that's next to our apartment. Eventually, the other elders came and we exchanged back.

Later on we visited the Cl family. They told us they're moving to our apartment complex. That'll make it a lot easier to see them :). After we got out of the Cl's, my back tire lost it's air. After some examination I realized that the valve itself had broken. Thankfully, I had a spare tube in my bag so I was able to fix it without walking great distances anywhere. Unfortunately, right after I got everything back together and started biking away, my front tube went flat. The same thing happened to it. The valve broke. I didn't have a spare tube for that one :(. We had to walk to Walmart to get it. We walked to Walmart, got my tube, walked back, fixed my bike, and died.

-Saturday-

Saturday was crazy. We had missionary coordination with Bro Haws. Then we helped Bro Brock with some yard service. He had us rip out a bunch of plants in his front yard and put black mulch in their place. Bro Brock gives knives to missionaries who help him out with yard work. He gave me 2 big knives :).

After the service, the Brock's took us to Skyline Chili for lunch. Then we had to attend a surprise baptism. Bro Klienman in the ward was baptizing his daughter and wanted us to be there. So after lunch we quickly changed and attended the baptism.

-Sunday-

Mr V didn't come to church this week. He attended some French-speaking church. Hopefully he noticed the lack of Spirit at this other church. Later on after church, we went to the Dodd's for dinner. They fed us an Alfredo dish that had bacon in it. It was heavenly. They took the "Brother of Jared Challenge" very well.

Later on as we were biking around some guy stopped us in his car to warn us. He said a friend of his just got hurt riding his bike recently. He broke quite a few bones in his accident. This random stranger also said he was a talent scout and said some of the best marketers he's met are RM's. He asked us about our people skills.

- Small Plate's -

Mr Ch lesson was a very unique one. The lesson subject was the "Enabling Power of the Atonement". There's 2 main effects that we get out of the Atonement. the cleansing/redeeming power, and the enabling power. We don't often hear about the enabling power and I have never taught a lesson where that was the main subject. Because it was a new subject for me, I chose the verses of scripture that teach the Atonement the best.

Alma 7:11-13 "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."

These few verses teach us about both effects of the Atonement simply and powerfully. My favorite part that talks about the enabling power is the last part of verse 12. "...that He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according to their infirmities." Succor means help or support. Part of Christ's purpose is to HELP us do what He has commanded us to do.

1 Nephi 3:7 illustrates this: "...I, Nephi, said... I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, SAVE HE SHALL PREPARE A WAY FOR THEM that they may accomplish the thing which He commandeth them".

Through Christ's Atonement. We are cleansed from sin, redeemed from both deaths, and receive strength to enable us to do what He commands. I enjoyed teaching this short lesson to Mr Ch this week. I feel like it taught me more about the Atonement that it taught him.

Love Elder Benjamin Kohkonen Cox (GKLM)