Hello everyone!
So this week I got my new companion. His name is Elder Demke from Tennessee. I used the old pick up line on him as soon as he told me that. I said, where are you from? and he said Tennessee and I said "oh that makes sense because you are the only "ten-i-see", haha:)
This was an awesome week, I can already tell it will be a great transfer. We had a powerful experience the very first day. We got a call from a private number. I answered and it was a man and he asked if this was the elders. We said yes... and he was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Elders I have hit rock bottom and I have nowhere else to go." He said he felt so lost and he was scrolling through his contacts to see who he could call and it landed on us. He asked if we could meet. I said yes and asked when. He said now. So we drove over to where he was and it was a MASSIVE Samoan man. We pulled over and he hopped in (I'm pretty sure the car sunk to the ground haha) We started talking as I drove somewhere we could talk. The man smelled heavily of smoke and looked pretty ragged. (just so my mom doesn't freak out he told us he was a member on the phone, so he wasn't a complete stranger haha) As we drove it was just kinda small talk and I was trying to think of where we could go to talk. My mind was completely blank though. I couldn't think of any park of anything at all. Then the Spirit said to me, Elder take him to the chapel. So we drove there. We were the only ones there, we opened it and went inside. We walked into the cultural hall and he was silent. He looked around and I could almost see the memories flashing across his mind of the days he had played sports in there. He began to cry and said "Man it has been 7 years since I have been in here.... it feels good, it feels right." We talked a little more about Christ and the Atonement. Then he said to us that he was in some pretty deep trouble. And he asked if he could tell us. We said yes. I can't really tell you all right now what it was that he was doing but I will just say that he was in some pretty deep trouble. His wife and kids were being threatened and he did not know what to do. He told us a sum of money he had to pay by the end of today to keep the people who were threatening his family away and he said he had nothing. We asked how much he owed and when he told us we were surprised.... it was a lot. He sunk down and was just crying and not sure what to do. Then my companion laughed and said to him "Do you know what's funny? I have been saving my personal funds my whole mission and I have that exact amount saved up...it's yours if you want it." I was shocked and so was the man. He said no, that's not why he called us. He said all he wanted to do was talk. My companion said it again and it was rejected again. Then once again my companion explained that this is what he wanted to do with the money. He gave it to him. We went into the chapel and sat down. We asked if he would like a priesthood blessing. It was a powerful experience. As soon as we laid our hands on his head it was like all the things he was going through were opened up to us. We could feel what he felt and the fear he had. Then the sense of love came flooding in that Heavenly Father had for him. My companion gave the blessing and everything he said I felt the same prompting as well. It was a cool experience. We have met with him several times since and he is doing so much better, we are gonna go meet the family this week!
I know that God lives and loves each of His children. This man was about as far away as you can get, but it is impossible to sink deeper than the infinite light of Christ's atonement can reach. I love being a missionary and having these experiences.
The other night we had another double dinner and literally almost died haha. We made it through though:)
Love you all,
elder White
