Companionship Success!

This week started off really hard. Our lessons and plans were falling through because people weren't at there houses or didn't have time and stuff like that. On Sunday we literally walked our entire area having zero success at all. Sunday night was rough as well because my companion didn't want to help me report the numbers like we have to. And I was just feeling way discouraged about our relationship and his testimony. I have been working so hard to help my companion. He is an awesome guy and a really fun, funny person, but he has had a really rough life and is struggling a little bit right now. So I have been doing everything I can think of to help him. I prayed many times for him and just for help. Because I want so badly for him to gain a stronger testimony and remember why he is out here. Then I realized that we are two very different people. So I humbled myself and remembered that I need to change before I can expect others to change. I remembered that he is a very fun, crazy, energetic person. So if I am just boring and always correcting him, of course he isn't going to like me or want to work with me. Having lots of experience with funny, crazy, energetic people while living with 5 guys from the hood when I was running in Australia, I just stopped being so ¨Elder you cant do that¨ ¨Elder, we need to do this¨ and mixed that in with my fun, crazy, energetic self that all of you know me as! Right away I could see that as we played and joked and really had good talks with one another, we were a lot stronger of a companionship and he actually opened up and started to have a love for the work. On Monday, we had a zone meeting in the morning and it was the absolute most perfect meeting we could have had! The Assistants to the President were there and they talked about some great things that we all really needed to hear. Two main parts were companionship's and having desire. Those two things hit both me and my comp hard and later he told me how he really learned some great things from the meeting. That day we contacted a bunch of new people and took turns talking to the people in union. I finally felt so great about this companionship and felt that he was progressing so much! Then yesterday, we had a zone conference with the President, the Assistants, and like 5 other zones. Again we were humbled and learned so much. All the words that were said were exactly what we needed to hear. I left feeling pumped up to apply everything I had just learned. During the afternoon and night teaching, my companion and I reflected on the day and the things we liked from the conference. We ended the night having a great lesson and committing an 18 year old guy named Christopher to baptism! I have no doubt he will gain a strong testimony and eventually be baptized. When we got to the house, we had a great, detailed planning session. The AP´s want us to discuss every night 3 things we can do and change to help our area and the people. At first my companion didn't want to talk like he usually doesn't, but I just had to push him a little. I told him if he just came up with one thing we can do, I would come up with the other two. He ended up having something so great and important to share and say! ¨Wow, that is awesome! I never thought about that. Awesome Elder!¨ I said.  I really tried to encourage him a lot. ¨See, you know what we need and have some great input, you just need to talk to me so I can know. Had you not shared this point, I would have never thought about it. Thanks buddy!!¨ I told him.

I could tell he felt pretty good about himself. Another thing I have really been encouraging him to do is pray with real intent. Usually he just says very simple, recited prayers that, in all honesty, dont have meaning. I have been trying to help him realize that if we want blessings, we have to pray long and hard and say our thanks for all the blessings we have. So when we knelt down to pray that night after our planning session, he said the most meaningful, detailed, heart felt prayers I have ever heard!! I was so excited! When he finished, we kept kneeling for a minute, then I looked up at him with a huge smile on my face and said, ¨Compa!! Wow, that was amazing! That was the best prayer I have ever heard compa!!¨ Then I gave him a big hug and we laughed. When he went to bed, I said, ¨Good night compa!... Looooove yaaaa!¨ in a goofy way. He stopped, looked back at me, and said ¨Love you too compa. Forever!¨ Wow. I have been so blessed. When you have trials and difficulties, especially with others, it is so easy to put it asside and let it just never get batter. But I promise you as we put our faith in the Lord and ask for help and do all we can, He WILL help and bless us immensely! I love my companion so much. It has not been an easy 3 and a half weeks, but I would not change a thing. We both have grown and learned so much. And I know that not only is he changed, but especially am I.

Love those who are hard to love. You will, in the end, learn more and appreciate the challenges. And they will too. Even if it doesn't seem like it.

Happy Mothers day this week mommy! Cant wait to see your beautiful face on Skype!!

Elder Greer