Well first to share about Elder Oldham. Elder Oldham is a great companion! He has been a lot of fun to be with but also a really good example and inspiration to me. He has helped to teach me so much and has many admirable attributes and qualities. Elder Oldham is from Colorado. He comes from a family of 7 (an older brother who also served in the same mission, an older sister, him, a younger brother, and a younger sister). Both his older brother and sister are married. Elder Oldham as well has played soccer for most of his life and yes he is a Colorado Rapids fan (grrrrr......). So can probably have some fun with that. In a lot of ways it seems like he has a similar background. Soccer, playing video games, all around a good guy. But so one of the greatest things I admire and wish to learn more from him is having an upbeat, optimistic, and positive outlook on life and the work in general. He always seems to be alright well what can we do about this or what can be done. Something I really wish to think more on rather than looking in eyes of a sense of how can this fail or go bad or won't work.
Now as for brother QQQ. He is going to be a lot of work right now and I pray that his heart will really be open to the truth. If not we may have to drop him. He had a baptismal interview last Saturday night, but he didn't pass it. We have more sense and direction knowing how to help him. But his needs and problems involve a lot with believing that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer but not our Savior (believing that more in a sense from Buddhist beliefs that we are really the ones that come to save ourselves). Then there is a major problem about his belief in and about that this church is not the only true church of Jesus Christ. This comes from him believing that there is yes only one God, but that all religions are good with them all just having different names for this one God. So he believes that this church yes really was restored by Joseph Smith and really is a true church of God, but not the only true church of God and Jesus Christ. Then there is about the Word of Wisdom that if God doesn't want us to partake of those things, then why do they exist in the first place. Then about Tithing he has a problem about feeling the money given does not need to be money but can be talents or abilities. For the most part our biggest hurdle we are going to try and tackle is about the only one true church of Christ. He expressed talking about that Christ and Christianity started in Jerusalem and moved west. Buddhism started in India and moved east. So they then are two separate religions and can then be both true churches of God. Of course Elder Oldham and I already know the true answers to these and how to share the truth with him. We just are uncertain about sharing so much with maybe not a solid foundation that he could reject it. We know that the 12 tribes were scattered across all the face of the earth. That starting from Adam the gospel had been taught as well as the Plan of Salvation. So when these tribes were scattered, they had that knowledge and teaching but over time being scattered they most likely began changing thoughts and beliefs to create the many different religions. This happened well before Buddha (I can't remember his actual name right now). Then as well we know through the Book of Mormon that after Christ visited the Americas he spoke of going and visiting the other lost tribes from the isles of the sea to other areas. So we know that Christ still did minister and teach other people. It's just a matter of now praying with all sincerity and humility that the Holy Ghost can be with us when we teach brother Lin tomorrow as best we can sharing truth with him. Then praying with all might that he will choose to accept rather than reject.
But you know what we had fun this past week. We worked hard. We didn't have a lot of lessons, but we did find 2 new investigators who have set up to meet again after a first time visit. We have joked a lot, have had fun being with each other, and even one day we biked 42 kilometers as we went to work.
Elder Dayley
