July 9, 13

The Elder Poe Report

               Well the big news first, last night we received transfer calls and I Elder Poe will be remaining in the Strongsville Ward, with a 99.9999% certainly that I will be in the Strongsville Biking Area that covers Middleburg Heights, Berea, and Brook Park Ohio. In addition we did have to move apartments yesterday so my new address is

14752 E Bagley Road

Apt. # 308

Middleburg Heights, Ohio

44130 United States

I should be there for at least the next six weeks. The other big piece of news is that I have finished training this week and on Friday I will be getting a new companion, and my trainer, Elder Schmidt, will be off training someone else. I wanted to take a moment and give a shout out to Elder Schmidt although me and him had our differences in the beginning I am very grateful to have had him as a companion and he has really helped me develop and progress as a missionary, and I know he really does love those whom he works with, and there is no higher praise I can give him them that.

               There was also this week unfortunately a rather sad event that transpired. We have been working with a sister named Corrinna since I got here, she was actually my first appointment with an investigator, and Wednesday we met with her and she told us she was not going to keep certain commandments and commitments and that she wouldn’t be willing to try. Unfortunately she has also not gotten an answer on whether or not Joseph Smith was a prophet she says, and as anyone who is familiar with the principles of faith and prayer knows, it is by our actions we demonstrate our faith in the Lord, as well as our words. If we want to receive an answer to a prayer we must show that faith by what we do, and so if we don’t keep commitments and commandments to know the truth of them we will not be able to receive an answer or not as to whether they are true or not. Corrinna also told us that she felt like we were being too pushy and so we offered to back off and let her contact us for the next time she would like to meet. She agreed, however later that day and well into the following day she started sending us very angry, upset, and slightly bizarre texts about how we had given up on her, and how we were never her friends. This was heartbreaking to watch and it was sad, but as Christ said when someone has an opportunity for truth, light, and the Gospel, and they choose to turn it away not only do they lose the knowledge they would’ve gained but they also lose what they had already learned, and the last condition is worse than the first.  So let us all as Elder Holland said “Lead with the faith we do have”.

               This week I have also gotten to see how the Gospel can and will influence and enlighten every person it touches. We have been working with a less active member Michelle for a little while now, and due to a change in her employment situation is now even attending Church almost every week.  One of the things we have been doing for her each week is going over and tending to her yard and lawn for about an hour and a half under the direction of her father Wally. Wally himself is a great guy; however he never has really been open to the message of the Restoration of the Gospel and is quite set in his Catholic ways. Each time we go over to tend to the yard we sit and talk with him for a little bit, and always do share a verse from the Bible or a spiritual thought with him, even though he doesn’t really always show receptiveness to it. This week we spent the 4^th of July at Michelle and Wally’s house and had dinner with them which went quite well, and Michelle told us that even though he hasn’t said anything Wally has been kinder and more tolerant, and has been less negative about her membership in the Church than he has been before. Even though Wally had never really shown an openness to our spiritual thoughts it had been an influence for good in his life, this really helped build my testimony of the power the Gospel of Jesus Christ has to soften the hardened hearts.

               This week has been an excellent opportunity, and I am very glad for the chance to get to be serving in the amazing Strongsville Ward for at least another six weeks, I know that Jesus Christ lives and is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and that there will come a day when we will all have an opportunity to see his perfect face, and I know at that day it will be filled with a  perfect love for each an every one of us.

1 Nephi 1:20

 … the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

The Report of Elder Hunter Poe