I got to go on an exchange with Elder Nelson, who arrived in Slovakia about three months ago. His Slovak is great for a first-transfer missionary, seriously. I was blown away. During our exchange, we talked about how very super duper important it is to work with members rather than spending most of your time out on the streets talking with random people.
Did you know? 1/1000 people street-contacted or tracted by missionaries gets baptized. Did you also know? 1/3 referrals from a member gets baptized. Also, retention rate is higher because they already have a friend in the church. Just a fun fact.
Anyway, I showed Elder Nelson how Elder Clayton and I have been focusing on strengthening and building our relationships with members (a skill that Elder Clayton learned during his two months in the Czech Republic and has brought to Slovakia). Building relationships and doing things with those you are teaching is also a very good use of time. For instance, one person we're teaching invited us to a tea house for trivia night. We went and met some of his friends, who are also really cool and are learning Chinese. Today, we met up with him and one of his friends to play cards. Afterward, the conversation naturally flowed into religion and we got into the history of the church and the Book of Mormon. We gave our new friend a copy of the Book of Mormon and recommended a good chapter. He'll read it and we'll talk about it... when we go on a trip together to Banská Štiavnica next week! Missionary work has never been so fun.
Besides filling your time with useful activities, it's good to talk to people to and from planned events (for example, on a bus to the city). Elder Nelson and I did that. As I was talking to someone on one side of the bus, Elder Nelson struck up a basic conversation with three teenage girls on the other. Being the stud he is, they were way into it. He hadn't yet told them what he was doing in Slovakia as a missionary.
One said, "Do you have Facebook?" A missionary never has a problem with getting someone's contact.
While she was looking him up, he thought to himself, After she adds me, I'll tell them I'm a missionary. She couldn't find him, so he gave her his phone so she could find herself.
For sure, he thought, right when she finds herself, I'll tell them I'm a missionary. She found and added herself on his phone right as the bus stopped. Then at once all three girls jumped off the bus giggling and screaming.
Oh no, he thought.
The pics of the guy with a beard is Laman from the Book of Mormon videos that have been coming out. They're good templates for memes.
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