One night last week we had dinner with the Laffertys. Brother Lafferty cooked the best steak I've ever had. Gordon Ramsey would approve. Elder Semadeni and I have been working so hard I feel like, we are definitely doing the best we can, but hardly anything has come from it. One morning we tracted from 10-12 it was a peaceful quiet morning. We didn't really get to talk to anyone. As we were heading back home for lunch, I pointed to one house and said let's knock this one last one. And of course, someone answered and we had a really good friendly discussion, found out that her best friend is a member in the ward. We had a feel good conversation with her. But that always happens! My whole mission I feel like, it's always that last door someone opens up to you or let's you in. It's weird. Anyway, she didn't accept our message, but we did leave on real good terms. After we talked with her I started craving ice cream so I said let's go to the ice cream parlor downtown. As we were walking towards the ice cream parlor now a man stopped us on the streets. He looked at us suspiciously and asked us if we were Mormons? He then got all excited and opened up to us when we told him we were.  He told us that he had taken lessons from the missionaries 6 years ago. He grew up Baptist but didn't believe it and so he was Atheist. Missionaries seemed to catch his interest though, he got real close to being baptized, he quit smoking and drinking, he attended church 6 times and even bared his testimony, but then he got deployed to Japan and lost contact with the church. While he was in Japan he converted to Islam for some reason and is now a Muslim. He asked us a lot of interesting questions and told us he was still interested to learn more, so we are teaching him now. He came to church this Sunday in his Muslim attire haha it was odd. His name is Zachariah, he's an interesting guy. One night we had steak again with Brother Erickson, this time at lone star steakhouse. I thought Brother Laffertys steak was better though. Elder Semadeni and I work out at a gym every morning in town, but we were able to get a free lunch appointment out of it with the owner. We went to some southern cooking place, and he brought his Baptist minister friend with him. We both knew these guys were going to try and bash us hard, but we withstood them haha. It ended up being a friendly lunch. Then that night we had dinner with the Bokish's my favorite family in the ward, they take good care of us. Apparently Keith and Susan went to the Raleigh ward for church with Brother Simpson, so that was good. We did service for Brother Simpson at his dentistry. It was really boring haha we just stood there and handed out papers, then we met a less active member who taught us how to kill a dog. You shove your arm as far down it's throat you can go, make a fist, then lift it off the ground if you can. Haha, he is the most peculiar black man I've ever met. I bore my testimony on fast Sunday at church, and I bore my departing testimony at my last Zone Conference ever. It was a really sad feeling thinking about it, I can still remember my first Zone Conference because the spirit was so strong. My last one though I have no more. Anyways in closing, here is a quote I heard this week from someone that stuck with me
 " - often that which is seen is more powerful and persuasive than what is said."

Love ya'll, have a great week!
Elder Wihongi