Rainbow Clouds, Being a Member Missionary and Ninja training

Week after week, lessons, talks and letters, I am hearing the same thing - "Be a Member Missionary".  Here again Elder Darke helps me understand more of why.  I know that Missionary families everywhere pray that their missionary will have people to teach.  I think that it is harder to stretch ourselves to help provide that person to teach.  When we like a new soda or a new restaurant we usually share our experience with those that we care about and love.  Why is it so different to share something so important to us that it envelopes our life, our decisions, our behaviors and everything that we are?  I know that I try a little harder everyday to share the light of Christ, thanks in part to my amazing son, Elder Darke.

From Elder Darke:

Another Wonderfully amazing week :D.

    This week has been one of working with members!  It is great to see how excited they are to help though :D.

    Transfers is comming up again and my companion is trying to prepare me because he thinks that he is going to be transfered :D.

    Rain storms here are really fun!

    & trying not to be a ´´hobo´´ :D

  So transfers is the 30th and my companion has been in this area for 6 months so he is sure that he is getting transfered.  Due to this he has been trying everything to help me remember all of the people here, where they live, how to get there and everything else.  For a few days straight he decided that i was the seinor companion.  That got really interesting really fast.  I remember people, but their names and how to get to their houses i cant seem to get down.  So we were completly lost for a little bit :D.  We still found it!  but it took a little bit of time, and some hints from my companion :D.  it is all good though :D We survived :D.

    Also this week i got to see some really cool rain storms :D.  So normally rain falls straight down right?  Because of gravity and those things :D.  Well aparently here gravity is messed up becuase Sometimes when it rains, the rain falls at like a 45 degree angle.  Luckily for us though when it started raining like that we were in our house, or at an appointment so we missed most of the rain :D.  I like the rain, but its a little harder to talk to people in the rain becuase everyone is in their houses.  Its really cool to watch though :D.

    So during my time as a seinor companion i was suppost to start and end lessons.  Or my companion would just keep talking and talking.  So while trying to not be rude, I tried to do this.  Later my companion told me that i was being a ´´hobo´´ or a robot.  It makes sense becuase When i started or ended the lesson it was suddent and abrupt. :D.  Thats ok though, i am slowly getting better :D.  

    So this week we have especially been working with members becuase we learned that the church is going to sell our chapel if our area doesnt see some major improvment really soon.  So me and my companion have been trying to help the members as much as we can get excited for missionary work.  Because we know that members are the key to great success in missionary work.  I have been talking to my friends and the other missionaries, and they have told me that some of the best investagators that they have ever taught have been referals from members.  I have also seen this.  The investagaors that have a member behind them are much more receptive.  They are golden investagators.

    For a great example of a member missionary is one youth that is in this branch.  He is a convert of not very much time and he is the only one in his family that is a member.  Through his efforts his mother has started being taught by us.  One of his friends as well, and he is helping reactivate another one of his friends.  That is three people that are people touched by the gospel because of one memember.  If every member in our branch did this, the results would be outstanding.  Not the results in numbers of babtisms, but the result in the number of people that are happier / have more peace in their lives / have learned who they are.  We do not do this so we can brag and say we got more babtisms then those other missionaries. But we do this to invite other to come unto christ.  That is why this is important :D  That is why we are here, and i know that this work is the work of the lord, in bringing many souls back to him.  I know this work to be true. There is not a doubt in my mind, and becuase of this it is my oportunidade to work as hard as i can.  to help as many people as i can :D

:D

-Elder Darke

As a side note.  Elder Darke sent these pictures of  "Rainbow clouds" and "Secret Ninja Training".  I thought that you would enjoy these representations of the personality of our Elder.  I miss this crazy kid!
Love,
  Melanie (Mom)

P.s. His birthday is coming up and I will be sending a package to him probably mid April. Any ideas or letters to piggy-back are appreciated!