Small Miracles

Dear Family,
So, Wednesday we had transfers, everything got switched up, and I found out my new companion was Elder Abbott from the MTC. He is from Highland UT. We got groceries that night and he had to email his family so, we did that the rest of the evening. Thursday, we tried to go see a referral. It was pretty cold and rainy so, we rode our bikes all the way down there only to not get an answer at the door nothing unusual. We then planned for the rest of the week and I told him all that I know about Kenner and about the Ward here. We only got to see a few people and mostly just spent the time introducing Elder Abbott to the people that we see.
Friday morning was much different. As we are studying in the morning we get a call from Bishop Brown saying that there is a Muslim guy who wanted to meet him in the next two hours. Bishop couldn't make it because of school so we rode over to the church to meet the man, We introduced ourselves and found out the mans name was B*****. He has been in the US for 20 years and said that he has been on the run from his dad for the past 2 and a half years. His father is a prominent Muslim leader in Pakistan. B***** came to America to confirm that he should follow Islam. He converted to Christianity after studying lots of books. At the time the congregation (non-denomination) put his face all over their flyers so, his father found out he had converted. his father cut off his income and so now B***** is getting evicted from his apartment along with his family and to make the story a little shorter was planning on heading back to Pakistan so his family can be provided for and he would go to Sharia court. He thought the Bishop could give him the advice he needed so was a little frustrated to find two 19 year old's trying to help. We did all we could but obviously it was a pretty serious problem and I just hope that he is safe and that he appreciated what he told him. The whole time I was impressed to just talk to him about prayer and to seek God's will in all of what he was going through. It is something that I will never have to deal with and reminded me how blessed I am to live in this country and to have been raised in the family and place I was. So, that honestly put a pretty solemn mood over the rest of the day and was a pretty heavy day. We had district meeting the rest of the time so afterwards we went to see the usual's and then called it a day.
Saturday was probably one of the best days so far. In the morning we were planning to go see a media referral we received. It was for an apartment and I knew where it was so we got to the complex and then to the right door, we knocked on the door and didn't get an answer so we decided to head home. We got on our bikes and I then thought that we should take the long way home. So, we went off, after a few minutes of riding through a neighborhood, we got to the other end of the street we were on with the apartment complex where there is another complex, almost identical to the other one, just that it was about a mile away. I look at the address and realize that we had been at the wrong complex. So, we swung into the parking lot and looked for the right building. When we knocked on this door and a young man opened it who looked quite surprised to see us but nonetheless let us in. We found out more about him and realized that he was so eager to learn more and was excited and sincere about all the questions and commitments. He accepted to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, to come to church the next day, and to get baptized. It was a Miracle. The simplest thing of being prompted to go a different route home helped us to find this young man who was searching and expecting us. the next day at church he came 30 minutes early we talked for quite a bit and he told us he had read most of 1 Nephi and while at church he saw that there was going to be a fireside that night at 5, for new members and investigators, and asked if he could attend. I've never seen someone so committed to learning and progressing in my entire mission. He was the only one who we invited to show up for the fireside which President Wall (mission president) and President Stock (stake president) were talking, At the end of the meeting he told us that he had really loved it and had many of his questions answered. We have a appointment scheduled for Tuesday and we are just so excited. We also received about 5 other media referrals, which we've only got that many the past six months that I have been in Kenner. So, over all some interesting things have been happening here in Kenner and I just hope that it continues.
Love Elder Smith