Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

• Donavan Gustave interview

 This evening I met with Donavan Gustave. He is a less active member of the branch that was baptized in 2007. He had asked for some assistance some time back and I helped him with some food and asked him to do a couple of things, which he did neither. I was a little upset with him and didn't think that he would be back, but he needed some help and contacted Sister Santos for a food order. She told him he had to speak with me first. I'm sure he didn't want to do that, but he must have been desperate because he called me. I ignored his calls for a while, but then I decided that is not how the Savior would handle it. So I answered it. I set up a meeting with him for tonight. I gave him some assignments and he did them and came for his interview. It turns out that he is very knowledgeable about the gospel. He told me when he was baptized that he used to get so excited about going to church and couldn't wait for Sundays to come. He also told me that many of his family are members. He started listing them and there might be 10 or 12. We had a good talk about his work and also getting a job. He does some odd jobs, mostly landscaping but it is not steady. I helped him get some tools so he could take a plumbing class the first time we met. He is in the class right now. So hopefully when he completes the course he will be able to get a job. I gave him some commitments, 1-say your prayers twice a day, 2-Read the Book of Mormon every day, 3-Come to church every week and 4-help with church cleaning at least 1 time a month. He seemed to be sincere but we will see. I have been made a lot of promises over the years that people have not kept.

Part of our time together was reviewing the baptismal covenants he made to get baptized. I challenged him to live up to them, not for me, but because he promised the Lord he would. He said he would. 

We also talked about Heleman 4:24-26 about how when the Nephites because wicked that they only had the strength of a man with no help from the Lord. I related it to him and trying to get a job. If he is out there on his own and not living the commandments and he is competing against hundreds of other people for a job, why would the Lord help you. But if you were living the gospel you will be just like the righteous Nephites and even though there were many more of them than Nephites the Lord strengthened them to keep the Lamenites at bay. He is the same way, as he lives the gospel he will stand out some way that will help him get a job. I also said he would be a great influence for good among his family if he is to come back.