Richmond Hill

January 16, 2012

I really am trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Marissa is home from her mission.  She left like right before me.  That so weirds me out.  Tell her I wish her the very best.  Anyway this week for me was really good.  Really fun and i feel like it was a good week well spent.

Sister Harry and I are making a great team out here in good old Richmond Hill.  We seemed to meet a few new people that seemed open to baptism and then we have a couple of other investigators that seem to be progressing along nicely.  I would be tickled pink to see them follow through on their desire to be baptized and make those necessary changes in their life.  We have quite a few permigators that we are sorting through right now.  Permigators are just permanent investigators; ones that have been investigating the church for years on end and don't seem to be making any progress.  I'm not a huge fan of working of them so we are going to see which ones of them are ready to make a commitment right now and then leave the others for missionaries in the future.  you know, I'm really surprised at how much my missionary view has changed over the course of my mission.  At first I thought you were preparing all these people towards the step of baptism but the longer I am in the mission the more I realize that's really not the case.  Sure, you teach them a few new gospel principles but really who's work is this? God's. Who's been preparing them to receive the message of the gospel for years on end? God.  Do we really do it? NO.  So our job is to be the worthy diligent missionary so that we can be a part of the great work he has prepared for us to be a part of.  Sometimes it's easy said then done and there are different lessons that we have to learn along the way but it works out well. Remember D&C 4 about the field is ripe already to harvest?  Ya we are here to harvest the souls that have grown to full maturity and are prepared.  So don't waste time on the tares or the unripe wheat. I am just amazed at the faith that some of these people have and their desires.  Desire and faith all work together to make this great product.  CONVERTS!

Funny thing.  So earlier this week we got all lost and ended up wandering in this sketchy area.  No worries nothing happened but I was actually surprised at how much of a difference a little bottle of mace makes.  Did I tell you President Nelson bought all the sisters pepper spray and gave it to us in a red stocking and a book of Mormon for Christmas?  Not that ANY of us have actually ever had to use it but I think it just shows what a good sense of humor President has.  But I was grateful for it earlier in the week.  Never even came close to using it but it was nice for the ride. 

Well, I spoke again in church for sacrament meeting yesterday with sister Harry and then our ward correlator, Hermano Caceres.  He is a returned misisonary from Argentina.  He is now grown up with kids and family but he helps us out quite a bit.  I spoke on testimony.  Hermana Harry spoke on what is a testimony and how we can recognize it.  Then I talked about what we do with that testimony and why god gives it to us.  I related the whole thing back to missionary work.  I talked about the different testimonies we have in the scriptures.  I gave the specific example of Job.  All that he went through and all that he suffered.  After all that he suffered through he said I will always confide and trust in the one true god because I know my redeemer lives.  His testimony took him through the end and he shared that where ever he went.  I talked again about how when we receive that testimony and love for god we have a desire to share and build up the kingdom of god.  I talked about different ways that elder Perry told us we can go about it from the general conference talk.  It was good.  I have such a different view of what I should be doing as a member after I get home. So much work to do people!  Get on board!

Mom, thanks for updating my blog.  I actually get a lot of random people that tell me they read it every now and again.  More people than you would think so it all works out good.  I got your letter you sent me this week.  I didn't even know a lot of those things about grandma.  She was one talented lady. 

Man, this whole emailing thing is getting boring I don't know exactly what to write any more.  I'm over it.  Anyway, I love you much tell the family I said hello.  We have a zone activity today so I 'm going to jet.  Mom, write me a  list of questions that you want me to write about next week.  I guess it will make the email a little bit more entertaining.