This Week was a Sweet Week in the New Area

Hey Family!!!

How are you guys doing?

That is awful about the Knowltons, I’m so glad that they found them safe. I know because they are an obedient family the Lord blessed them, and will help them return safely home to the rest of their family.

I haven't gotten the package yet, but I hope it’s in the office when I go in today. I hope they put the chocolate milk in the fridge, if not thanks for the thought.

Brittany Can't be Engaged. That is so crazy. I can't believe it. That is awesome though, I’m really proud of her, she is an amazing girl with a great attitude. She is a very strong women, and has a great love for the gospel and I know will be a great mom. Tell her that there are 7 words that are very important that she needs to get used to. "I’m Sorry" "Thank You" and the absolute most important "I LOVE YOU." She is going to be a great example. Man I love her to death. I remember Brittany, Erynn, and I always talking at family parties, I always looked forward to talking to those two. Man my whole family is growing up. Tell everybody to WAIT UP haha

This week was a sweet week in the new area. We ended up with 29 lessons and 8 New Investigators. So we are just with the guidance and help of the Lord going to help this ward and area explode and become what the Lord wants it to become. This place is full of families; I can't even begin to explain how many families there are in this area. Contacting singles and families are a whole different story. I swear the second someone gets married an extra strong wall goes up between them and allowing us to teach them. But the cool thing is that wall can be good if they're willing to try. Because a couple studying the gospel together is a very strong unit, and will most likely be baptized and stay active in the church. But it's been cool to be contacting many, many families every day, you have to contact in a different way, I’m just getting the hang of it and trying to learn through the spirit the best way that is. But I’m pretty sure the best way truly is to have the spirit with you by being obedient and worthy, smiling, and just being their friend. It really all comes down to the spirit. But yeah it's all going really, really good, I love working with Elder Carter, it's great to work with someone who has the fire for going outside regardless of the weather and contacting with all we have. It’s good, it feels like it did with Elder Daniels, two elders for a love of the Lord and the work, going out and fighting for the truth. It's a wonderful picture seeing two Elders that love everything about it standing at the door and looking at the whole world in front of them. That would be a great picture and really depict the thought I had the other day. One morning I think of Thursday, we were heading out the door. I had a thought how wonderful and great our life was. How every morning we have an exact schedule that we follow, but unlike others who also have the exact schedule we know exactly why we are doing it. We have no confusion, we know why we exercise in the morning, shower, get ready, study the gospel and Chinese, and then say a prayer together leaving the door. We know exactly why. Then you think of the others out there, I thought of them outside on the street so very confused about life and about where they’re going with their lives and whether or not they have a true purpose. It was a real sense of belonging, because I knew I was God's child, I had a purpose, and that thought transferred to fire in order to go outside and share so others on the streets who are so lost can also have that sense of belonging and know they have a purpose and don't have to be confused. It was a really cool thought.

This week was full of finding and teaching just like a missionaries week is supposed to be like. This area is really small, but there are a ton of people here. It's in Xing Dian, or Jing Mei area, it's about 40 minutes west of my old area in Song shan. It’s way sweet though, the people are way nice like everywhere, and there are like I said, a ton of families to contact. This one family, they have a 4 year old way sweet little boy. He was interrupting so they couldn't really listen, so I played with him so my companion could teach them. He was so cute. We were whispering to each other the whole time, and just drawing together among other things. Then at the end he asked me if I could stay and play, I said sorry I got to go, but next time we can OK. He said OK. Then I said see you next time (Xia ci Jian)and in his way cute 4 year old voice with a power ranger punch says see you next time. He was the cutest little boy. I can't wait to have kids and watch them grown, and enjoy those memories with my wife and my other family members.

Right now we have 4 elders living together. The other two are both native companions, because their apartment is getting worked on right now. It's kinda fun to have two other missionaries in our apartment. We went on exchanges the other day. It's fun not being able to speak English, just speaking Chinese all day. But they didn't have any plans that day so we spent the whole day, yes I mean the WHOLE day contacting. But we found a ton of people that want to listen to the gospel. Also he bought me pizza, which was a good deal. But we found in total about 14 or 15 people that said they would be willing to meet, so I think that was good for him to see a lot of miracles. Because they have been kind of down on the work, and kind of a little trunky because they go home in two transfers with my companion, but I think it was good for Him to see people really are willing to hear the gospel, and set up to listen. But yeah I’m pretty sure I’ll kill my companion next transfer, which would be interesting because it would be the first companion that I will kill. But things are going amazing, I love working with him, I’m not even kidding I love the fire we share for the work. I missed it with other companions and now I have it back, it's hard to keep it by yourself, but with another it takes off and miracles happen. We set a goal to get 10 people baptized together which would be huge, but the driving force of life along with this work is the Lord himself so I know we can do it. It’s going to be fun to see the Lord, through us, work miracles. I love being a part of miracles, it really helps you know that you have the faith needed to see them, you’re worthy, and that the Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ leads this work.

But yeah, I’m just getting used to the area and the members. The ward is sweet, it's much smaller then my old ward is. But it has a good small feel to it, and you can tell that the members want to do missionary work, they haven't seen a baptism here since last December, so they are getting ready to see some miracles. I’m excited to work in this ward, and excited to continue to get to know them.

So yeah that was our week. It’s going great and I’ll continue fill you in.

But I’m glad that the Lord is still blessing the business. All I can say is stay worthy of the Lord's direction and help. Obey every single commandment we can and we'll be blessed more then we can handle. I’m learned that to be true on my mission. This gospel is so true. I’ve come to understand in a very real way my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know they live because I talk with them! They love me and I love them. I know everyone on the face of the planet needs this gospel. We are here right now doing the work that Jesus Christ himself would do if He personally was here right now. He is giving us this opportunity to receive these blessing and become better disciples of him. I know this gospel is true, I love reading the Book of Mormon and feeling the spirit form reading our living Prophets words. In the Name of Jesus Christ Amen.