So I was planning on having a lot more time to write you, but there are tons of missionaries here and I just lost track of time. It is transfer week again and we have about a million missionaries coming and going and the time just flew away. I can't believe that it is already August and that the summer is almost over.
I am glad to hear that you had a wonderful time on the trek. I think it is so great that you got to meet lots of new people and that things just worked out the way they needed to. The Lord's hand is always involved in these kinds of things. I am sure that Chelsea will love the trek as she thinks more and more about the experiences she had there. It is always fun to have the full experience including the crazy evening. My first evening we got into camp at 1ish in the morning and then the rains started to come which was crazy. It was the craziest night ever. It sounds like all went well for you and that it was a really great experience for everyone that went. What a blessing.
So I completely forgot to wish Caitlin a happy birthday and just took a break to do so. Ha, I thought about it of course, but then with all the craziness going on here, I just forgot in the letter. Hopefully Chels has a fun time with soccer and can figure out what exactly she wants to do. She wrote that she is ready to "kick everyone's butt at tryouts" so I think that she will be fine. Teenagers are awesome aren't they ;)
Just so you know, I already have a goal to go to the temple weekly when I get home, so I don't think that will be too difficult for me. It will depend on the schedule obviously, but I may be doing a lot of morning sessions and baptisms and all other types of things. That is one thing we can talk about for sure when I get back. It is definitely a great idea to go together if possible. It sounds like you had a great Sunday.
So about things that I have learned on my mission, I wrote a little to Dad because he has been asking about conversion so you can ask him to read that. The work is going and we are trying to do all we can to find those whom the Lord has prepared. We are continuing to have success with less active members and we are getting the members involved as well which is great. For so many members, it just comes down to faith. Faith is the first principle of the gospel and something that we always talk about, but that we hardly understand. We have been sharing that with members and with less actives as we go to them and help them to come closer to Christ and to do missionary work. Everyone has excuses for why they don't keep a commandment or why they can't go to the temple or do missionary work or whatever it is, but the real answer every time is that they just don't have the faith to work a miracle and make it happen. We know, as the prophet Mormon taught so clearly, that MIRACLES EXIST TODAY, just as they have in all times. The real question for us is do we have the faith to trust in the Lord and make the necessary sacrifices to get the blessings that God wants to give us. We have been sharing a story that is in the 14th chapter of Matthew about when Jesus walked on the water to the Apostles. I will share part of it here:
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Instead of focusing on the "lack of faith" that Peter showed, I like to think about the faith of the other apostles that were with him. Just as those disciples listened to Christ and went into the ship, we as members have followed Christ and been baptized. Many of us are great members who go to church weekly, fulfill our callings and do what the prophets say. But, like those apostles that just sat in the boat, we too sit in the boat. We are comfortable where we are and are willing to sit around and do the things we are comfortable doing, especially as the waves are getting bigger and bigger around us in this world. We lack the faith to even step out of the boat and try to do what the Lord truly expects of us. For some, it may be that they don't want to make time to go to the temple every week. Others just don't want to share the gospel. The point is, that we can't grow if we just sit around in our comfort. The Lord wants us to try to do those things that are difficult, and as we do, our faith grows, even until we perform miracles.
I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. He lives and leads the Church today. He is our Savior and Redeemer and as we put our faith in Him and do the things that He asks of us, then we become the people that we need to be in order to live in the celestial kingdom.
Love,
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