MINI-ME! (Oh, I mean MINI-MISSIONARY!)

Elder Hoskins, Mini-Missionary Preston Bahr and Elder Draper

2 August 2010

Well hello there everyone,

This week has been really good and full of the Spirit. We have had ups and downs with people but have taught some great lessons. We didn't find as many investigators this week but we had great lessons with almost all of our investigators. This last week we had the opportunity to have a mini-missionary with us. I wasn't sure what to think of the experience but I am so glad that I was able to have him with us. His name is Preston Bahr, and he is from the Meadows Ward. We had a ton of fun experiences that brought the Spirit and gave him a great taste of missionary work. We did meet a few interesting people. For instance, we went up to knock on a door and this middle aged lady was standing there in just a t-shirt and an adult diaper. She wasn't interested but it was definitely an interesting sight. We did get Preston to tract a lot though and see that tracting is not as scary as people make it out to be. By the last door that we knocked, he was comfortable and looked like he had been doing it for weeks. I was so proud. We taught a few lessons with him and he was really nervous but he taught part of the second lesson with us. He did a good job. After the lesson, I asked him how he felt about the lesson. He said he just had a great time and he felt the Spirit so strong. We even had a man come to the door who wanted to argue a little bit, but we just stayed calm and bore testimony of what we believe. Preston even bore a strong testimony of what he knew the gospel of Jesus Christ was. It was just an amazing experience. I hope that he had a great time and that it gave him a taste of how great missionary work is. Those were just a few of the great times that we had with Preston, the magic man, Bahr. (I call him magic man because he does magic).

Our other lessons were great and we just taught with the Spirit. It was a great week. As we taught one of the lessons about the Book of Mormon and the Bible they wanted us to prove everything out of the Bible. It really hit me that you can't prove a whole lot out of the Bible, which is why we need the Book of Mormon and the Prophet to help us to know what our Heavenly Father would have us do. Also that if we were to prove everything, it wouldn't leave any room for faith. We have to have faith and follow the Prophet. I know that we do have a Prophet today. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know it is another testament of Jesus Christ. I know it is true. I have known that it is true for a long time but it was just something that hit me really hard during this lesson. In fast and testimony meeting yesterday I bore testimony of it. It was probably one of the most spiritual fast and testimony meetings I have been in on my mission. The youth bore almost all the testimonies and I couldn't believe the power of their testimony. I don't remember exactly what was said but that is not important. The spirit was strong.

It has been a great week. I love this Gospel and teaching it to everyone. I couldn't ask for a better thing to be doing right now. Love it, live for it, can't live without it.

I hope you are all doing well. I love you and pray for you each day. Remember to replace fear with faith and live without regrets.

Love,
Elder Draper
P.S. I can’t believe I am almost twenty! I won't be a teenager anymore. I am sad. Oh well. We all must grow up sometime. Time is flying by and it will be great. I don't really have much more to say but I love you. Have a great week.