28 September 2010

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a great week and that everything is going great. Elder Hoskin and I had a great week and the work is moving forward. We had some great things happen this week. First off we were able to have Zone Conference. I love having Zone Conference. It always seems like it answers the questions that we are have and gives me an added boost. This conference was especially full of the Spirit. We are learning about the new lessons that have been made for us. We focused a lot on the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion. It was amazing because we went through a lot of situations that help our investigators feel the Spirit and also to help us recognize the Spirit. I have noticed that is one of the hardest things to really get good at is recognizing the promptings of the Spirit. We have promptings each day if we are living worthy. It just depends if we are listening or not. Another reason that the Spirit was really strong is that all the missionaries who are going home had a chance to bear their testimony. There are like ten who are going home from this area. As they bore their testimonies about their mission, it made me think how my testimony has grown since I have been out on my mission. Words cannot describe how much I have grown and learned on my mission. It truly is a chance for us to gain forty years of experience in two years. I have seen so much change in my mind and in my actions. The next day we were studying and I started thinking about it again. It may be tough to get up at 6:30 each morning, work all day, go to bed by 10:30 and then get up and do it again. But every morning when we get up, it is a privilege. It is not something we have to do, it is a blessing. It is a blessing that we get to be here, it is a blessing that we get to wake up and put on that badge. To wear the name of Christ over our heart and to stand as a witness at all times. To preach His Gospel. Every aspect of missionary work is a blessing. Our missions are the mold by which the rest of our lives are cast. As we look for the blessings in everyday, we will find them. It is as easy as that. Look at the good times and look for the positive in every situation.

We also had some great success with some of our investigators. Chanelle came to church! It was so great. We talked to her last week and she said that baptism and the gospel had been on her mind all week and that she couldn't stop thinking about it. We were planning to teach hear another lesson but right before we started I got the strongest impression to teach her about the Sabbath day. So we did and invited her to church. We offered her a ride but she said she wanted to get her thoughts in order before she came to church. So it is Sunday morning, guess what happens. The rain comes and it is pouring. We just decided that this would truly be test of how sincere she was and sure enough she walked into church. It was so amazing to see her there. There is no way to describe the feeling of seeing an investigator walking into church for the first time. It ended up being the Primary Program this week as well. The spirit was strong and she said that she loved church and she would for sure come back.

The Lord is truly preparing people for us to teach. We meet people who are ready each day. Yesterday we met this guy named Nate. He said that he has read the whole Book of Mormon. We asked him what he thought of it and he just said with the most sincere look on his face, "oh I love it". He said that he wanted to know more. So we set up a return appointment. The other night we were walking through an apartment complex that we had felt impressed to go to. Our appointment ended up falling through so we were just walking to another person that we thought we could try. We ended up talking to this twelve year old named Hayden. You know just the friendly hi and have a great night. As we are walking away, he says you guys used to come over and play with me all the time. Then we talked to his mom and we found out that she was raised in the Church, married in the Temple and recently moved up here. Her kids have been blessed but not baptized. It was just one of those tender mercies that our Heavenly Father places in our paths each day. This work is amazing and I love it.

Another example of someone being prepared is Nicholas and Danielle Handley. They are asking all the right questions and making commitments for themselves. He told us this week that he would pray every day and read. If he got his answer he would be baptized.

The work has just come alive lately. We have like five people who could potentially be baptized this next transfer. It has been a testimony builder that when you put forth that effort and show your faith the Lord will send blessings. I was reading in this new book called "Put on the armor of God". It was a section about why prayers are delayed. It put it in a way that made a lot of sense to me. The Lord will sometimes delay his answer to see how sincere our prayers really are. It is like in Ether 12:6. Sometimes those answers come after the trial of our faith. As we will be diligent in keeping the commandments and be patient in waiting for answers they will come.

Well those are just a few great things that happened this week. I could go on and on and on. But I am running out of time. I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love you and remember that the blessing of God may not always be swift but they are certain. Be patient and remember to work hard. Keep up the good work. Replace fear with faith and put on the Armor of God.

Love you,

Elder draper