HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

15 March 2011

Well, first off, Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you all have your green picked out. I have been wearing green ties all week to prepare for it.

This week was just a fun week. Elder Liu and I have stayed busy all week. I have been out of my area for about three days this week for trainings and exchanges but I have realized it doesn't matter. As long as I get to go about and do the work, I am happy. Another thing that we were talking about this week was the fact that we don't have to have a miraculous thing happen for it to be a good week.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened but we still were successful. We found two new investigators this week and already have thirteen appointments set up for the rest of the week with investigators, potential investigators and less actives. We don't know where all this work came from we are just really busy all of the sudden. It makes it nice to have things to do though.

This last week one of the big accomplishments was that we were able to teach all of our investigators. Three of our investigators are really progressing right now. Tiah and Dylan get closer and closer each week. One of these weeks she is just going to say "it is time. I think I am ready to be baptized". When that happens the heavens will part and the choirs of angels will sing. That day will be so amazing, not only for Tiah but especially for Dylan. Our other investigator that is progressing is Tom Young. We left him with a challenge to read the introduction of the Book of Mormon. He read that and the testimonies and the first eleven chapters of 1 Nephi. He said he got to the point some nights where he couldn't put it down. We committed him to be baptized and he said he wants to study a little more but as he finds out it is true he will be baptized. The joy that comes when someone says they will be baptized is one of the greatest feeling you could ever have. We will be meeting with both of them this coming week so we will see what happens.

Levi Jones and Kyle are still moving right along. It is a waiting game right now for them. I have the feeling Kyle is waiting for his dad before he gets baptized. We are just waiting for Levi's stuff to get all cleared up and then those two will be baptized. Things are really starting to pick up in this area.

Elder Liu and I were thinking back on our old areas and we came to the conclusion that we are both called to be primarily “sowers”. Neither of us have had a lot of baptisms but that doesn't matter; we are trying our hardest to do our part in helping others come closer to their Heavenly Father. We may not see their baptism but we have planted that seed and are allowing others to fulfill their part of the harvesting. I know that I was called to this mission for a reason. I am in Pendleton for a reason. I know that this work is truly the work of God and it takes people who sow, nourish, and harvest to move it forward. As long as we are working our hardest and trying our best, it doesn't matter which part we do. They are all necessary.

Like I said earlier in the email we had a training this week. All the leadership from the east side of our mission got together again for a two day training. We talked a lot about finding and also about prayer. There is so much that I could write about that training. There were a lot of things that truly were an answer to my prayers. When we were talking about prayer there was a quote by Elder Ellis who is a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, "the only way to overcome Satan is through the power of God, we unlock that power through prayer". There is so much power in prayer; sometimes we forget about that. Our prayers may get routine or repetitive, but as we offer up the desires of our hearts each day, the blessing from heaven can truly be distilled upon us. Prayer is an effort thing, often times the only thing God requires of us is to humble ourselves and ask Him. I have been working on that since the training; trying to make my prayers more sincere and as I have done that I have felt the Spirit that much stronger and I know that my Heavenly Father is there for me.

I know that prayer is real. I know that this Gospel is true and that it truly does bring lasting happiness. We just have to do our part. We have to replace fear with faith and trust that He is there. He will be there to help, all we have to do is ask. I hope you have a wonderful week and live it without regrets.

Love

Elder M. Scott Draper