Mom,
Yeah, we really need to talk about schedule, because it's been a recurring nightmare of mine. I keep having this dream where I go through a full day of university, but the classes are all in different fields, and at the end of the day I realize that I still haven't declared a major, I have all of these credits in random places, and it was the last day of the year. Pretty good imagination, huh? :) So, for the sake of sanity, let's attempt to make some headway in that direction together.
As for what's happening in missionary work, I'll shoot you a portion of my email to president:
President,
This week was one of the best I've ever had in regards to missionary work! We killed the area, and everything just seems to be going our way in this ward. The companionship that Elder Blair and I share has been the key to gaining the members trust and finding success here. I'm going to sincerely miss him.
Ronnie, our current progressing investigator and best friend, is awesome. I tell him that every day, because he is. The amount of faith in this quite short man is astounding. He's just finished a program we set him on to overcome drinking and smoking, and he's been a full day completely clean. He'll be clean a full week before his baptism this Saturday at 6pm at the Crawley chapel (which you are definitely invited to). He has been reading and praying every day.
It's amazing how much his humility aids him in his spiritual progression. He's just so willing to do what the Lord asks of him, and when he tries it, he is always blessed. As we've met together, we've seen incredible miracles, including direct answers to prayer and power to overcome addiction. I just can't talk him up enough :) The humble in heart do exist, President. Meeting and working with Ronnie has made me desire humility in myself a lot more. Sometimes, I'm just plain prideful. I centre my mind on myself and then I get lost. I think that's one of the reasons that we met Ronnie: so I could turn outward and be humbled.
We also set another baptismal date with a very interested older man named Roger for the 7th of March. I'll keep you updated on him.
President, I feel like I'm missing a few of the traits that I had hoped to gain on the mission. I had hoped to be a bit more bold and outgoing, and I had planned on gaining a lot of confidence. I have improved greatly in both areas, but maybe not to the point that I expected. I've learned that the Lord does want us to have confidence and boldness, but He also wants us to have moments of inadequacy and reliance. Really, the confidence is confidence in the grace of God, and the boldness is boldness to declare that God can do anything. I was expecting to become confident and bold irrespective of God, but instead I've become the opposite: completely reliant on Him. I guess that's how it was supposed to be all along. That's how boldness and confidence become tools that are useful and not overbearing/prideful, when both of them depend completely on the divine works of someone else.
Anyways, enough introspective talk. I'm praying for you every day during moves, I know you'll get everyone to the right place.
Love,
Elder Foster
This week was a great one :) I hope that gives you a clue as to how it has gone in most aspects of the work. We've seen Ronnie every day for the past few weeks, and we gradually cut down his smoking from about 40 cigarettes a day to 0 yesterday. When we fasted together for fast Sunday, it was such an amazing experience to sit in church next to someone who had changed so much in the last few weeks. The Gospel changes everything, from your habits and your thoughts, and right down to the spring in your step and the way you dress. Ronnie was one of the most timid people I've ever met, but in two weeks time he's gained so much confidence, you'd think he was some sort of spiritual leader. And you know, come to think of it, he is.
I love you, the work is hastening and I'm changing a lot,
Elder Foster
Yeah, we really need to talk about schedule, because it's been a recurring nightmare of mine. I keep having this dream where I go through a full day of university, but the classes are all in different fields, and at the end of the day I realize that I still haven't declared a major, I have all of these credits in random places, and it was the last day of the year. Pretty good imagination, huh? :) So, for the sake of sanity, let's attempt to make some headway in that direction together.
As for what's happening in missionary work, I'll shoot you a portion of my email to president:
President,
This week was one of the best I've ever had in regards to missionary work! We killed the area, and everything just seems to be going our way in this ward. The companionship that Elder Blair and I share has been the key to gaining the members trust and finding success here. I'm going to sincerely miss him.
Ronnie, our current progressing investigator and best friend, is awesome. I tell him that every day, because he is. The amount of faith in this quite short man is astounding. He's just finished a program we set him on to overcome drinking and smoking, and he's been a full day completely clean. He'll be clean a full week before his baptism this Saturday at 6pm at the Crawley chapel (which you are definitely invited to). He has been reading and praying every day.
It's amazing how much his humility aids him in his spiritual progression. He's just so willing to do what the Lord asks of him, and when he tries it, he is always blessed. As we've met together, we've seen incredible miracles, including direct answers to prayer and power to overcome addiction. I just can't talk him up enough :) The humble in heart do exist, President. Meeting and working with Ronnie has made me desire humility in myself a lot more. Sometimes, I'm just plain prideful. I centre my mind on myself and then I get lost. I think that's one of the reasons that we met Ronnie: so I could turn outward and be humbled.
We also set another baptismal date with a very interested older man named Roger for the 7th of March. I'll keep you updated on him.
President, I feel like I'm missing a few of the traits that I had hoped to gain on the mission. I had hoped to be a bit more bold and outgoing, and I had planned on gaining a lot of confidence. I have improved greatly in both areas, but maybe not to the point that I expected. I've learned that the Lord does want us to have confidence and boldness, but He also wants us to have moments of inadequacy and reliance. Really, the confidence is confidence in the grace of God, and the boldness is boldness to declare that God can do anything. I was expecting to become confident and bold irrespective of God, but instead I've become the opposite: completely reliant on Him. I guess that's how it was supposed to be all along. That's how boldness and confidence become tools that are useful and not overbearing/prideful, when both of them depend completely on the divine works of someone else.
Anyways, enough introspective talk. I'm praying for you every day during moves, I know you'll get everyone to the right place.
Love,
Elder Foster
This week was a great one :) I hope that gives you a clue as to how it has gone in most aspects of the work. We've seen Ronnie every day for the past few weeks, and we gradually cut down his smoking from about 40 cigarettes a day to 0 yesterday. When we fasted together for fast Sunday, it was such an amazing experience to sit in church next to someone who had changed so much in the last few weeks. The Gospel changes everything, from your habits and your thoughts, and right down to the spring in your step and the way you dress. Ronnie was one of the most timid people I've ever met, but in two weeks time he's gained so much confidence, you'd think he was some sort of spiritual leader. And you know, come to think of it, he is.
I love you, the work is hastening and I'm changing a lot,
Elder Foster