August 15, 2011

August 15, 2011

Dear Family,

It sounds like you are all doing amazing.  I would love to be there with you as always, but only through this sacrifice I know that I'm learning so much more.  I have so many incredible miracles to share with you from all of the sacrificing that I've been doing lately it's kind of ridiculous. 

So we have a zone goal of 17 baptisms this month, and just predicting the end from where we were about a week ago, you would have never thought it possible, considering how investigators have to actually be interested enough to go to three weeks of church before baptism and confirmation.  So anyway, we just were going about our week with complete faith in the number 17 on mind and in every prayer and our companionship alone has come to find something like 3 or 4 people that have already been to church more than three times just from tracting and street contacting.  And they all have really strong backgrounds in the church.  One of their families is completely LDS and she told us that one of her dying grandmother's final requests was for her to find the Mormons and be baptized.  On top of that, we have all of these other people that are so faithful and just need to know how important coming to realize that they need to come to know on their own the truthfulness of this church.

I would tell you a bunch of teaching things you could use to help out your neighbors, but I really think that the only thing you need to know is that they need to read the book of mormon.  Commitments are the doorway into faith and eternal life.  If you're not doing anything to receive an answer, then nothing is going to happen.  I hope that helps a little bit.  And sometimes you just have to tell people like it is...  That you don't drink wine.  I really don't think they'll be offended and when you do tell them, just let them know why if they ask you and it would be a great teaching opportunity.  Also, I hear that play is really not dissing on mormons or anything, it just sounds like something making fun of how nerdy missionaries are, so it you want you can explain to them what missionaries actually do to clear that up.  The play "The Book of Mormon" is made by the creators of South Park and I know that it's probably really crude, but they were missionaries I think and now inactive, so I really don't think they would do anything to try to destroy the church or anything like that.  I just heard some stories last week of people that were converted to the church based on some of the things said in an episode of South Park that sparked their interest.  Haha but that's not really important.

I got the package from you this week with all the smarties and the SD cards and the notes.  Thanks so much!  I'll try to bring my camera with me more places so that I remember to take more pictures.  There were no pictures of the house or any of Hannah's senior pictures on the card.  It was just empty, but you could just send me a letter with prints in it if you want.  I know that would be easier :)  Thanks so much for all that you do for me.  I really love getting mail from you so much.

So I saved the best for last this time.  Get ready for the biggest miracle of all so far.  So I really think that the reason we've been seeing so much success has a lot to do with the fact that I went in and told President Barry some stuff to make sure that I'm sanctifying myself correctly and righting any wrongs, but anyway I got a call from the clinic this week and asked them what the results were from the blood tests.  And they said they were negative.  The tests came back that I didn't have Crohn's or IBD so I don't really know what's going to happen.  I might have a celiac disease is what this little packet says, whatever that means, but today I find out what Dr. El Hajj has to say about the results and how he would like to proceed.  UGH I was so happy I wanted to jump out of the car and dance, but at the same time I'm still just sitting in the dark.  I didn't have President Barry call you when I found that out because I still don't know anything, but knew you would love to hear that.  Just pray and pray harder that I don't have anything.  I am seriously so antsy, I can't even describe how amazing it would be if I could go to Mexico and see my MTC district and not have a terrible disease for the rest of my life!  So today is the day you'll get a call from someone if I don't have Crohn's Disease, and hopefully they can tell you something more useful. :)  What a miracle!  I thank God every day that I'm living for that call I got from that nurse.  I just am hoping that the test was accurate and that I just have to change some of my diet or something to stop destroying my intestines.  I'll go a little easier on the jalapenos.

I really had a great week and I'm just working hard every day to become a hard-working, diligent, obedient, worthy, and powerful disciple of Christ and am glad to hear you are too.  I hope I didn't miss anything in this e-mail, but if so just let me know next week :)  Oh yeah by the way I play the piano all the time.  I'm getting a lot better at sight-reading hymns because I get asked like 5 times a week to play at whatever thing is going on.  I wish I had practiced more, but I'm still good enough to play in sacrament meeting.  That's something I am seriously going to perfect when I get back from my mission if I don't while I'm out here.

Something else that I have been thinking a lot about this week is that if the book of mormon is true and this is the true Church of Jesus Christ, then he is the head of the church and we are the only people in the world that follow Him.  People try to make the excuse all the time that having Him on your mind and in your heart at all times is enough, but it's not.  If that's the case, then they believe in a different Jesus.  And when people say that Mormons believe in a different Jesus, they're right because Jesus works one way, and that is the way revealed to His prophets.

I love you a lot and hope that you keep staying so happy!

Love,

Eric