July 15, 2013

The Savannah Georgia Zone of the Macon Georgia Mission with President and Sister Cottles

Dear Family:

It's been a pretty great week.  There were a couple of huge speed bumps where Elder Phelps and I got pretty dang trunky, but we made it past them haha.  I think that most people in the mission are just nervous about all of these "big changes" that will be taking place over the next few weeks, but we've been staying pretty busy in the mean time.  I'm happy to be out here and like I've said a thousand times, being with Elder Phelps is a huge blessing!!  

We taught Ivan again this week, this time about the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom and he is SO SOLID!  He shows a little bit of confusion or concern at times, but he always gets over it in the end and tells us it makes sense and then commits and lives whatever he's invited to do.  We'll be teaching him one last time on Thursday and he'll be interviewed on Friday to be baptized Saturday morning at 11:00!!  Such a tender mercy.  He'll be deployed to Korea in about a month though, so that's too bad.  It'll be hard, especially being in the military around trash talk and a lot of temptation while he's deployed, but he seems to do pretty well living in it now.  Teaching the principles of the gospel improves behavior faster than anything else you can teach according to President Packer.  

We just hope and pray that we will find a Latino family.  It's what we need to get the group growing and the faith of the Ward growing as well.  We need a family that not only speaks Spanish, but is also not going to be going anywhere anytime soon.  I think that it's safe to say that families really are what hold wards together!  Pray for a family for us to baptize :))

Reading your e-mails each week really is so strengthening and refreshing.  It helps me a lot when you give me advice and things to do.  Will you please keep writing things like that?  I realized after reading an e-mail that Dad sent me several weeks ago that you're all pretty wise and know what you're doing and talking about :)  I love being a part of this family!  The Lord has blessed us so much :)

This week we are going to focus on inviting EVERYONE, regardless of them being member or not, to do something.  I feel like the district is teaching a decent number of lessons and people, but they don't seem to have many people progressing.  There's an Elder that always talks about all that you need to do to get someone to be baptized is INVITE them and when they say no, you invite them again later and again later.  Haha I totally believe that the spirit works on those that we invite to act.  When someone, especially someone that you love, invites you to do something, you think about it.  You don't just let brush it off and move on.  We all know that.  It's amazing what invitations can do.  I just hope that I can train well on it :)  

Opening up my e-mail today to an e-mail from Myles saying that he is thinking about getting baptized is probably one of the happiest things that has ever happened to me.  I feel bad for not inviting him earlier, but it's SO great that he is really searching for the truth.  He'll find it because he is looking in the right spot and asking the right person, that is Heavenly Father, of course :)  I hope that he decides to be baptized.  I can't even imagine how happy that would make him and all of us.  I like the quote that was said in the Broadcast a few weeks ago about invitations extended lovingly are never offensive.  I'd like to think this has been a long time coming.

I love you all so much and I hope you handle Hannah leaving well.  I feel like I'm going to come home to an empty house because you're all going to be on missions...  I hope not, but that'd be cool if it was the case.  Are you planning on going anytime soon?  

I love you!!

Elder Moore