letter#70 November13

Another letter to the president.

I hope you have had a great week. We sure have. We were way excited for our investigator to get baptized. I felt like we really did our homework with this one. I try really hard always to have the transition from the missionaries to the ward a very smooth transition. This time was pretty good. She had all the ward missionaries on lessons with her, as well and the Relief society President. She was also able to meet the ward mission leader. We then had the ward pre-plan her visiting and home teachers. So we had one home teacher (Alexander Polyakov the recent convert) baptize her and the other teacher give her the gift of the Holy Ghost. Her one visiting teacher was at the baptism and the other one was sitting by her at sacrament meeting when she got the gift of the Holy Ghost. We put so much work into getting her into the ward yet we are still worried about her. She still is a little shaky on her testimony. She has so much desire to know everything which is incredible. I just hope she really works at strengthening her testimony.

President, I feel like in some areas of the work we are really succeeding and others we are SO far away from fulfilling our purpose. I want to go out of my mission sprinting and just really give it EVERYTHING that I have. Which is what I feel I am doing, but yet we are really struggling to find new investigators. We try to talk to a lot of people. Even everyone that crosses our path but maybe it's my lack of faith that is holding us back but I feel like I try. Also I confess I judge people and see if the ward would accept them. We don't want to bring someone with a load of problems that will weight the ward down but we also don't want to deny anyone salvation. We are not the judges. That was me just rambling on. Sorry. Well anyways, I think I need to restrengthen my faith. I know that there are people out there ready to accept our message I just need to do it with more love and faith. Thank you for always being a great example of those two attributes for me. I really do feel your love for us and for this work and it makes all the world of difference. Your faith is admirable. I really want to have as much faith as you have. Thanks so much for all that you do for us and for the mission. We are grateful for your sacrifice.