Final Laps...

17 Oct, 2011
Mom and Dad,
Weather here has been very nice too. The nights are fantastic. I'm glad I don't have to spend another Las Vegas summer on bike again though. Well, who knows what the Lord has in store for us?

H. and M. were not baptized. They didn't come to church yesterday, so we moved it to next Saturday. I'm not sure about M. He's trying a little harder, but he's still in need of some help with one of his habits. H. on the other hand, is quite a trooper. He's been getting a lot of dirt from his workmates, but he just defends the church, and goes on working. He's been a little discouraged, but he's really trying his hardest. He's amazing. I'm excited to be baptising him.

Re: Luis and Arlene. I called Luis and he said that all was going good. He sounded happy to hear me. He said that he's still going to church but not ready for the temple just yet. Kinda bummed me out, but hopefully he'll still be here when I come back to visit. Arlene is also doing good too.

My Sunday was enjoyable. We had a good sacrament meeting. A sister who just got back from her mission in Provo spoke today, and so did her inactive family. I'm really excited for them. I think they'll being coming back for good. Also, this'll really be good for getting the ward excited to do missionary work. After that, we went with the Acevedo family to visit their neighbors whom they referred to us. They seem very in tune with the Spirit, and didn't have any objections to what we taught. I think that there is a lot of potential.

Yes, Kira DID tell me that I'd be Wesley's birthday present. I'm excited to see them all. It's been a LONG time since I've held a kid. You know, thinking about that, I think that that's the thing that I miss the most. It isn't games or movies, or swimming, or holding hands or cuddling, or anything else. I really miss holding and playing with little children...they've always been a part of my life.

I'd be more than happy to speak in other wards. I love speaking now that I don't have as much anxiety as I used to. Ely really helped me out. I gave talks several times while there. Also, speaking in Spanish really helped me out was well. As for your speaking assignment, Dad, of course you need to speak on what the Lord wants you to speak, but if I could choose, I'd definitely talk to the youth about serving missions. They don't understand that it is our priesthood duty. They don't even understand the power of the priesthood that they have! Now I understand better, and I wish that I had understood sooner so that I could've prepared better and sooner. Jotty really doesn't know how lucky he is to have me go through everything first. I think he understands a little better than I did. He's also definitely more prepared.

Things out here in the mission field couldn't be better. The district is working hard, and we're all happy. We had a baptism last Saturday for Elder Shearer and Elder Quezada.
I've got to get going now, but know that I love you dearly for your unconditional love and support. Before I go, I just want to ask you one favor. Please pray that I can finish my mission strong. I'm not slacking off, but I want to be a missionary till the end, so please include that in your prayers. I love you!

24 Oct, 2011
Mom and Dad,

We just had a Zone Conference last Thursday, and Elder Jensen of the Sevety came. Oh, how I wish that that man could go to every mission and every stake conference and teach them what he taught us. The Lord expects us to confess and repent on our own free will, and not be compelled to do so. It's good to be compelled at times (as Alma the Younger) but even better to humble yourself (as Alma the Elder).

I talked to the post office and they said that it'll probably cost around $30 to ship my bike to AL. I'll find out exactly when I get the bike there, but that'll be on the last Monday, the 7th.

Troy branch has Chinese converts?! That's awesome. I really think that the church is going to boom once they open the gates. I was wondering, why can't we baptize 3,000 people in one day like Peter did? The answer is that we can, but probably not here. Here in the US, people already have a predetermined opinion about the church. We Americans can be stubborn like that. The Asian culture on the other hand, love to learn, and because the church is almost unknown over there, there will be many people interested in learning. So we may see 3,000 baptisms daily. I would not be suprised to see that after the gates open. How to open the gates, however, is a completely different question. I think it'll be close, and I'm not trying to be a pessimist or a warmonger, but I honestly think that the gates won't open until those leaders are out of position. As Pahoran said to Moroni "Whatever evil we cannot resist with our words, we will resist with our swords." Evil kings/dictators cannot be removed without the shedding of much blood.

I love you both so much. Take care and be happy!