Goal to not disappoint Christ

Today ... we all [went] to the temple as a mission and the people that are finishing their mission [got] to have a special meeting with the temple President. It's crazy to think that some of these people are finishing the missions! Especially the fact that some of the sisters are finishing and when I started they were only halfway done, yeah, it's way too short!

This week was pretty sweet though. Actually, it was ridiculously tough with some cool blessings along the way. We've been really struggling to find people in our area and it seems like we're lucky if we get to talk to even one Hispanic person on the street throughout the day. Haha the other day we were super excited because we knocked a door and a Hispanic person answered! Yeah, it's been tough to find [people], but God is blessing us for our diligence.

Unfortunately our teaching pool has kind of shrunk this week with us having to drop some people and some people dropping us, but [the father of the member family] is still doing incredibly. He still has not accepted a Baptismal Date even though we've gone over all the questions with him. We've figured out that he's afraid of failing, so he doesn't want to take the step of baptism quite yet. We had a super good lesson with him about Faith and just trusting that even though we won't be perfect God will make up for what we lack. We're hoping he'll be baptized on October 2nd which will be super awesome! A Father of a part-member family, haha there's literally nothing cooler!

Other than that, it's just been diligently working with little fruit showing... I've been praying a ton to know how to work this area, especially since the leaders keep asking us why we're not finding. They're very understanding of the difficulties of the area, but they obviously still have to ask just in case they can help. Haha it's been kind of funny though, every time I pray and then search for answers in the scriptures I just keep coming up with "be patient in your afflictions". So Elder Gleed and I will continue to keep working and waiting for God to put his people in our path!

Other than that not too much has happened, it's been a week of emotional refining, a lot of prayer, self searching, and learning more and more how to rely on the Lord. Haha, I think that's one of the biggest things I'm out here to learn. Every transfer I'm forced to rely on the Lord more and more, and just when I think I'm doing a pretty good job of it I have to give up even more of myself and let him take the reins. It's been a good process of change, and while it is difficult, I've been able to see a big change in myself, and I know that the Lord has been with me, and as far as I know I think he's relatively pleased with the efforts we're putting forth. That's my goal, make sure that He is never ever disappointed in my efforts.

It's incredible to think that literally every hour of every day we have here is consecrated directly to the Lord, it's a heavy responsibility, though in reality it makes me realize that that is how life should be lived. Of course there are different ways to consecrate time, not all time can be given to God by knocking doors or preaching the Gospel in the streets. Spending time with family, working for our family, helping friends, all of it is consecrating time to the Lord if we are doing what is right. Anyways, not too much to write, but I'll give a brief testimony.

The work is a true work. I love the opportunity to serve as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, to bear his name, and to speak and do what he would have me say and do. I know that the Church is guided by Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon is convincing evidence of the reality of this latter-day work. I bear my witness of the reality of the atonement of Jesus Christ to change lives. It does not matter the situation, circumstance, sin, pain, or illness, Christ can and will heal us as we turn to him. I get to see it every day as the Spirit touches the lives of the people with whom we speak. I get to see it every day in my own life as I try to repent daily and become the man that God would have me be. I know that the Atonement changes us, and there is nothing I would rather be doing than helping people receive that change, and the peace it brings, in their own lives. I know that happiness is only found in the Gospel.

One of our recent converts is still so caught up in the world, he believes that being buff, living the high life, are the only ways to true happiness. That is a lie of the devil. Happiness comes as we allow Christ to become a part of our lives, as we follow his will and become more like him. Happiness is the purpose of this life, and it is always achievable because of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ lives, and He is our Savior.