Awesome First Week in Mount Pleasant

"Well this first week in the area was awesome! Elder White is an incredibly good missionary!...I think the Lord and the President expect us to explode this area, it's going to be sweet! We already saw some pretty sweet miracles, we have this one guy they were teaching ... who [now has a baptismal date of the 23rd] and he's super ready. He's had a pretty crazy life but he's done a pretty good job of turning it back around and he now has a kid and a wife. He's so cool, haha apparently he said he just had to call out to the Elders when they were going by and now here he is, super ready to receive the gospel!

Then we have this other guy... who came to a session of conference, said he believed they were prophets and everything even though he's never received the 1st lesson! Haha it's super crazy, but it's awesome, the area has a lot of potential,and we've been teaching a ton! It's good to be back on a bike though it does mean I'm even more exhausted by the end of the day!

The branch is very small even though they have over 400 members on record... Yeah enough for almost 2 wards, but no one comes.... It's super crazy, so we'll be doing a lot of less-active and member work. Still, the people seem pretty cool. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet many of them because of conference but hopefully I'll meet them soon!

The D.C. area is also super crazy! Tons of people, super ghetto, and kind of spiritually empty. It reminds me of Langley Park where it's just kind of dark spiritually... Everyone is just focused on themselves and the world. It's sad to see how lost they are, as well as to once again see so many people lost to the pull of alcohol. It's super sad and makes me pretty angry at Satan... Luckily the light of the gospel can penetrate even the darkest abyss. Hopefully we'll find many who will accept the gospel!..."

"As for conference, conference was awesome! So much talk on missionary work!...."

"I know I'm super far away from being home, but it also made me think about what I want to make sure I do after the mission. My goal: to stay away from everything that offends the spirit at all. There as so many movies, music, and just junk in the world that's just not worth it. If they offend the spirit then why are we bothering with it? ... There nothing greater we can have than the spirit and if there's something that doesn't agree with it we better leave it alone. Better to be filled with light. So as you can see I'm going to be one of those RM's a lot of people hate haha! But it's all good!"

"The gospel is so true and the light of the spirit is clear, definite, and real. I have come to learn to recognize the spirit in a very real way and it's because a friend and constant companion and I have come to know my Father and Savior so much more. I love this work, the gospel, Jesus Christ, and my Heavenly Father to the depths of my heart. It really has come to define me and it is a gift and blessing I really cherish. I just pray people can see the light that has come even more fully into my life because it is very real and oh so sweet."