Don't have much time to email today due to President's day yesterday. I am so impressed with Brycen's shooting ability. I am also excited that your hebrew book is going well. I have thought recently about maybe going to BYU Jerusalem center some time when I get back. Who knows. You'll be a fine teacher of gospel principles Dad. Just go to the teaching in the Savior's way classes and study preach my gospel chapter 10 and 3 and you'll be good.
Let's see if I can remember what has all happened this week. Well, we are having a hard time finding new investigators but are finding a few potentials. Last night we weren't able to find anyone to teach and so it was time to bike home. I prayed on the way back that there would be some people to talk to. The first person wasn't interested. But when we got to our apartment complex as I raced around the corner I was still praying about who we could talk to and I saw a man walking his small dog by some cars on the grass there. His name was Keegan. He was about 30 or less. He actually had lived in Utah at some point. He wasn't a churchgoer because he felt like many of them are hypocrites. Indeed! He had heard about the book of Mormon before but never read it. We were able to give him a copy and he was interested to read it. He also thought it was cool that we had a prophet at the head of our church and we didn't get paid to preach. Didn't get his address though, so I may not see him again. I have high hopes for his next encounter with Mormons though.
Let's see, what other positive things happened this week. Oh yeah! We have been helping Ken to quit smoking! Brother Bennett (who I need to send a picture of him home) is taking time out of his day to help him quit buying him all of the material for the stop smoking workshop and everything. We were able to give him a blessing! And also we invited him to come to a baptism held within the district! Ken is less active. He has had some unfortunate things occur in his life. His son got home from a mission not too long ago but he doesn't correspond with him. Same with his daughter. He isn't very self reliant either and relies heavily upon his parents who are nonmembers`. He lives by himself in our complex but I don't think he pays for it. He has some mental illness too. He is such a nice guy though and I really like sitting next to him at church and talking to him. He is very reserved and lonely. Good guy though and good things coming.
Also, we have been serving and preparing food at the senior's center the past couple of weeks. I've decided to make the extra effort to share the gospel while serving and try to interact with the old fogies more. I've been trying to get myself out of my comfort zone and overcome shyness. It's harder to share the gospel in this kind of setting, but I figured that that is how it'll be when I get home.
No one will recognize me as a missionary by the way I dress when i get home and so I am trying to learn how to direct casual conversations into gospel related stuff so when I return home I won't just return to "my old ways".
Anyway, at the senior center usually the missionaries when we have breaks there go sit and study, but I decided that I should try to share the gospel the best I can even if I'm not terribly successful at it. Most of the older people there are all catholic and their minds are like cement (all mixed up at set in their ways) but I sure did enjoy playing "Mexican Train" (a dominoes game) with some of them the other day. I just hope that I can do some kind of good for when they get to the spirit world and perhaps one of them could get baptized on this side of the veil. We'll see.
Well there's a lot more that's happened this week that I am forgetting but I have to sign out now. I am very grateful for the atonement. Done some good studying on it this week. I know we can overcome the natural man (like being shy) by yielding to the enticings of the holy spirit, becoming a saint (which literally means holy, spotless, without blemish) and become like a little child. I know that because Christ was sinless he had the power to overcome death since death is the wage of sin. I understand a little bit more now that perfection takes a long time and through Christ I can become perfected in him if I deny myself of all ungodliness and Love God with all of my heart, might and strength. I can become a saint (holy and without spot) if I keep trying to overcome my individual sins and weaknesses. I just have to try and the Lord will accept my effort.
Love,
Elder Soutas
p.s. challenge: compare mosiah 3:19 and moroni 10:32-33 and look up what it means to be a saint in the bible dictionary. See if you can find some connection between those two passages.
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