9.12.11

Every Monday is looked forward to to be able to read the emails and to see how life is back at home. This week was an interesting week to say the least. I only had one full day in my area and with that being said, it might be understandable when I say that only 2 investigators came to church when normally we have quite a bit more than that. On Thursday morning I had to go to the capital which is about 2 and a half hours away in bus and my companion stayed with 2 other missionaries. I went with the companions of the missionaries who stayed with my companion and we were in the capital from Thursday morning until Friday afternoon when we arrived back to my area, Ciudad Vieja, at 6pm. In the capital I participated in a meeting with President Brough and received instructions and inspiration on how to better the missionary work in my area and how to be a better companion. A lot of the teaching in the mission has changed, as far as how to teach better, and that was a lot of the instruction given in the meeting Thursday and Friday. It was a spiritual meeting and I learned a lot. I am grateful to be serving in this day and time when the Lord has provided so many tools to help the missionary work go forth with more power and authority. I know that the Lord has called me to be a representative of Him here in this mission and I am striving each day to be better because that's what I am here for. I know that tough times might pass, but in reality they aren't that tough if we put in practice the Christlike attribute of Hope as you mentioned. Hope is a lifesaver and it really helps when there are challenges in the mission. I know that the Lord loves me and He wants me to succeed and so He prepares me with the way to do so, His Spirit.

Elder Davis and Elder Deering were good missionaries. I never really knew them, but I know that they served well. Yes it is true that Elder Hatch is married, he got married on May 13th and I'm not sure if he has a kid on the way yet, but if I know him the least bit, I would say that he does. He was a great missionary and loved what he was doing as a servant of the Lord. I am striving to take all of the good things that he taught me and put them to use knowing that I have the blessing to be one of the most remembered companions my companion will ever have. I want to be for my companion what Elder Hatch was for me. I look up to him a lot and I know that he has a testimony of the truthfulness of this work and that is why he strived to be the best he could be. I know that the Lord expects a lot of me and I know that I have a lot of repenting to do each and everyday, but because the Lord Jesus Christ suffered for me, I can be forgiven of the mistakes that I make.

One of the things I have to be better at is contacting/talking to people on the bus. I don't really know why, but I have never really been a fan of talking to people on the bus, but this week I had a great experience with talking on the bus. On Friday, on the way back from that meeting I had, I decided to talk to the man sitting next to me and I shared with him a short message of the Restoration. He told me that it would be fine if we passed by his house on Sunday and so I put the appointment with him. Sunday came around and it was time to go to the appointment I put with the man I contacted but I wasn't feeling too excited to go, because it was a little ways away, about 20 min walking fast, and I' didn't want to go all the way there and find out that he wasnt there (because yesterday was elections and a lot of people were outside). We went and to my surprise he was there. We taught him the message of the Restoration and he and his wife had a lot of positive questions. I know that the Lord provides the way if we are faithful and do as He asks. We challenged them to be baptized and they said that if they know the message is true and the Book of Mormon is true, they will accept the invitation.

D&C 60:2-3

Love,
Elder Turner