4/2/2012 Letter to Family

Hello again everybody! Hard to believe another week has gone by. We're starting the last week of my 15th move call. Gulp.

The things that went well this week were in the referrals and new investigators. We added four new investigators from member referrals this week, all of whom seem to have really great potential. One of them met our recent convert at their physical therapy place and he's really willing to start coming to church next week. He was in a car accident six years ago and he is still unable to work because his right leg is paralyzed and his right arm moves very slowly. He's very humble and willing to learn (though at times his attention span is a little short).

We also were blessed with a great miracle last night. We were at a branch activity waiting for our investigators to show, and after some time it became apparent that they weren't coming. We were about to leave when a sister walked through the door with two young men, about twenty years old. She introduced them to us, told us that their family runs a breakfast shop at which she's a frequent customer. They both attended the fireside and made friends with lots of members, and afterward we were able to share with them a message about prayer and the Book of Mormon. It was a real testimony to me that the Lord will put prepared souls in our path or us in theirs. Even though none of our other investigators came, the Lord put those two young men right where He knew we'd be.

Our main progressing investigator, Brother (name), is doing really well. He has started to receive revelation through prayer. He told us he prayed about the plan of salvation, and afterward had a thought that the straight line we described made more sense than a continuous circle (i.e. reincarnation). We are going to work very hard to teach him all the reasons why he should want to come to conference this weekend instead of going to JiaYi to visit his girlfriend. He really seems to be progressing, though. I think one of the sweetest things about missionary work is the blessing we have to watch someone's gradual change. The first time we met with him he was very closed off and quiet, and slowly over the course of a few weeks he's started to really open up his feelings to us, telling us he gets a different feeling from us than from people of other religions. It's a miracle to watch the light slowly start to appear in someone's eyes and countenance as they start to live the commandments and doctrines we teach them.

One other thing we're doing this Sunday is a branch fireside. The four of us missionaries planned a big family home evening activity and we've been inviting the members to invite friends to this activity to give them some exposure to the church. We're going to do it just like an FHE, with a lesson and a game and food and so forth. I'm really impressed with how this branch is doing so well with referrals lately. Our investigator pool right now consists largely of member referrals. That's the way it's supposed to be!

One other cool story before I close. I don't know if I told you, but back in Tainan Elder Jensen and I found a family named the (name) Family--a young married couple with a two-year-old daughter. At the time I was praying hard in nearly every prayer that that family could be baptized. It was a real spiritual wrestle, I wanted so badly to baptize them. Eventually I left. Fast forward to two nights ago: Saturday night Elder Jensen (with special permission from the assistants) called me to tell me that the dad of that family got baptized! The wife refused to keep meeting with the missionaries, but that man is now a member of the church. It was just a testimony to me that the Lord did answer my prayers on their behalf. I believe that in the future, if he stays strong, she will eventually soften her heart and follow him. I am just so happy that I could be a part in helping them progress on the path to exaltation.

Keep me in your prayers; I'll keep you in mine. :D

Love,
Carter