gotta be kidding me

Today I am a sad boy because I was just 20 minutes deep into the email I was writing ya’all and I barely nicked the little power strip under the computer and turned it off. Goodbye 20 minutes of mission experiences. I'm not even going to try to recap any of it. Very unfortunate. Maybe its for the better in some distant way.

Well, one thing was a great and hard fast from last Sunday. We were blessed for that day in finding a family to teach after having a mission fast to find families. Thanks God.

Next was that that lady Anique didn't get baptized but I learned a lot from the whole experience of preparing and all that. We have to SHOW our faith with actions. Ether 12:6 - no witness till after the trial of our faith. We have to show what we are willing to DO to receive the blessings we seek. Gotta do all we can.

Then it was some stuff about member missionary work and how we’re teaching a bunch of crazy people because they're the only ones who actually talk to us when we tract and find in our own ways. Of about 12 people we are teaching, maybe 3-4 are solid, legitimate investigators who have great potential. Everyone has great potential, but only a few are actually keeping commitments and acting on the message we share. About half of these are member referrals. Read Elder Perry’s talk from the most recent conference. We as missionaries could be so much more effective if the members stepped up and helped us have good people to teach. People who will take the time to put what we offer to the test and act on it. Doesn't mean they'll get baptized, but we can at least deliver our message and give them the opportunity to know for themselves. Good referrals. The missionaries need them.

So to all the people who read the blog, my challenge is for you to all prayerfully consider someone that you think could be ready to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray and ponder on it. Then contact them. Don't just tell the missionaries to go by this friend of yours over on Elm Street. Invite the person to hear the gospel yourself. Good converts come from good investigators. Good investigators come from people who have a friend and example in the church. Someone who has reached out to them. Sometimes this comes from a fellowshipper. It should come from someone they already know! Ideally.

Anyway, I hope you will all do your best to give the missionaries in your area a quality referral. Or 2 or 3 or 10. This work is going to go very slowly if the missionaries are just walking around trying to talk to every person they see - because a lot of us don't talk to everyone we see. It’s really, really hard to do that! I hope you will all try and step up to the plate a little bit and spread the good news of the gospel that has helped make your life so wonderful!

Well, I hope all is well back at home. I'm still sad my email before got totally destroyed. I had lots of nice things in there and now I'm about out of time. Love you all and sorry this email is sub-par at best.

LOVE!!
David