Thanks, dad. I love hearing from you.
It makes up for not being able to talk about anything and everything
with you like we used to. I'm pretty busy here and we're always
working. Idleness kills the missionary spirit, that's why you plan by
the half hour and make back up plans. You should plan so that you
don' t have enough time to finish everything. That way you are never
idle and always working hard. Not many other missionaries plan by the
half hour. They usually plan by the hour and often don't have
backups. They end up making little 30 minute detours along the way
like going back to the apartment to use the bathroom or get a snack.
That builds up and eats your time away.
Just yesterday we were out tracting for
4 hours! That was the longest time I've been out doing that so far.
We went into the Kwanlin
Dun First Nation community of McIntyre.
The natives here are not called natives or Native Americans, they are
called first nation. The people here call McIntyre "The
Village". They seem to really look down on it in disgust. We
were even told that missionaries hadn't been down there in a long
time. It was supposedly a dangerous place with lots of drugs and
violence. We were asked by President Beesley to go visit it and check
it out to assess the situation. He also told us not to go there at
night time. We went there and found out that it was just like any
other neighborhood. There is tons of smoking there, and more drugs
than most other places, but that wasn't a big deal. I think people,
in some degree prejudice, built it up by rumor into a place that was
really bad. It is kind of a ghetto, but they're just poor. Anyway, in
that day of tracting we found 15 potential investigators and 3 new
investigators, that is unprecedented success for us thus far.
We tracted into a lady named Tina. She
had been addicted to drugs, but has been doing better because she has
found strength in Christ and prayer. We started talking to her about
Christ and Prayer and she started crying. She was very thankful that
we had come, and we plan to meet with her this coming Saturday. She
said as we came to the door and when we left that she had seen me
from somewhere. I have to wonder if she is someone who I told in the
pre-existence that I would find her and bring her the gospel. I am so
excited to visit with her some more and share the gospel with her. It
will bless her life.
The gospel is so true. Our father in
heaven hears and answers our prayers. He loves us and will never
forget about us. Keep letting virtue garnish your thoughts
unceasingly, pray with all the energy of your heart for Charity, and
keep doing the little things to exercise your faith. Now is a vital
time to be on our guard. Now more than ever there is an urgency to
get the work done, so that the earth will be prepared for the second
coming of the Savior. Be the best member missionaries you can be
because it's such a vital part of the success of the church. Put
yourselves out into the community as much as you can and associate
with non-members. Find God's elect who will hear his voice. Never
give up. Never get discouraged. We have the most powerful being in
the universe on our side and his angels will bear us up. I love you
all.
Elder Record
P.S. I had the opportunity to attend a regional stake conference that was sent to all the stakes in Washington and Alaska, we are part of the Juneau Stake. Elder Stephen E. Snow, Sister Dalquist, Elder Holland, and Elder Packer spoke.
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