Coming up on 1 year

This past week was one of the best weeks of my entire mission. It was the most satisfying. We met with one of our investigators and continue to talk about baptism. He said to get his final answer he wants to attend a baptism. There was a child of record baptism in our ward this past Saturday. Our investigator came and we spoke with him after and asked him if he got his answer. When answered "yes i know this is what i should do" the spirit was so strong i cant even explain.Seeing the change that people go through because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ bring us as missionaries the greatest joy.This is why it was a satisfying week. So he will be baptized on the 22nd assuming everything keeps moving forward well. At the baptism Elder F and I gave talks and had the opportunity to stand in the circle when they boy got the holy ghost. This week we had a meeting on Wednesday as zone leaders on this half of the mission. That went well. We found, taught, and set a new investigator to be baptized. We had two investigators at church and they loved it so some great things are happening here. The work is definitely moving forward. This week the work will slow down a little bit because we have an over load of meetings.

Here is a great talk i came across that applies to everyone not only missionaries.

https://www.lds.org/liahona/2001/10/missionary-work-and-the-atonement?lang=eng

 

" Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?

I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.

Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.

For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.

If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,”  then little wonder that salvation is not an easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.

When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

This is the true church on the Earth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through a modern day prophet. If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever why would he stop speaking to men. I know that he still continues to speak to us today. Stay on the straight and narrow. There was a cool analogy yesterday in church with a maze and Gods plan for us. His path is straight but along the path our detours that ALWAYS lead to despair but seem very inviting. Be and example to those that we come in contact with. Have a great week.  

Love,

Elder Loertscher

​here is my new comp. Elder F

​saw this sign this week. California people seem to really love Texas which is nice.