Week 57

Dear all,

Another good week has come and gone. We have been blessed in many ways. The investigators are doing good, slowly but surely they are progressing. There are so many that need to come to sacrament as their next step prior to baptism and as we seriously do all we can do I realize they need to meet us half way or at least a fourth of the way, they need to make that decision for themselves. We have been blessed to have less actives and recent converts help us teach investigators and the spirit they bring is a amazing. 

Elder Cornett and I are doing great! We have learned so much together and have helped one another grow. When I hear people say that the maturity and growth you experience on a mission is equivalent to 7 years back home I think of transfers like this. Nothing has been easy this transfer and because of that we have grown so much together.

Everyday I learn something that will have an affect on me for the rest of my life. A lot of times it's more of reminders I need to do better on or re-facilitate. This week as I have prayed and fasted over many things. I am reminded that the Lord is always on call, waiting to help. However, we must seek! All the answers are laid out in front of us, prayer, the scriptures and the way we live everyday to have the holy ghost in our lives. I am so grateful for this mission, I love it and it has changed my life. I often feel like I have gone from one nature change to the next to the next always trying to unconditionally give myself to the Lord for the right reasons.

We have some neat things to come, I am excited for the change that is about to take place and the miracles to come. I love these people and I love this work. I was reading today from Ether 9 of Omer and Emer from a missionary point of view on the topic of success. Omer and Emer are both great men and they both did they best they could to lead in righteousness. 

However we know Omer was betrayed by his own son and left to the wilderness to live most of his life as he says "days full of sorrow" not for his own life and wickedness that we know of, but for his son and his lost, wicked kingdom. His son Emer eventually takes the kingdom and gives it to back to his father, Omer who only sees two years of peace in his life. Emer rules in righteousness, and the land prospers, it says that Emer even saw "the son of righteousness".

 Now from a missionary perspective, I would assume both did all they could to help those they served, both tried their best. However Omer's "days full of sorrow" compared to Emer's life full of prosperity and peace reminds me of a few things. One the Lord's ways are higher than ours and we will never understand why everything happens the way it does, simply not doubting him is one of the  biggest elements of faith. Second the Lord hastens his work and that will be dependent on the agency of those receiving the message and how hard we work using his grace through his Atonement. Finally and personally the most important to me is that success is not measured by the outward results. If so that means Omer and many other prophets have failed. Success for me is measured only by focusing on the savior and the thoughts and answers I receive through personal revelation.

 There were many other thoughts and feelings that came to me for the missionaries that I am still in the process of sorting out but this was a spirit filled study with some good revelation and reminders. I love the missionaries and these people we serve everyday and I always strive to live every moment to the fullest. I love you all and I pray for you all daily. I often think how simple life is and the gospel and how complicated we make things sometimes. I love that line from Lawrence E corbridge "Life is hard not the gospel". Take the quite time to hear the voice of the spirit and have that one on one time with God. Mom and Dad I sort of volunteered you for helping the missionaries I hope that's ok. I know that the blessings of doing so will help you. Love you all and miss you.

Elder Lunt