Nov 4 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! Thank you everything you've done for me, especially the sacrifices you made to raise me and Brynn, Kylie, and Erin. Thank you for the lessons you taught me and continue to teach me every week in your emails. :D I hope your Birthday was really special this year, with the travel to Seattle and New York and so forth. Any requests for birthday presents that I can give you as a missionary? :D

This past week was fantastic! We were so busy with teaching lessons that we didn't even reach our 14 hours of finding (which is technically okay because we surpassed 20 lessons, but I think this week we can do even better). The new people we have begun to teach since I arrived in the area are progressing well, and we set one baptismal date for the 23rd. Here's a few updates on the investigators I mentioned last week.

The landlord referral from a member was really good last week. We took a different approach to our lesson: first we served him by teaching him english for 30 minutes. We practiced english by introducing and talking about our families, and that led seemlessly into our lesson, about our sacred relationship with God, our loving Heavenly Father, and how the Gospel blesses families.

We didn't have the opportunity to visit the less active family this week, unfortunately. We will try to do so this week and get the ward more involved.

Another new investigator is a man, not long married. Knowledge of the plan of salvation seemed to visibily lift him a little. He didn't have a strong belief in God, and so he found himself often frustrated with life -- he would set goals and make decisions, only to feel afterwards that those things were not what he was after. The only way to true happiness is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings relief from feelings of guilt and stress and helps us grow closer to our families. We appreciate the things that matter in life.

Some updates on previous people:

One of my investigators who returned to China before being baptized has found the chance to attend church meetings in Shanghai! They have since regretted their hesitation to get baptized, missing that opportunity. She told me:

"I went to church this morning! Honestly, I harbored some doubts on my way to church. However, it turned out to be a totally wonderful experience! It was held in a house which doesn't have a golden Moroni standing atop but inside eveything's just like a small chapel. Familiar environment and the same routine as I experienced at Kangaroo Point. 
"When a member was gaving her testimony, I felt deeply inspired and my eyes got teary. Then this Sister came to teach us in class. I learned a lot from her. It was also exciting to hear others' experiences & veiws. To get to know each other. When I was about to leave, I heard someone practising hyms downstairs. Mormon hymns still sound so melodic to me...
"I feel so happy today!"

My friend who was baptized in Taiwan just returned from a mini-mission he served there! He said:

"I just finished my short-term mission. It was really awesome. My responsible district was the most south part of Taiwan. Though the time was not that long, I really learned a lot from that journey. My partner... was amazing just like you. Because when I began my mission, I felt kind of depressed if someone rejected our invitation for a lesson. But my partner gave me a good article from Share My Gospel, called "No effort was wasted." We are doing God's job, not men's job. Just keep faith and do what we pray. One day, there will be a miracle that we have ever imagined. Up to now, I still appreciate the opportunity that I could meet all of you in Brisbane. It definitely change my life. Take care, bro."

These types of emails brighten my P-day mornings when I get on the computers :D This is why missionary work is so rewarding. I hope you enjoy them. Have a great week!

Elder J. Colton Ladd