8.19.09

Family!

Hey it sounds like you all are doing so great and really staying busy with life! It is great to hear all of the news from you all and that you are doing so well. So there were a lot of really big changes in the mission today and from our zone every companionship got changed except elder Wilkins and me. A lot of younger missionaries got put into leadership which will be good in the long run because it will help them be better missionaries. I talked to one of the APs and he told me that they were going to move me because I've been here so long but because we are doing so well in this area they decided to keep me here. So it looks like I will be here for a total of nine months which is a long time in one area but I know it will be great. Who knows I could be here for the rest of my mission! Lol

So Elder Wilkins and I had our first baptism together last week! We baptized Ma*ia a little early because she wanted certain people to be there. It went really well and a ton of people showed up to her baptism. The ward did a really great job fellowshipping her and she has made a lot of good friends here which is awesome. I was so excited that I was able to baptize with Elder Wilkins in his first cycle. I remember I didn't baptize until my third cycle which was a little rough so it's good start for elder Wilkins. I wanted him to do the actual baptism but Ma*ia wanted the bishop to do it which is even better. He didn't care too much but he was really excited that we were able to baptize.

We also have a few more people lined up for September and this one guy named Raf*el is really solid. He is a little weird but he understands everything we teach him perfectly and wants to be baptized. He also doesn't work so we see him almost every day. A few of our other investigators are dropping off like they always do we are really going to have to push to find some new people. We didn't do the greatest job finding new people this week so we have to step it up to find them this week.

Last Sunday Pa*la, my recent convert from Yonkers, came and visited me at church which was really cool for me. It was great to talk with her and to hear that she is doing so well. She said that I looked like I had lost a lot of weight which I hope isn't true because I've never had anything to lose. She also gave me a few bucks to go eat and gain that weight back. lol It was one of those moments in my life that I really felt blessed. All in one chapel were three people I baptized, one that was going to get baptized that night and then an investigator who is going to be baptized next month! I felt really blessed and more determined to work harder.

I am really jealous that you all get to go back to Oregon to see Griff go through the temple. I am really proud of how far he has come and from being on a mission and learning what kind of person it takes to be a good missionary; I know he will be great. It takes a lot of people skills and the ability to click with everyone. He will also learn a ton which will be great for him.

I am still praying for Uncle Jeff and hoping that our family will be able to turn to the Savior in these hard times. Heavenly Father has a purpose for everything in this life and hopefully we can learn from those hard times. We can take the trials in this life only in two ways; positively or negatively. We can be angry, sad, want to quit; or we can learn and grow from those experiences. That is the original plan of our Father in Heaven, that's why we are here today. And we knew that before this life and we agreed to live through these hard times, because we saw then what many can't see now. Our goal, eternal life.

I sure love you all and hope you are taking advantage of every moment we have. This life was given to us, it is not our own. Therefore, don't waste a single moment of the Lord's time by doing something he would not approve of. I am excited to hear from you all again next week and I hope you take care in the meantime. Have a great week!

Elder Sorensen