t's a great day to be a Mormon missionary!
Isn't this a wonderful church? Don't we have wonderful leaders? If you didn't get a chance to watch the broadcast on Sunday, go to lds.org right now and watch it. I'll talk more about that later in my e-mail. Transfer calls are on Saturday! I can't believe it's almost been 6 weeks already. And the reason I'm e-mailing slightly earlier today is because we're going on exchanges this afternoon. Woohoo!
We've had ups and downs this week. Ever since I got here to Lindsay, we've struggled getting people to church. We invite everyone to go to church, we remind them, we teach the importance of it, we go to their houses the morning of and half an hour before church they'll say that they are coming. And then they never show up! It's frustrating. For that reason, we lost 3 baptismal dates. One of the reasons that one investigator didn't come was because his step-dad asked us to never talk to his son again. It makes me so sad when people won't even give us a chance to talk to them! They already assume they know what we're all about and they close the door.
We did have 9 lessons with a member present though, which is huge, huge, huge improvement over the past few weeks. We have wonderful ward missionaries, and a wonderful ward mission leader. They are so anxious to help out, and we've finally started really using them. I hope we can soon get the entire ward as excited about missionary work as they are. The ward has been struggling here with people going inactive and moving out. We need some growth. On Sunday in Sacrament Meeting, I said a prayer, played the piano, and gave a talk. Part of that is because there's a Spanish meeting and an English meeting. I prayed in the English one, and spoke and played in the Spanish one. We need more members who can do those things! And the broadcast on Sunday, "The Work of Salvation" got me so excited about making that happen.
If you didn't get to watch that inspiring seminar, I strongly urge you to go online and watch it at lds.org. The MTC choir was HUGE!! There are more than 70,000 full-time missionaries right now. I can't remember the number, but they called more than 120 new Mission Presidents this year, more than ever before. And there are going to be some changes coming in how missionary work is done to adapt to this changing world. But what was mostly emphasized in that seminar was member missionary work. Elder Nelson said that the members should be heading the work and that the full-time missionaries are there to assist them. Not the other way around! In an ideal situation, the members should be giving the missionaries so many names to go see, that there is no time for tracting. I mentioned last week about the Essentialist training that we received from Greg Mckeown. We need to focus on what is most essential. And what is? Why are we here? We are at war! How much of your time is spent focused on bringing salvation to your brothers and sisters?
Read Alma 60:7-8, 22-23 and think about how that applies to ourselves. Once again I say, WE ARE AT WAR! So often we are told that we have the gospel because we were among the Noble and Great Ones in the pre-mortal world. President Gelwix often talks about how when it was detrmined that we would have the gospel in the last dispensation our friends begged us to bring it to them in mortality. "But what if you say no, that you're not interested?" "Then try again!" "What if you still don't want to listen?" "Then try again!!" No one is going to mad at you for trying to share the gospel with them. On the contrary, I'm sure that they will thank you forever. And in this day, we have so many ways to share the gospel, even from our own home. Facebook, blogs, e-mail, etc. All those things are going to be approved for missionaries to use, because the Brethren realize that God does not cause things to be invented without reason. They are to move His work forward. There are thousands and thousands of our brothers and sisters who are prepared to be baptized this very day! The Apostles have said so. They might be your neighbor or they might be your internet friend who lives in another part of the country. Reach out in love and you will change lives. Follow the Spirit. He knows what they need. The missionaries need your help! They cannot find all these people on their own! Pray for opportunites to bring people to salvation. Maybe they're already members and just less active. But as you desire to help other people, God will of course give you opportunites.
I love you all so much! We are so blessed to be members of this church. I know that it is Christ's church. I know that the Book of Mormon is His word. I know that this work is His work, and that He wants us to participate. I know that He never leaves us helpless, and that when we are trying our best the Lord will not let us fail (which Elder Anderson taught on Sunday).
Go forth with faith!
Elder Lofthouse
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