Email from Elder Lofthouse 1/27/14 Transfers!

And ..... I'm going back to Madera!  That's where I was before I got transferred to Merced.  But I'll be in the other area this time.  Same ward, different side of the city.  Weird!  

I was so touched yesterday by the outpouring of love I felt from the members here when they found out I was leaving.  For the first time in my mission, I have a good solid relationship with a lot of people here.  In my other areas I was only there a transfer except for my training area, and I couldn't communicate in Spanish very well back then.  In my setting apart, President Tervort said that I would meet many life-long friends.  I believe that many of those are right here in Merced.   When I first got transferred to Merced I thought, "No!  Please no! Not Merced!"  I knew the branch was really struggling and they hadn't baptized for a long time.  But now, I don't want to leave!  I've come to love this little branch so, so much.  I guess that's what happens when you start serving someone.

That was the biggest thing that happened this week.  I sent some stuff home in a couple packages today.  If you could just tuck those out of the way somewhere I'd be very grateful.  

Today, I was studying about the importance of the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I'm not sure we really understand how key it is to our salvation.  D&C 45:56-57 teaches us that it is those who taking the Spirit for their guide that will withstand the day of His coming.  It is the Holy Ghost that purifies us of our sins (2 Nephi 31:17).  The promise the Father has given us time and time again is that "he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved."  How do we endure to the end?  2 Nephi 32 is an excellent lecture on that.   Verse 5 teaches us that the Spirit will show us all things that we should do.  Joseph Smith taught that "You cannot receive salvation without revelation."  It is vital that we learn to receive and follow the Holy Ghost.  We must live worthily of it, and we must give heed to His promptings.  That is the only way that we will find our way back to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

I know that this is the Lord's work.  I know this is His church.  Our Heavenly Father loves us and He answers our prayers.  We can communicate with Him each and every day.  What a gift!

I love you all!

Elder Lofthouse  

Email from Elder Lofthouse 1/20/14 Baptism! (with pictures)

 
Baptism!!  M and S got baptized and confirmed this weekend.  I'll try and send pictures.  J gave a wonderful talk on baptism.  The last time he gave a talk at a baptism, he just read the whole baptism chapter in Gospel Principles.  He's coming along!  He also blessed the sacrament yesterday without making any mistakes, the first time he's been able to do that.  He was very proud of himself for finally getting it down.  I love that family!  Now we just need to baptize their daughters!

Transfers are this week.  I've been here four transfers.  That's the longest I've ever been in an area.  Three of those transfers have been with Elder Moody.  Chances are, something is going to change this transfer.  Sad!  I've loved working with Elder Moody here in Merced.

 The new converts have all been doing great!  And recent converts are always excited to share the gospel.  It's been amazing to see the light that has come into their lives and how much happier they are than before (even when they were already happy).  I'm so thankful I was blessed to be a part of their lives.

I love this work!  I know that it's the Lord's and He has people prepared to receive the gospel.  I've been impressed with how little I feel I had to do with any of these baptisms (they were all found through members for one).  I was just blessed to be in the right place at the right time so that I could see it happen right before my eyes.

I hope you are all doing well!  Keep living the gospel and the blessings will come.

Love ya!

Elder Lofthouse

Email from Elder Lofthouse 1/13/14 Hola!

Good news!  S passed her interview yesterday, so she and M are getting baptized on Saturday.  Woohoo!  S was feeling super sick on Sunday, and President McAnderws forgot about the interview (or rather, President Gelwix gave him another assignment that caused him to forget) and we couldn't get a hold of him, but S was wonderful and waiting an hour and a half for him.  She looked pretty miserable, but she waited, she passed, and she's getting baptized!

Time has just been flying by this transfer.  We only have two more weeks!  And chances are very high that Elder Moody and I will get separated.  Sad!  We really have to make the most of these next two weeks.  We have zone conference here in Merced on Thursday.  That should be good.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a haircut today, and hopefully it doesn't turn out like the last haircut I got right before zone conference (I'm so glad hair grows back!)

Marta, who got baptized two weeks ago, fed us dinner on Monday, gave us Tamales on Wednesday, and fed us dinner again on Friday!  She is so awesome!  And Maria and Sergio are doing really well and they're giving us dinner tomorrow.  I love recent converts.  I love being a missionary.  You love other people so much, and then you get to feel them return that love.  It's so wonderful!

I love you all!  I hope you're enjoying life.

Love,

Elder Lofthouse

Email from Elder Lofthouse 1/9/14 Temple Trip!

Sorry my e-mail is a little late this week.  Our zone leaders didn't realize they were supposed to plan a temple trip this transfer and we found out at zone meeting last week (the day after preparation day) that we were going to the temple today.  It was a wonderful trip, but temple preparation days are always a little crazy.  Thankfully we have tons of food, our apartment is pretty clean, and we had permission to do our laundry Monday morning, so we don't have to worry about that either.

After reading about all my friends in Missouri, Alabama, Canada (-75 degrees??), and Japan I have to say that I am very thankful for the weather in California which currently isn't even going below freezing. Woohoo!  But it's supposed to be raining a lot by now, and we haven't seen any.  Forecast says there won't be any for two more weeks.  That's not good for this agricultural community.  People are starting to get worried.

Holy cow, a lot has happened over the last week and a half!  Okay, I'll tell you the coolest story from this last week. M and S  were fasting, right?  We went over Monday night, and M said that she has no more doubts, she knows this church is true and she's going to get baptized.  But she wants to do it with S.  So, the next night we started going over the interview questions.  We weren't able to finish because we had to be back at the apartment by 6pm (New Year's Eve can be crazy), so we went over again on New Years Day and finished going over them.  She said that yes, she was willing to keep all those commandments and make that covenant, but she still wasn't going to get baptized yet.  Elder Moody asked, "Why not?"  And then  wonderful Sister M, said, "What's keeping you from being baptized?"  And S said, "You know what?  Nothing's keeping me from being baptized.  And you know what?  I'm going to get baptized!  When should we set the date for?"  So we set a date for Jan 11.  Sadly, they drank coffee Sunday morning, so we're pushing the baptism back one more week. 

Sad news.  Somehow, the screen on my camera got crushed.  So I can't see what I'm taking pictures of.  My track records with cameras on my mission isn't so great.  First one, in the baptismal font.  Then, I lose all the pictures on my memory card from the first eight months of my mission.  Then the screen breaks on the one my aunt sent me.  I think I'm just going to give up of keeping a visual record of my mission.

Anyway, I hope you're all doing well.  If I forgot to write about anything, I'll be sure to let you know on Monday.

Love ya!

Elder Lofthouse

Email from Elder Lofthouse 12/30/13 It's Nearly Over!

Can you believe how fast 2013 went?  I can't believe I was a missionary for the entire year of 2013.  That's so strange.

First, I know Andrew and Miriam read this, so to answer their question, yes I know Elder Dunnaway!  We're in Merced together.  We would be in the same zone but they made an all-Hmong zone a couple transfers ago and they have to drive down to Fresno every week for zone and district meetings (where all the other Hmong-speaking missionaries are).

I can't remember if there were other questions in letters I was going to answer, so I'll just go on to my e-mail.

Good news!  We had 3 baptisms and confirmations yesterday! M, her son S, and M2 all got baptized and confirmed. The service was super long, but it got the job done. We were at the church from 9:30 in the morning until7pm.  It was crazy!   I'll send pictures next week.  And M, J's wife, and her friend S were fasting yesterday about baptism.  We're going over tonight to visit them and I am pretty certain we can get Maria to accept being baptized this weekend.  She says she has no more doubts, she's knows this is true, so my question is "What have you against being baptized?"  I'll let you know how her baptism went in next week's e-mail, okay?

Christmas was great!  I got to Skype with my family and it was wonderful to see that things haven't changed quite as much as I thought they might have.  We'll see what the next year brings.  We then watched "Up" with some other missionaries at Sister Padilla's house.  What a wonderful movie.  For some reason I analyzed it a lot more this time, and I got a ton of great messages out of it.  I love the contrast between Mr. Frederickson and Charles Muntz, and how one was finally able to let go of the past and of his personal desires and focus on other people instead of himself, while the other held on to hate and selfish desires and it ended up destroying him.  

Isn't it the same with us?  It's when we let go of our own will, our own desires, and we turn out, seek God's will, and serve other people that we find happiness.  Otherwise, we're just frustrated and never satisfied.  "Forget yourself and go to work."  "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it."  It's really so simple.  Lose yourself in the service of others and you will discover what true happiness is.

I love you all!  Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Lofthouse

Email from Elder Lofthouse 12/23/13 Feliz Navidad!

Hello again!

I hope you are all doing well.  Life has been good lately.  M didn't come to church on Sunday, she isn't answering our texts or calls, and no one answered the door when we stopped by last night.  They did that before and then still turned out to be solid, so I'm hoping that's still the case and we get back in contact with them again soon.

Last night we talked with M2 who's been coming to church regularly and she said she's still willing to be baptized on Sunday.  We have to teach pretty much everything to her this week though.  It should be fun!  And we had a great lesson last night with J's wife about how we receive answers to prayers through the Holy Ghost.  One of their daughter's, N, is also acting more interested and would have come to church yesterday but her dad didn't wake her up.  She'll be there next week though!

 In my gospel studies the last couple of weeks I've been going to each study with a specific question such as, "How can I have a mighty change of heart?", "How do I find new investigators?", or "How do I develop Spiritual power?"  I've been surprised at how often I arrive at the same answer for nearly every question:

Live the gospel.  

It's so simple! We have faith in Jesus Christ, we repent, we make and keep covenants, all so that we can receive the Holy Ghost and be changed and sanctified by His presence.  Why?  So we can become more like God.  It's all about getting a little more like Christ each day, by exercising faith, repenting of our mistakes, striving to keep our covenants to God, and doing all we can to receive and follow the purifying Holy Spirit. 

 

I love this work!  I love this gospel!  And I love you!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Elder Lofthouse