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