Email from Elder Lofthouse 2/10/14 Miracles!

Wow!  So much can happen in just one week!  Elder Villanueva may have only been a missionary for four months, but he is absolutely fantastic.  He knows how to plan, how to study effectively, and he talks with everyone!  Because of that we have found a lot of success this week.  We quadrupled some of our numbers from the week before.

Last week, Brother and Sister Q were on track for baptism for the 15th, but their sons were still uncertain they felt ready for that.  Well, as of last night they are now all on track to be baptized together on the 23rd.  This will be my first full family to be baptized on my mission.  I'm so excited!  Brother Q has been struggling to give up coffee.  He's had it since he was 5, and there was a time where he would drink a cup every two hours.  He's been trying really hard to quit drinking it, and last night he gave us the rest of what he had and said he wasn't going to buy anymore.  His wife couldn't believe it!  They have so much faith and are so desirous to keep the commandments.  I'm very excited for them.

H is another investigator we have who has been taught since July (he was found by the West Elders when I was here in the East area).  He's probably had more marriage dates than most investigators have baptismal dates.  He's supposed to be getting married and baptized on the 22nd, but he hasn't been coming to church for awhile.  He used to come all the time!  He is a really great person, he believes the church is true, and he came and played basketball with us Friday night (which was super fun!), but we just can't seem to get him to the font!  We'll be seeing him tonight and hopefully we can get things solidified.  

We experienced a finding miracle this week. I felt like we should go knock doors on Davis street. After knocking for awhile with very little success, we decided to try one more door. A young adult named J answered the door and accepted our offer of leaving a blessing for her. She thought it was really weird how she had been feeling she needed a prayer and she had just gotten back from somewhere and was about to leave again when we happened to show up. She felt the Spirit and is really interested in our message because of that experience. She told us she usually never answers the door when she knows it's religious people, but for some reason she did this time. She's attended several churches in the past and has never felt quite right in any of them. She has a very strong desire to really understand who God is and what her relationship is with Him. We're excited to teach her!

In conclusion, I am loving Madera (again).   I can't believe how long I've been a missionary.  I can hardly imagine doing anything else.  I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of it and I know what I'm doing and I really look forward to the next nine months.  Being a missionary is the best!

I love you all!  

Elder Lofthouse