Jordan: 9/26/2011

Well, first off, I finally got the packages that you sent mom. I got both the package with my study journal, and the package with the arch supports. I don´t really know how the arch supports are because i haven´t had time to try them but i´ll let you know next week. 

 

Well, this week was a pretty difficult one. We didn´t really teach anyone at all. We have 0 investigators that are progressing in any way at all. Last night, we found a less active lady that wants to come back to church and she has a 9 yr old daughter that isn´t baptized that we´re going to teach, so as of right now, she´s our most promising investigator. This last week was filled with a lot of walking around trying to find people but really not having much success at all. Mostly, right now, we´re focusing on changing the members attitude about missionary work and the church in general. The members here have no desire to share the gospel, and a lot of them have no desire to go to church. There is about 140 members in our  branch, and if all of them were active, we´d have a full blown ward with a real church. But only about 40 are active, so we have a branch with a lot of callings that aren´t filled, and a church with three other rooms other than the chapel. We´re trying to excite the members so they´ll help us find people to teach, because our area is probably as big as layton to bountiful, so me and my comp can´t find all the people the lord has prepared to teach, because there is only two of us. 

 

I learned/read some really cool things this week in my studies and my free time at night. First, EVERYONE should read the talk Guardians of Virture by the General Young woman´s president of the church in the conf. ensign from this April. It was an amazing talk. I know that all the guys that read this will think, OH that´s for the young women, I don´t need to read it. But you all should. It´s amazing. And at the end, she tells everyone to make a list of things they will always and never do. (Ex. always read the Book of Mormon, pray, go to church, never break the Word of wisdom, law of chastity, etc.) Everyone please do this. I did it the other day. If there´s one thing that i´ve learned in my 2.5 months in the mission field, it´s that the little basic things is what really matters. There are very few members here that do the basics, like read the scriptures, pray and go to church and pay tithing (one thing, Tithing is HUGE. I never really recogonized the blessings of tithing, until i went to a ward where people don´t pay tithing.) But seriously, please make the list of things you´ll always do and things you´ll never do. And then LIVE IT. It really doesn´t matter how great our scriptural knowledge is, or how good of a teacher we are, but we have to do the basic things of every day to stay on the path. You´ll never find anyone that´s a member that´s breaking the word of wisdom if they´re doing the basics.

 

Also, read the talk Living Testimony by Pres. Eyring in the Young womans meeting too. It´s amazing. He says that he frequently (and when he says frequently, I get the feeling of once or twice a week) asks the Lord if the Book of Mormon is true to strength his Living Testimony. He´s a member of the First Presidency, and he does this frequently. I thing we all need to do this more often. Ask the Lord tonight in your prayer if the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the book is true. It is the word of God. 

 

A cool thing I found in my studies this morning.... Read 2 Nephi 3 and then read the JST of Genesis 50. It´s super interesting, and for me, it´s physical evidence of the Apostasy and that the Book of Mormon is true.

 

Another thing, Mom, could you check my bank account and email me how much money i have in my checking account?

 

Mom- I´m glad that you loved your trip to the temple. That´s one thing that I wish i could do more of. The temple is amazing and truely is the house of the Lord. I´m also glad that Pres. Uchtdof´s talk really helped you. The words of the prophets are amazing. I´m so excited for General Conf. this saturday and sunday. It will be weird to have to go to the church to watch conf. but i´m so excited to hear what the lord wants us to hear for the next six months.

 

Dad- Your invitation is a really good one, and i´ll definately do it. i´m glad you like helping out in centerpoint. Service is great, and like Mosiah 3:17 says, when you serve others, you´re only in the service of the Lord. So service is pretty much one of the best things that we could ever do.

 

Austin- are you alive. You get two days off of work. No excuses for not writing me. How goes preach my gospel study? how´s good old viewmont. Have fun mowing lawns.

 

Natasha- You letters are the best. I love reading them. I´m glad you and rebeckah pitt are such good friends and that you love your live. always choose to love life. I learned along time ago that it´s our choice to love or hate live. Always love life, no matter how lousy it is.

 

Shaylee- how are you? are you alive? how´s school and all your friends? have fun...

 

John- I didn´t get your letter this week so i don´t really know what´s happening with you, but keep working hard and the lord will bless you.

 

Well, gotta run, but I know the church is true. Christ and Heavely Father love us. We can live with them again if we obey. The Atonement is real. Use it everyday. Repentance is a great thing, not a terrible thing. Preach my Gospel says we will come to find great joy in repenting daily. Be happy and find the peace of repentance. It´s one of the greatest gifts of god. The chruch is true.

 

I love you all.

Love,

Elder Jordan Schouten

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