John: 7/16/2012

From: John Schouten

Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 9:27 AM
To: Julie Schouten.; Jordan Schouten; Mike Schouten; Mike Schouten
Subject: The Usual 7/16/12

 

It was an interesting week this week.  We're struggling getting our investigators to do anything.  One of our investigators, Oliver, we have been struggling with.  He is a good guy but we can't really bet him to commit.  We have a really hard time meeting with him.  Since I've been here in Wilmington we've only had a real lesson with him once and I was on exchange that day.  So I've never met with him.  He reads the stuff we leave with him but we just can't get him going.  His family doesn't help either.  He's 30ish and he lives with his family and they are just a pain sometimes.  There have been a couple times we've gone over and they answered the door and told us that he wasn't there and we found out later that he was.  It can be kind of frustrating.  So we're doing our best but there is only so much that we can do for a person before they have to do it for themselves.  We've had a hard time contacting our other investigator, Melvin, also.  It's been almost impossible.  We just don't know if he's ignoring us or if he's just not there.  He never answers his phone.  We're just having a hard time investigator wise.  We really need some solid investigators.  Our people who could be real solid are just too busy so we're just having a hard time finding committed people.  So we're going to have to work on that and really ask for God's help or we're aren't going to get anywhere.

 

I went on an exchange this week and we each ate a half dozen donuts.  There is a story behind it.  So long story short I was with an Elder named Elder Busenbark and he was in my district when I was up in Susquehanna.  We came out at the same time and we were on exchange and we were waiting for our companions and we decided to go get some donuts so we ended up sharing a dozen donuts and Elder Busenbark has remembered that ever since (we had both only been out 4ish months) so we decided to do the same thing again.  For future reference people don't try that.  It will kill you.  I crashed big time.  We were working on something called the finder binder (basically a binder where we have the info of where everyone lives) and I was reading the names off and Elder Brandon was putting the names into his GPS and in the time that it took him to type someones name into the GPS and ask me what the next one was I fell asleep.  So ya.. eating a dozen donuts isn't too good for you.  They were good though.

 

The weather has mellowed out.  It's been only around mid 90's most of the week.  So it hasn't been too bad.

 

That's good to hear that you enjoyed Emma Daines's talk.  I realized that our ward, in Utah, has TONS of missionaries.  It is something like 15.  With the Pitts. the and everyone else it's crazy.  I just realized that and thought it was interesting.

 

Mom- It sounds like Elijah has been having a hard time.  I'm definitely going to be writing him today.  Elijah was one of those people that you figured that if something like that had happened to him in high school the whole school would've shown up.  If I was in Utah I would've gone to the viewing.  I'll definitely write him a letter.  But if y'all see him before I get back.  Let him know I said I hope all goes well.

 

Dad- Now that you mention it you do where shorts quite a bit.  It's just that I wore shorts more so I just thought that you didn't wear them that much.  Or maybe it was something to the effect of you wore long pants in situations that I wouldn't have.  so ya you are right.  Have fun in St. George.

 

Austin-  Please write me.  Next week will be my last email.  So getting a letter the last week would be really nice.  Pretty please with a cherry on top.

 

Jordan- I hope all continues to go well in Paraguay.  Work hard so when you finish you will be able to look back with no regrets.  That's the only way to do it.  What's the point of running a race if you are just going to quit at the end.  You will just have tired yourself out for nothing.  So work hard and have faith.

 

Natasha- I'm glad you had a fun week.  You sound like you watch a good amount of movies.  I hope you are practicing your basketball skills so we can play.  I've been playing every morning for exercise the last week.  I've just been shooting around but I've still been playing.  So start practicing so you can try to beat me.

 

Shaylee- Thank you for writing me.  I enjoyed reading your letter.  I'm glad you had fun at the cabin.

 

I know the gospel is true.  God loves us.  God sent his son Jesus Christ to the earth to die for our sins.  I know that the opportunity to serve God with 2 years of my life has been an enormous blessing.  I'm grateful for the blessings that God has given me.  When we work hard and do our best to follow him we are blessed in many ways.  God truly has given me so many things.  The Book of Mormon truly is a book from God.  We were talking with an investigator this last week and she was talking about the testimonies of the 3 and 8 witnesses and made the point of "there is no way anyone could say the things they are saying with out either knowing it to be true or just being absolutely crazy."  It is so true.  The things of the gospel could not be created by man.  They are truly of God.

 

See ya soon,

Elder John Schouten

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