This Week: 2010!

Hello my family!

     Thanks for all of your emails! It's great to be able to read from all of you since I still don't get much mail at my apartment yet. Speaking of which I should still be there for this next transfer so those of you wanting to send me mail go ahead and send it to my Stony Point address. Ask my parents for more details. So my blurb about this week (note that this an excerpt from my letter to President Bunker):

     This past week has been interesting and still a little slow because of all of the holidays. We’ve taught Jose Alverado, Roberto and Paulina (his wife) Peres, and Margarito and Cristina Hernandez this week. Or other appointments dropped because they found work or jobs, or something to that effect. Our fastest progressing investigators are Margarito and Cristina. We were going to extend a baptismal date to both of them at our last appointment, but Cristina wasn’t there and it didn’t feel like the time was yet right to do so. We hope to teach them when they are both there together to help them with their small concerns and help them get baptized and come unto Christ.

     Roberto and Paulina are our next best investigators that we’ve taught this week. Paulina is a new investigator, but she was really interested when we talked about the Restoration, and is one of the few people that we’ve taught that seems to understand the significance of what this Restoration means to the world. We committed them to read the Book of Mormon and they said they would pray about it. I’m excited to see how they progress.

     Jose Alverado is dropping from his higher standing as one of our better investigators because he’s having trouble keeping his appointments with us. When we see him next we will give him a kind warning if it continues that we’ll have to wait until he feels like we’re important enough to make time to meet with us, and actually keep the appointment. Jose is still almost there, he doesn’t feel worthy or ready for baptism, and we’ve been trying to bring am investigator to all of our past appointments to him, but he has let us down and has been busy doing something else.

     Personally, I’ve been doing great! I took your words to heart when you told me to step it up and be prepared to train another missionary after next transfer if it be necessary. I will not let you or the Lord down, President. I’ve been studying in the D&C during the past week, and all of the promises, and prophecies that are found there. I’m also trying to find ways to focus my personal studies to help me teach and understand the basic principles and doctrines so that I may help people understand when they ask me questions. I’ll update you on how that goal progresses in my next letter. I’m really happy to be here, and to be able to serve. I know that the Lord is blessing my family, and that He’s blessing me too, in more ways than I can see. I will keep strive to work as hard as I can and be a great instrument in the hands of the Lord.

<<End Mission President Note>>

As pertaining to your questions Dad:
- We exercise 5 days out of the week
- We have personal and companionship studies from 8AM until 11AM most days except for Sunday, Monday (P-day), and Wednesday (when we do service)
- If you want to send me audio, a CD would probably be best, since we have cars, my companion will have to listen to it with me anyways…
- Your packages have been wonderful, and I've enjoyed the pretty healthy snacks, but try to avoid sending too many toy-ish stuff President hates that.
- No I have not used the plastic cockroaches you've sent me yet. I probably wont unless someone is really bugging me. No pun intended.

I wish you well. This Church is the Restored church that Christ established during His life on this Earth, and like it was then it is led by a true prophet of God, Thomas S. Monson, and by apostles who lead us and guide us in these troublesome times. I actually realized something from the story of Christ talking to the people of Israel is so much like what we're doing today. We have more light which we want to share with everyone, but everyone else clings to what they already have saying "it is enough", just like the Jews were saying that it was all about the Law of Moses, many people here say it's all about the Bible. The Bible is true and a great book, so far as it is translated correctly! The Book of Mormon helps us understand what was lost during the great apostasy and not be lost in the confusion left over from the apostasy. That is the sweetness of this Restoration! Christ is with us, and we shall walk forward nobly and boldly declaring His words of repentance and baptism. I know that my Savior lives, and loves all. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Your Missionary,

Elder Richard Mackelprang