Another Week...Another Adventure

Cake in the Face-Happy Birthday!

Hey hey little family!

I feel like I start off all of my letters the same way, and sadly I feel like all of my letters are starting to sound the same, when in reality every week is its own adventure in the mission. Anyways, it’s good to hear from you guys, and especially from my bro, Connor.  Do you think that you could send me his e-mail address?  I’d like to write him every now and then.  It’s cool to see how his mission is taking shape and that he’s feeling some of the things that I did.

President Moestel and Family

Well, this week was definitely an adventure.  Honestly, I realized just how much work is needed to run a mission, and honestly it’s miraculous.  I guess that’s something I’ve come to appreciate here in the office...just how ordered everything is.  I guess I’m the one that feels a little disordered though.  And dad, I’m trying really hard to be like my mom because I think the Lord put me here to learn how to do "little quiet acts of service¨. Tuesday and Wednesday were insane.  Both days we woke up at 5 am and started doing things nonstop for the 17 new missionaries that came and for the 12 that were leaving.  It’s interesting to watch new missionaries come in and to see the experienced ones go home from one day to the other. It really shows just how much we change in the mission.  Anyways...they may have been two of the most stressful days of my life.  On Wednesday I think I realized it was my birthday at around 10 am, and by the late afternoon I just felt like I couldn’t do it anymore.  I hate to say it but I was just kinda having a bad attitude thinking...what a great birthday...and other lame stuff.  We had to open 3 new areas and get all the stuff to the houses. At one point, I found myself waiting in the car alone in front of the house and I just started to pray, pleading that the Lord would help me to have a better attitude and would gave me strength to keep going.  Anyways...I think what I learned this week is that living a consecrated life is not easy, in fact it’s really hard, but it brings a certain type of joy.  I feel like this week I’ve really grown a lot and come closer to the Lord.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to work in our area, but we gave a little more time for the Lord and His angels to do their work.  Honestly, some of the people we find are SO ready for the gospel.  This week Elder Talla and I both felt really prompted to knock on a tin door so we did.  A nice lady came out with a big smile on her face and asked, “are you guys going to come in?”  We came in and sat down when a bunch of people just came out of the house and sat down.  Turns out that the lady is a recent convert’s mom, she has 3 daughters who’ve been to church at least 3 times, her husband died recently, and there’s also another family there(husband, wife, 9 yr old kid).  We only visited them twice this week but they are always SO happy when we come and hardly know anything about the gospel.  If those aren’t the Lord’s elect, I don’t know who are.

What else...oh man, this Elder finished his mission this week and lives here in Bluefields (Atlantic coast). He had to stay in our house last night and he’s the funniest guy ever.  He speaks like a Creole English and has tons of energy.   Anyways...one of his comps gave him a referral of this girl that lives in Nicaragua so we took him there to go meet her today...they’re already talking about marriage and stuff and they met TODAY!  So I got to be a matchmaker today...cool huh?

Oh and to answer your question mom, my birthday was ok...at least Hermana Monestel remembered :) She gave me a bag of candy and stuff so that was cool. Also my birthday package came!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was super stoked!!!! And thanks so much…I loved everything in it, especially the family pictures and the binder of gospel pictures to teach with (I already started using them and they’re awesome) Who knows that happened to the Christmas packages???  But I’m 21 now...super weird. Anyways....I love you guys and I love this gospel...also I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, 

Elder Ward