November 26, 2007

Dear Irvine Family:

I'm sure I sent a memory card that has pictures on it. If it doesn't have anything on it...that means I lost all those pictures...oh well. I didn't have time to print out pictures since there isn't a Wal-Mart close enough to the apartment to zip in and out quick. I hope it works...if not I guess you'll have to send it back to me so I can see what's going on. Try it with a different camera or something, it should work. And, could you please get me Kristy's address so I can write her back?

Sports...it doesn't seem as important anymore. But thanks for the updates once in a while, to keep my inner sports self going. I always knew BYU was better than Utah anyways...as for Sean Taylor...that kid is straight up dumb. Just wasting his life away.

I hope Thanksgiving went well for all of you...we had a zone touch football game and then...we went to work! No breaks! Happy Late Thanksgiving!

This week has gone by so fast! My comp is seriously tempted to rebuke our investigators and less actives for not coming to church, by using the priesthood to seal his testimony. I think he's going overboard, so I'm not going to do that. I'm frustrated, of course, but come on! Only when the Spirit guides, and my comp knows that. But this week has been utterly ridiculous. One thing that I can't stand are liars. We contact people and they lie to us. Sabes que? Know what? They condemn themselves everytime they lie to missionaries, because they know we're Christ's representatives. We met a guy from Castaic, about half an hour away from our apartment. He told us to meet him at his house. He called us too. Gave us a wrong phone number, and a fake address too. When we got up there, we couldn't reach him and we couldn't find his address. We got lost on top of that on the way up, since a member was going to feed us dinner and he lives off a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. It was a very frustrating Tuesday. We've had a few less actives lie to us too. Rosario, for example. Yeah, her son has been baptized. Whenever we stop by, she's never home. Never. And, we had set the appointment with her previously. So, we can't ever teach her son the transition lessons. This other less active told us a wrong address. Same old, same old. They know they're doing things wrong, they just don't want to change. We did find a less active walking around our area though. My comp has been looking for her for two months...so something good did come from all this. We had zone conference this week, which is always great to have. One of the AP's, Elder Monson (speaks only English), gave his last training in zone conference...he goes home in a few weeks. It was yesterday that he had a few transfers left...wow. I can't believe how fast time flies. Zone conference was great, especially when Elder Monson said he wished that he had taught more about the Atonement and how it applied to our investigators. He said that at the end of his mission he is only realizing how important it is to everyone, and how it can lead people to realize they need to change. Right after that, we applied it in our lessons. Atonement, Christ died for your sins, you can be clean only through His Gospel and Church. I think it has changed my focus in the lessons. Without the Atonement, they won't change. With it, and if they understand it, they will change. Haven't had immediate success yet, but we'll see. I realized how important Christ is in my life, and how I can be clean everyday. I see why we need so many meetings sometimes, because missionaries can easily be discouraged.

But, I have to say, we did have one amazing appointment last Monday. We had some problems with this one potential, Elvia Aguirre. She's Christian, immersed in her church, and didn't want us to talk about Joseph Smith. Well, I thought, might as well drop her, but we went and taught her anyways. We prepared, step by step, a lesson that would explain why Christ's church is on the earth now, and why it's so important to join His church. Basically, a lesson focused on Apostasy. It was picture perfect. No stone unturned, no concept unexplained or left incomplete. It was pretty amazing. I couldn't believe it myself. Her husband was open-minded, so we have a good potential. We'll see what happens today when we go teach them. That was so amazing that I think that was the best lesson we've had all week. The Spirit was there, they understood what we taught, and especially a need for a Restoration of Christ's church. Wow, we were blessed!

Yesterday, Sunday, was Mission President's fireside for investigators, and we couldn't make it. One, because our investigator didn't have enough money, if any, to pay for gas to go down to the Valley. Second, because no one else wanted or 'couldn't' go with us. I was frustrated. I couldn't believe it. No one was home, no one could make it, no one had time. Discouraged, we went to a member's home to see if he could help. He couldn't, he had to go with the rest of the bishopric to visit some members with issues. This member, Hno. Umana, is a stud. Stud missionary, stud counselor, stud. We called all our investigators from his house, and members...no one could help us. So he raised our spirits with a few stories from his mission, and I was energized again! Frustrated, yes. Disappointed, of course. But, I decided to do my best to bring or invite these people, if they said no, that's okay. We ended up visiting a recent convert, gave him a blessing of health. We visited a member, and we talked to the mother of her daughter's friend. And, we found our other potential investigator hanging out with her. Sweet! And, we taught another potential investigator, and he actually understood what we said and paid attention. The fireside fell through, but we were able to do more work as a result. The Lord works in mysterious ways sometimes. But, I hate liars and excuse-makers. Condemnation on their heads. Especially lying less actives ('no, he's not home' the wife says, when the little son said 'my dad's watching television'....'oh I'll be home then' and they're not home...). Dust them off and move on.

The worst part of it, is the 'ward'. I don't know if I want to call it that. I have never seen a sadder ward. If that's a word or term. No pianist, we had to sing acapella for a bit until some help arrived. We blessed and passed the Sacrament. We get no help from members in lessons. They're apathetic...yeah I'll go to church but nah...no nights out with missionaries. Just a few choice ones. What makes it worse is that we have to ask the bishop to fellowship some investigators when he's already swamped with things to do. We have no priesthood support. They don't do Family Home Evenings. They don't care about missionary work. Is this Zion? I wish I could say yes...but a work in progress. PEC is a waste of an hour...no one helps us anyways so why make a progress record when no one cares? We cover half of the valley...and have no help from members. Ridiculous. I asked, 'why am I here?', only to answer myself with, 'get to work, someone is waiting for you, and this work will go forth.' I have to say, it'll take time for this ward to be built up. A while. This is not going to be easy (who said it would be?).

I ran into a friend of mine from BYU, who was in my student ward. What a coincidence... Danny Ramirez of California and he's in the AP's ward. That was weird hearing my name and seeing Dan in his BMW on his way home from church. He's putting in his mission papers...awesome!

I bought a copy of the soon-to-be-taught Teachings of Joseph Smith book, and I've learned a lot in the few times I've read it. I love it, and every time I read it, I gain a testimony of what he taught, and especially that he was a prophet of God. Two things that struck me. First, infants that die in infancy are choice spirits, only here for a brief time to obtain a body then return to their Heavenly Father. They are that special they only need a short time to obtain a body then return to the Father's presence. I had never thought of that before. Why do babies die? Because they were spirits so ready to do His will they didn't even need this time of probation. It's humbling to me to know that. They didn't even need a trial, they already proved themselves in heaven. Second, that members who apostatize can never leave the Church alone. Joseph Smith said, that when one is baptized they chose God's plan. But, as they left pride take them away, they chose Satan's plan. Like Judas betrayed Jesus, apostate members betray God and their brethren and will be burned up. They cannot leave the Church alone because they are evil, like Satan, and cannot leave the Church alone, because it is just, as God is just and pure. And, the Spirit of God withdraws from them. I had never thought of that before. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, there is no doubt in my mind. 'Praise to the Man, who communed with Jehovah...Jesus annointed that Prophet and Seer...'

I love you all. I hope all is well. This is but a short time, but a short moment as the Lord told Joseph Smith. Am I better than He, who suffered all? I'm not alone, thanks to God's mercy.

I love you all, the best family in the entire world! May God keep you safe.

Love,
Elder Irvine