Hello from AZ,
Hope everything is going well. As always, thanks for the emails and letters. I like what you said about thoughts, Mom. I know for Christmas one year I got that book As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. It is a recommendation by President Kimball in a book. I really liked it and felt what it taught about thoughts is very true.
Well this last week was a very tiring one. Lots of service and activities. I don't remember any special things to speak of for last week except for: Wednesday we went with Patty to the Visitors' Center to watch the Joseph Smith movie. It is always good to go and watch that. They also have a very neat exhibit there with the original art of the ones that won the LDS competitions. They've featured all of them in the ensigns and I recognized many because of that.
We talked with this guy, Bro Kennedy that day too - and him sharing his experiences taught me two things; don't gossip, don't jump to conclusions. His story is a pretty sad one, he was in a car accident and some bad talk about him went around in his ward and really hurt him. He is not active because of that, which is not good because it was people, not the church that did that. It hasn't been easy for him though - he's got PTSD so it wears on him. It is wonderful to know, however, that the Savior can bring peace to his heart and heal his wounds.
Last week wasn't the best one but we do have lots to look forward to because of some promising leads. We just met a part-member family last night (a referral from the RS president in one of our wards - who actually served a mission in Idaho) who have been taught alot. Their names are J. & E., and they aren't married so perhaps that could have been the only thing keeping them from progressing - we'll see on Thursday. Also we are very excited to teach C., this other lady in a part member family. She is awesome and has never taken the missionary lessons we found out, even though the missionaries taught and baptized the 11 year old daughter last year.
It's a good thing this is the Lord's work and he watches over it/his children. I don't think there would be any other way you could get 19-25 year old kids to be successful trying to talk to people and get them to change the way they live their lives (which is many times a very difficult struggle), sacrifice time and money to enter a group that has such different vocabulary (we could probably make that list longer even). It truly is all such a miracle.
"...my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." (Moroni 7:29)
That is Mormon's testimony of miracles, and mine as well.
Elder A. Hoopes
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