Area: Dallas Texas
Companion: Elder Riley Layton from Glendale AZ
Hello Everyone,
I am so thankful to be a missionary. The Lord has been so good to me. We
had a great week and have some exciting things planned for this upcoming
week.
We were able to meet with Jennifer three times this week. Her baptism will
be June 9th at 4:00, so we were excited to teach her the last few concepts from
Preach My Gospel to help her prepare for her baptismal interview. Her
preparation has been great, and she has no hesitations in keeping the
commandments. It has been a real treat being able to teach her and help her join
the church.
A missionary was reassigned to serve in the Texas Dallas Mission
(previously served in the Mexico Mexico City Northwest Mission). We picked him
up at the airport on Tuesday and spent the majority of the day with him and the
Durrant's. I love days like that, it is so exciting to see the potential in new
missionary's and figure out where they will be serving. It is also great to be
with the Durrant's and get to know them better and learn from their
examples.
The next day, we had a leadership training meeting with all of the district
and zone leaders in Dallas. Our mission will lose half of the missionaries
currently serving. Many of those missionaries are our leaders. It is now time
for the younger missionaries to step up and realize the incoming missionaries
will be looking to them for their leadership. It is helping us all feel a bit
more urgency. I love it. It is great to feel to power of the Lord's servants in
a room together. We practice teaching, and strengthen our abilities to follow
the promptings of the spirit. I am so thankful to serve with so many powerful
examples and apply the revelation I receive.
Elder Layton and I working hard to spend as much time out of the office as
possible. It has been great for finding new investigators and teaching more
lessons. We are busy as ever. It is miracle each day that we have the energy we
need to function throughout the week. It is a joyful experience to go in at
night completely exhausted, but so excited to wake up the next morning and get
out the door. There is so much to do with so little time.
Yesterday, I worked with a missionary in my second area. In late December
of 2010, Elder Brown and I had knocked into a young family that we taught for
the time I had served there. The missionaries currently serving there
began visiting them a few months ago. It had been over a year since I had seen
them, so we planned to stop by and say hello. I was so nervous walking into
their home, but it was a joyful experience. They still have a lot of questions
about Joseph Smith, but they have the desire to know if he was a true prophet.
It will take them some time for them to be humble and open themselves to the
spirit. They are quite knowledgeable in the Bible and have "red flags" to
overcome, but my prayer is that they will have the desire to continue to learn,
and make choices to humble themselves.
I am so thankful for this gospel. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of
God. It is the evidence God has given to us so that we can know Joseph Smith was
a true prophet. The Lord's church is on the earth and is rolling forward just as
it has been prophesied it would. Thomas S. Monson is also a true prophet and
holds the keys to preside over the church. I am so grateful for his service. I
love each of you, and I am so thankful for your powerful testimonies. You share
them with me often, and I feel the power that comes as I read them. Thank you
for your prayers. They help me on a daily basis to resist temptations and remain
focused on the work of the Lord. Have a wonderful week and pray for missionary
opportunities.
With love,
Elder Seager
