Week 54

Hey y'all!! It's been another great week here in beautiful East Texas! Elder Hill and I worked hard and had some good things happen. I am going to miss him but I know he will do great things when he goes home.

So here is the biggest news and probably the most humbling event of my mission: I'M GOING TO HAVE A SON!!!! Which is mission lingo for I'm training a new missionary!!! I am really excited and really nervous at the same time. We have a lot of good things going on here so he will be coming into a good area and there are a lot of good people here as well. I'm nervous that I'll screw up, but I just have to remember the Lord and ask for His help and all will be well.

There really is nothing else too exciting to report. We only found one new person to teach this week (it was a bummer) but his name is Roderick and he has a lot of potential. We will see them again on Saturday and will hopefully start teaching his wife too! They are an African-American family with two really cute little kids. We will see what happens there.

I am really starting to see the blessings of the Lord as well. I had a really good discussion with a member of the church yesterday and we were talking about obedience and blessings, and how we can't demand the blessings we want. Personally, I had seen it for a long time as "Ok, I'm being obedient, now I want this blessing." We can't pick and choose; the Lord will bless us with what he will when we are ready. Now I understand more the scriptures that say "stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." When that is said, the people have been obedient and have sacrificed much. And even afterwards, it is not always what people want, but it is what is good for them at the time. I know that while it has been hard in this area, the Lord is preparing people for my new companion and I to teach and baptize, and I know I will shortly see success. I know this work is true and that the Lord truly is over all. The Atonement of Christ, the Book of Mormon, and the history of the church testify of that, as do I.

I love you all and hope y'all have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Grondel