Well mom, I am doing
really well, I am working harder than I ever have in my life, and yes it is
pretty easy for me to fall asleep at night ha-ha. Yesterday we got to the
church at eight thirty and didn’t leave until eight thirty at night. I had to
teach a few lessons with zero notice and it was another challenge but fun. I
really like what you said mom, if we do our best the Lord will fill in the
gaps, and He has really filled them in for me this week. The package got to
mission office last week and I am going to pick it up today! I am super
excited! Ha-ha
Well mom, yours and dads
and our prayers were answered, we had three baptisms this week and we are going
to kick and scream for four more this week! I hope to complete a family so we
can make it eternal. One of the ward counselors talked with me yesterday, and
said that they have only had sixteen baptisms this year and eight of them are
from the time that I have been there. I felt kind of good, but I know it isn’t
me who got these, it was the Lord who blessed us with miracles, and I don’t
know why He gave them to us, but I am sure am grateful for his love and his
help. I still didn’t buy a new SD card, but that will happen soon.
Ashley is hilarious, I
miss all of you, I wish I could have just five minutes to give you all a hug
and then I would be great. ha-ha well, I have seen a lot of little girls ever
since Alaynna was born, and I am crazy to see her in person, I can’t wait to
see the pics you sent me.
This whole transfer has
been quite an experience, I am learning a lot about what I need to do, and it is
funny Ashley said that, I have been super blessed with a lot of talents, I don’t
want to sound prideful, but I need to develop them and reach my potential. I
feel now more than ever, the Lord is trying to teach me to reach my potential
and in some ways pushing so I can get there, but what I am realizing is that He
has a lot of great work for me to do, and I really need to change some things
around so I can get there. The obstacles are that my comp doesn’t know the
language super well so all the work is mine, but that’s a given fact, the
biggest one is that I have no time. Ha-ha other than that, life is great and I
am so grateful for each minute here on the mission!
I am so grateful for you
mom, and for all of your love! I am sorry the last emails have been bad, I just
haven’t been feeling anything new in the weeks until this one. This truly is
the work of God mom, and I am so grateful for all of the things that you and
dad have done to show us the right way. I love you so much, have such a
wonderful week, and thanks so much for the package!! Mmwah!
Elder Paynter
Hey Dad,
Sounds like it was a pretty calm week for you all, and I am glad
to hear you still got time to kill some interests in football there in Milford.
Dad, thanks for sending that, it was really humbling to look at, I could feel the
Spirit with it all. I am especially glad to see Grandpa's name. I can’t stop myself
from tearing up whenever I think about him Dad, I don’t know why.
Well it’s crazy that it is so hot there, we have been getting
pretty cold here lately and since all the houses are built out of brick and
nothing more, it stays pretty cold inside. Ha-ha so we busted out the Mr. Mac
jacket specials and walked down the dirt roads like the men in black. It’s
always fun to get our twin stuff going on here.
Well last Monday after p-day, we had a family home evening marked
with an investigator, and three recent converts at a member’s house, and two
missionaries went with us. It was such a simple FHE and all, a quick message
and a game and after, Vera, one of our investigators who was still on the line
with being baptized, came up after and asked that I would baptize her this Saturday,
and it was really good! She was super nervous about going under because she didn’t
think I could hold her weight to get her back up. Right before they called us
in she started crying and I don’t know if it was the Spirit or a nervous
breakdown, but it was good either way and she was very happy, and of course I
held her weight, I’ve been doing the work out DVD. Gosh! Ha-ha! Well her
parents came to watch and the next day they came to sacrament meeting and
participated super well in all the discussions and are super great, so we are
running after them this week to see if they would like to have an eternal
family.
Also, the Lord just gave us a bunch of miracles. A less active
woman brought her kid who is 13 and her boyfriend to church a few weeks ago,
and wow, they were baptized! It was incredible and it was just a miracle, that isn’t
all though, we got a call from another ward telling us about a golden
investigator who would be going to our ward that day, he showed up and already
wants to be baptized, he brought his girlfriend, and has six brothers and yes
we will be teaching them tonight at six thirty. It has just been such a
miraculous week with all of the blessings and miracles that are happening. I don’t
know why Heavenly Father is giving them to us, but I am sure thankful that He
has been placing His hand in our work.
Dad, it has been such a great week, I am pretty dang stressed even
though we baptized three, I just haven’t seemed to be super happy, but we will
see how this week turns out, I just need to get out of the whole rotation of
stress or something. Dad, I am so glad to be out here, I absolutely love the
mission, and I get a little sad when each day passes. I am so glad to be out
here, and I hope one day I can be the missionary you were. I love you so much Dad,
and I am sorry about the emails these past few weeks, I just didn’t feel like
we had much going on. Be sure to pass this one onto Mom because I won’t have
much time to write to her about all of this. I love you so much Dad, have such
a great week!
Elder Paynter