Miracles Happen !!!

Dear family,
 
I will admit that this week hasn't been the easiest in my mission.  Elder Manning and I have felt like we have been swamped with leadership responsibilities and haven't had the time we want or need to devote to the area.  Nevertheless, we pushed on and tried to do the very best we could.  One of our goals was to contact twenty people a day.  It took a lot of work and led to some interesting experiences to write in our journals. 
 
The miracle happened when a man we had contacted came to church with his member friend.  There was nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary about the contact, but something led him to talk about it to his friend. She made mention that she was moving into the Los Alamitos ward and invited him to come with her to church this Sunday. 
 
 He accepted the invitation and came to church.  As we got to know Gonzalo and his friend Priscilla, we learned that he had been a day away from getting baptized two years ago.  He called it off on the day of his baptism. Some members remember him and confirmed everything he said.  After church we gave him a tour of the building and showed him the baptismal font.  We even invited him to be baptized.  He said that he would need a refresher on the missionary lessons before he could give us a definite answer, but was excited to meet with us again. 
 
What started off as a mediocre week turned into a pretty awesome week of miracles.  I have seen miracles come from street contacts before, including baptisms, but love to receive confirmation that what we are doing is the right course. 
 
Even better still, Elder Manning and I made ourselves a deal that if we contacted 140 people this week, we would get frozen yogurt.  I think 141 counts, so tonight is frozen yogurt night. We expect all of our missionaries to contact twenty people daily.  If we are to have that expectation, we have to lead by example.  We look forward to hearing similar stories from other companionships in the zone.
 
I hope Mom's first seminary lesson went well.  I wake up at 6:25 and wonder where she is in her lesson.  I am so glad that missionaries don't have to get up for seminary.  I don't think I could do it.  I get eight hours of sleep nightly, but still feel exhausted.  I think it is the spiritual aspect of missionary work.  It is possible to be spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally worn out.  I think I have experienced all four at some point in my mission. I even think there have been times when I have experienced all four at once. However, everything we do makes it worth it.  In Moroni 6, we learn that everything we do in the church is to help others experience the blessings of the gospel.  There really is no other reason to go to church.  Everything else is secondary. It is a simple principle, but one we must always keep in mind.  The biggest obstacle we see in some wards and ward councils is a forgetfulness in regards to the real reason we go to church and participate in the gospel.  Everything is centered on following the Savior. That makes everything we do as missionaries worth it.  We follow him through the tough times too.  It is the tough times that let us know how good the good times really are.
 
Love,
 
 
Elder Badger