Welcomed Everyone :)

Dear Family!

Wow! My Visa is ready! I think I will leave at the end of the transfer. President Holmes said they wouldn’t send me in between transfers because it’s too confusing. Well, wow, I wasn't sure it was coming. It'll probably come like this week then, judging from my MTC pals.

Yes, I am so glad President talked to me. So this new transfer has been excellent so far. It is really what you want to make of something, that’s what you will get. So, Elder A is 26 and Elder D is 19. Elder A has been out three transfers, and Elder D has been out like eight months.

I have a testimony of companionship inventory, it is awesome! It takes care of worries or conflicts, and it is organized in such a perfect way that you cannot get in arguments over it, because you all realize that you are here to do missionary work and your hearts are united as one. You are willing to resolve the conflicts because you know there is something more important. Anyway, it is awesome. 

So, another thing I wanted to tell about is my ward. I have been studying on how to do member missionary work, because I feel like it is the only way to really get people baptized and stay active. Literally the only way for them to stay active is to know some of the members. I guess not the only way, but like 99% of the way. So, this first Sunday at Church, every person I saw I welcomed them in, and introduced myself, and got to know them. I met so many people, and tried to meet as many as I could. I felt like the Lord was pleased with me. It was the best! I feel like the ward loves me! I love them too! I talked to another missionary in the same ward, and I said, this is a great ward, really welcoming! He said, really? And I said, oh yes! You just have to talk to people first, once they feel that you sincerely want to get to know them, they feel special and needed, and like they can trust you.

We need that unity within our wards and within are areas. We need to reach out to people and welcome them. We are all friends here, we are all children of Heavenly Father. He loves everyone here. If you are motivated by that love, and let the love of God flow through you, people will feel it. That was evident to me last night. We came home from the missionary broadcast...by the way, I hope everyone watched that, it was so awesome, I felt so inspired! Anyway, so after we came home, there was this lady and man standing outside our apartments. They were residents, and the guy had just changed the lady's brakes for free. We had our apartment manager with us because he is a member and drove us to the broadcast. So, we were talking to them, and got on the subject of religion. He was talking about how weird it was when his ex-girlfriend would speak in tongues, and do gyrations and things like that. He said it seemed like devil worshipping. And so, eventually, he said, I just don’t know why there are so many different churches? And right then I just felt this surge in my mind, and in all of me, that wanted him to know about the Restoration of the Gospel. I just had such a strong feeling that "he is looking for truth, but he doesn’t know where to find it."

People that have these questions, and wonder about them, and actually care, these are the elect of God! I had to take control of myself, though, I couldn't just spew out the Restoration, I didn't want him to lose interest. So, I told him I had the exact answer for that question. I told him about how there used to be one Church when Jesus Christ walked the earth, the Church that He himself established, under the direction of His Father. And I explained the Apostasy, and about how people tried to bring back the truths, and started forming all these churches. And then I said, you know there was a boy named Joseph Smith who had the same question. Anyway, we talked a little more, and eventually I invited him to Church next Sunday, and got his number to remind him. It was such a sweet experience. He said he would really be interested in coming. I know at that time, I was being led by the Spirit what to say. I know it because I felt the love Heavenly Father has for him, and I wanted him to know the truth so badly that I was speaking with all my heart and soul. I wasn't talking to myself in front of him or going over information, it was all real. I hope he comes to Church this Sunday, though. He would honestly love it, he has never been.

I love missionary work now. I am beginning to love it all the way. It gives you so much happiness! I couldn't sleep last night for like an hour because I was so excited. I know that we can all be missionaries, and when I get home, I will be the best member missionary, and I will lift where I stand. It feels so good to serve the Lord when you do it willingly and with all your heart, might, mind and strength. It feels so good to get home at night and say, we gave it all we could, we are doing everything in our power to bring souls to Christ. We are immediately blessed and given spiritual strength to easily overcome temptation, to be filled with the Spirit, and our hearts are changed!

I love this gospel. There is so much more we can understand about it, we never have to stop progressing. I love the Lord, in Him my soul delights. There is a quote that President Holmes gave us, "Be the missionary your mom thinks you are." I am trying my best. I thought it was a good quote. The more I understand about the Gospel, the more I realize how great my parents are. I love you guys so much! I miss you all! We are as the Army of Helaman! We have been taught in our youth, and we are now the Lord's missionaries, to bring the world His truth!

Love,

Elder Hoyt