What are the Chances?

Dearest Family,

Hi! I am still doing well. I loved what you said in your email, mom, about really trying to help your Seminary kids build their testimonies, rather than cover the material. I know that is when the Spirit works too. I really miss the Seminary class, and that is so cool how you compared their earthly lives to going off to college. That is really what is most important. The Assistants said, even if you just teach one principle the whole time, it is better that they understand the one principle and feel the Spirit, rather than understand nothing. So, that’s what I am working on too. It’s something that is kind of challenging. It’s funny too because sometimes the gospel has words that people have never heard, for example, atonement. So, we have to teach the words, because it isn’t a common word. So we ask, do you know what that means?

Also, this week we had some miracles. We were eating lunch in this restaurant, and the lady working there said she always used to visit our Church. As we got talking a bit more, she said she had read the Book of Mormon a lot too, but had never talked with missionaries. So, what are the chances? We will meet with her this week. Also, this week we were finding less-actives on this list, but all the roads and numbers on the houses were wrong. A house can have the number 2, and the house right next to it can be 45, and the next house would be 103. It gets kind of challenging. So, we stopped in front of this house on the sidewalk, just to pause and look at the list, and I heard the people in the house stop talking, and I felt like they noticed us. So, I asked them the name of the road, and the guy helped us out a little bit, but then, this lady came outside and greeted us saying, "oi Elder"---usually no one says Elder. And then she said she is a member from Recife visiting her cousins. Then we talked a little, and it turns out, she was leaving right that minute, so we were there at the right place at the right time, and the family invited us in after she left, and we got to know them a bit more. They are married, which was sweet, and they don’t have a definite church. We taught them the restoration, but we will return this week and talk more.

Anyways, we just have these small experiences, but then afterwards we just think of all the small things that Heavenly Father did to make that little meeting work out. Maybe the family wouldn’t have received us if that member from Recife weren’t there? So that was a cool experience.

I am grateful to be here serving a mission. I know this gospel is true, and I am in the perfect place. I love my family. I have never loved you guys so much in my life, as much as I love you right now. I know that this is the true restored gospel, the only true and living Church. I know Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. I know that only The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the power of the priesthood, the power of God, and because of that, we can be sealed together forever. There is no other Church, no other priesthood; it is here, now, never to be taken again. I love our family. Thank you guys for writing me. I miss you guys. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Nathan Hoyt