Hello my family!!
Well, all is well with the missionary work! Many wonderful things have been happening, and I'm so grateful for all the prayers this week from the family on our behalf! I'm really grateful to hear that so many great things have happened this week back at home. It sounds like that Seminary Fireside went really well! I'm sure you did an awesome job Heather. Those are so great to be able to hear and testify so many different ways through music. And congratulations Brock and Heather on making the z-motion gold team! That is so great. I'm not suprised that both of you made it in! I am continually impressed by both of you and the achievements you are constantly making. Keep being the awesome people you are, you are definitely "examples of the believers"! Mom, I'm not sure what those vitamins are! ;) Who knows... you can probably either send them back, or just keep them. I'm not sure. But thanks for sending out those thank you letters! Sorry again for leaving those. Braydon, I heard that you had an interesting week in school! You'll have to write and let me know how that went for you! I thought that was pretty awesome, and really funny Mom. Thanks for sharing that. I love you Braydon. I hope school is going awesome for you. ;) That's also so cool about Trek! That will be such an awesome experience being able to live as the pioneers did so long ago. You'll be awesome and awesome Ma and Pa! (9 kids, holy cow!!) Dad and Melinda, thanks so much for your letters and emails. It was so nice to get them! Sorry about Aunt Margaret! Wow.. that WAS really unexpected. But please send the family my love and prayers. That's gotta be tough. Dad, that is definitely something to think about with the priesthood. That is so amazing! I love that. Thanks Isaac for your message as well. It sounds like you're having a lot of fun! Let me know how your field trip went okay? Ashley and Brynlee, I love you so much too! I hope everything is going awesome!!
Earlier this week I was able to give a lady a blessing. Her name is Stella. She's a black lady, probably in her sixties. We've been meeting with her a little bit, and she's really strong in the bible, and hasn't been very open to the Book of Mormon. But she has recently been reading from it, and said that she has felt "enlightened" by it. She said she feels that it might be true! Anyway, earlier this week we went over to her house and she told us that her foot was very hurt because she had slammed it in her car door. She was limping around, but we asked her if she would like a blessing. She said, "Well sure, anything that might help" So, we gave her a priesthood blessing. She definitely felt the power of the priesthood, and a couple days we went over there and she told us that the day after the blessing, the pain had gone away almost completely, and she knew it was from the blessing. It was great to be able to hear that. It's crazy how sometimes people need to be taught in different ways. The new way of missionary teaching is all about teaching by the spirit. In the MTC I learned how to teach each lesson individually. But the new way they are doing it goes all about teaching to the person's needs. Another example of this is last night we went and visited Kaoutar. As soon as she opened the door, we asked how she was doing and she said, "Not too well. My uncle passed away today." I searched for the right words to say to her, as I knew it was important to teach to what she needed to hear. I eventually said, "Would you like us to tell you where your uncle is?" She smiled, and said, "Well I hope he's in a good place." But we were able to have a really good discussion with her about the Plan of Salvation, and it seemed to really help her. She was doing a lot better by the end of the lesson. Then we testified about the Book of Mormon, and she said she will read from it and pray about it. We also invited her to be baptized! We'll see how that turns out. She was a little sketchy about the idea of baptism. She's a wonderful lady. It's interesting to teach her because being from Africa, she has no Christian background. So we have to teach her in very simple terms. But we were excited about that! I constantly pray and thank Heavenly Father for opprotunites like that.
Anyway, on Tuesday this week we got our "transfer call" and found out that I would be losing my trainer! Elder Cisternas is no longer my companion! It was hard to believe. That means that I get to "take over the area". I thought he'd be staying, because he goes home in 5 1/2 weeks! But, I like my new companion. His name is Elder Taufa. He's tongan, and from Arizona. He's definitely different from Elder Cisternas. And he told me that the first time I met him on Thursday. He's the type who is always looking forward to p-day, and loves to have fun. But, the good thing about it is that he's been pretty obedient. He told me this morning that he's more excited than ever for this coming transfer to serve with me, and he told me he's grateful for my desire to be obedient, because it's rubbing off on him. So, I'll continue to do my best, and hopefully he'll keep that attitude too. He's really a good missionary though. It's just crazy how so many missionaries just don't seem to care too much. I didn't realize how hard Elder Cisternas and I have been working until I saw the other missionaries. So many missionaries don't seem to realize what their purpose is out here. It's crazy. But, we're working hard! We're doing our best, and more importantly, doing our best to "BECOME our best". (Remember that Mom?)
On Saturday I had my first baptism on the mission. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to wear my baptism clothes this time, because we weren't able to run home to get them in time, but I WAS able to perform one of the baptisms. Elder Cisternas was able to come back and did the other. Celeste and Cailynn Acree are such awesome girls. The baptismal service went really well. It is such a wonderful feeling to see someone go into the waters of baptism after spending so much time teaching them. Then, yesterday at church we had the confirmations for the two girls, and I was also able to perform one of them, and I played the Jon Schmidt arrangement of "A Poor Wayfarring Man of Grief" in sacrament meeting. It has been a wonderful weekend, not to mention we saw and heard and apostle of the Lord on Saturday! We had an "All-Mission Conference" and Russell M. Nelson was there! At the beginning, each missionary went up and was able to shake his hand. It was pretty powerful to have him look into your eyes. I don't know what it was exactly, but it was really awesome. I need to get going on this email, but he taught a lot of really aweseome things. Everybody definitely listens when he is talking.
My dearest family, I want you to know that I know the church is true. The Savior's Atonement is so real, and he really payed the price for each and every one of us. If we rely on that, and pray to Heavenly Father with firmness of heart and mind, we will be SO blessed. I'm so grateful to be a missionary. I'm constantly amazed by the miracles we're able to be a part of, and I really hope all continues to go well at home. You're all in my prayers. The gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth. WE are a part of it, and it is true.
I love you all.
-Elder Egan :)
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