Faith

Me sporting some huge boots I found at the Spanish A apartment. 
They were a size 14.

Good Morning,

Man, it sounds like everything is going pretty well for all of you back in Bountiful. That's really good to hear! I'm sure that the Lord will continue to watch over each one of you as you continue to 

keep his commandments, and help others to do the same.

This past week was a decent one here in Wisconsin. We were able to teach quite a few less actives. Our focus is trying to help to activate these less-actives in hopes of seeking referrals from them as well. We're also doing all that we can to also work with part member families, and those who are listed as single on the ward roster as well.

I was able to go on exchanges with the Spanish A missionaries serving in the Milwaukee area this past week. This was a pretty neat experience to see how the Lord works with his servants, and how he sends them where they need to go. I was able to work with Elder Oldroyd who is one of the district leaders here in the North Zone. Elder Oldroyd did a great job of working with the Spanish people, and exercising many Christ-like attributes as well. It was a neat experience for me to see how patient, and loving he is with the people.

Sister & President Jones

We also had a great Zone Leader Council meeting with President Jones this past week as well. I'm really going to be sad to see President Jones leave as I know how dedicated he is, and how much he has sacrificed for the benefit of the mission. He has had to have a lot of patience over the course of his 3 year tenure as a mission president, but he was the right man for the job!

We talked a lot in the Zone Leader Council about how teaching by the spirit is not enough for investigators to be able to convert to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He talked to us about a teaching of Elder Bednar where Elder Bednar talked about how you can teach with the spirit all you want, but investigators will never make any progress until they learn to live by faith. President Jones connected this to helping our investigators to make and keep commitments, which enable them to make hard decisions in their lives, or to sacrifice for the Lord. He really talked about how developing their faith will not only help them to keep commitments, but to make them as well. He helped us to understand that there comes a point in time where teaching the doctrine by the spirit over and over again is really not enough, but what he suggested we do is read the Book of Mormon with our investigators who seem to be stagnant in their progression of making and keeping commitments.

We were able to hear from Elder Craig C. Christensen, Sister Linda S. Reeves, Elder Larry Echo Hawk, and Elder Dallin H. Oaks yesterday in a regional broadcast to the Midwest area for stake conference. It was a really neat experience for me. I went into church just wanting to understand some of my thoughts and impressions that I had over the course of the week, and I wanted to know what I needed to do to do better in my life as a child of our Father in Heaven. Throughout the course of each of their talks it really occurred to me that I really need to continue to focus on 3 things:

1. I have to have a desire to change for the Lord
2. I have to continue to repent
3. The Lord answers prayers on his own time

I connected it with a study that I had this morning from Heleman. In the book of Heleman the day of grace is beginning to past by the, now, wicked Nephites, and they are beginning to fall into a state of unbelief and the scriptures say they become weak like unto the Lamanites. This comes from a group of people who have been taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and have also felt the blessings that come from his Gospel. But in such a short amount of time we see that they fall, and begin to disbelieve in the spirit of revelation, and the spirit of prophecy. It then gives comfort to them saying "except they should cleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish."

We read in the very next chapter how the Lamanites escape this state of unbelief in their hearts as well. A man by the name of Aminidab, who is actually a Nephite dissenter, tells them that, "You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you." After doing this they hear a voice exclaim to them, "Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world."

I would just ask that you continue to pray for me and for those here in the Wisconsin mission including Elder Wright, President Jones, and Sister Jones. How grateful I am I have been able to serve a full-time mission to learn how to become more like the Savior.

I love each and every one of you, and hope you will continue to press forward in all you do!

Love you guys
Elder Gautavai