Jun 24, 2013

Jun 24, 2013

Hello everyone,

     Wow it’s been a long time.  While I wasn't paying attention, three weeks snuck by me.  Since then a lot has happened though.  Many of the less-active members that I talked about last time who were "thrown into our path" have made a lot of progress in coming back unto the fold of Christ.  It is a grand and spiritually fulfilling experience to help people come back under the effects of the atonement as they come back to a remembrance of the covenants that they made with the Lord during baptism.  There are miracles to be had in less-active work that are as amazing and as life changing as work with nonmembers.  We have also started to see a change in the ward from this work.  As we are bring back lost members we are also bringing back long lost friends to the members of the ward.

     There is a huge importance between the relationship between a ward and its missionaries.  As the ward has begun to notice our effort in the service of the Lord many of our members have begun to also wish to serve the Lord and help us where they can.  This has opened up many new and useful opportunities for us to come in contact with more people.  An example of this is when long time inactive members started showing up at church.  From this the counselors asked us who we were also working with.  This conversation led into a discussion about people that we could not find or that we were unable to get a hold of in the past.  Then he looked over the names and started spouting out names of people that knew and were still in contact with these people.  Some of them were also names that he had recognized.

     I have come to a realization of something very important this last week.  Before now I always was trying to think of ways to ease in the topic of religion with those that we meet on the street or those that we might come into contact with by other means.  I have come to realize how simple it actually is to introduce the gospel to those that have no idea or even to bring it up with a long time inactive member.  There is a secret to how to introduce something that you care about so much with someone you care about.  The secret is you need to do it with love.  I was talking with a long time inactive member the other day who had fallen away from the church.  His name was Adje, and in our conversation with him he mentioned how he had the day off today from work.  It was in that moment when I stopped him and asked him, "Adje, if you didn't have work today why didn't I see you at church."  This simple phrase could have the potential to cause people to take offense and close up.  But because I asked and truly wanted to know and help him instead he opened up to us and told us his troubles.  Adje is now on a path that is leading him closer to the Savior, and hopefully in time we will be able to help him through his struggles and get him back into the fold.

     Thank you everyone who supports me in my decision to come here and preach the word which has brought great joy to me in my life.  I also thank you for your prayers for I have felt the hand of the Lord in my struggles these past three weeks.

Elder Erb