Letter # 69

Hello Fam/Everyone.

Well this week went pretty well. We didn't do so well on numbers this week. It seems like our whole zone is struggling with the same problem. Everyone is working hard, including our own companionship. But It seems really hard to get the amount of lessons we need to be getting. One "Zone's" biggest struggle is bringing people to Church. I think I have talked about this a little before with everyone. But it is hard here.

Elder Moreno and I are working hard with the Families we are teaching but I realized last night, when I was thinking about the week that there was so much more we need to be doing, I realized that we have not been involving them or really getting them into the Book of Mormon the way we should. That is going to be one of my main focuses this week with our investigators. I am going to try to make it a big effort to follow up on their reading, and make sure that they are actually reading the assignments we give them.

The Book of Mormon is so crucial for the conversion of people, my own Testimony included. It's an enormous part of my testimony. The Book has so much power. It does bring change in peoples lives. It brings a new spirit and changes the way you think about everything. Most importantly, it testifies of the Savior.

I am doing this kind of personal study with the Book of Mormon right now. I took a new copy and started from the beginning and starting marking every time I see the name of Jesus, or any name referring to him in the color red. For example (Lord, Savior, Messiah). Then I mark every time it is Him speaking with yellow. Then I mark every time it talks about his attributes in blue, and then I mark every time it talks about the Atonement in orange. Doing this has done so much for me personally.

Something that is cool about the Book of Mormon is that I have passed 200 pages of it and there has only been three pages that haven't made reference to Jesus Christ. Pretty sweet huh? The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know because I have never read anything that has changed my heart the way that book has. Every time I read about the Savior in the book I can feel in my heart that what it is saying is true. I can't deny that feeling.

In no way is it to displace or discredit the Bible. The Bible along with the Book of Mormon has truly helped me to understand personally much of Christ's life and his ministry. The Bible and the Book of Mormon enhance each other and should be studied together. I love the scriptures, and I regret so much that I did not read them the way I should of when I was younger. But I have made a lot of big commitments with myself on how I am going to study when I get back.

Well one of the big things that happened this week was when my companion and I went on exchanges with the assistants. It was great because I was able to go with Elder McLaws. He is the Senior assistant and I had a lot to learn from him. A lot of it was his humility. But one of the things he told me was that because it is my current companion's last transfer and that I would be getting a new companion next transfer that there was a lot I had to do to prepare for the coming transfer. He basically advised me that my focus is going to have to be completely on the needs of the zone. In other words, we was telling me that thinking about myself is not really one of the options. This is something that I have actually thought a lot about the last week. I have looked back on my mission and realized that I have not been the best at this. I have certainly tried hard, but now is an opportunity to do it completely.

Well the Investigators are doing well we feel. I feel a little concerned about a few, mostly about the Deng Family. I hope they are going to make it. They are all going out of town this week and will be back next week. A couple of the Investigators are falling out right now and told us that they didn't really have time to go to church right now and that finding time to meet with us would be hard for them. One example is a Mom we we are teaching. Her name is Lo Li,and the other is Sheng Xiu Huang. He is a Father who just recently had a new baby with his wife.

* * * So please pray for them and their time to open up and their desire to grow.

The Scripture I want to share is one of my favorites. Mosiah 26:30

Yea, and aas often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.

Love you all

Elder Wei