My Dear Family,
I was very happy to hear that you received my package and Elder Wae's letter, I also was happy that Rachel is now [potty] trained and is now starting to follow the path of her brothers [soccer player]. I am also very happy to hear Sunday was what you had hoped for.
I have built my foundation as described in Helaman 5:12. Just as the verse says, "if I build I cannot fall." Have I ever told you my hero from the Old Testament? It is Job. Mom, I can honestly say that if all had been taken from me, if I received news that my family was dead, my friends murdered, my home and land destroyed and left desolate, and all that I hold dear ripped from mortality I would never abandon the work I have been given. I would never curse my God. I would not allow myself droop into depression. I would smile at the coming day. I am not a man of the world. As I read your letter all I felt was peace. As I have told you before. Death...is a happy thing. It is good. It is meant to be. The only sorrow that should ever come is to sorrow for the sins of the world. I do not sorry over death. (given some sad news about some family) If I do not see my [family] in mortality again thanks to the glorious gospel of truth I would take comfort in the fact I will see them beyond the veil. I am now someone who is working on making his calling and election made sure. My patriarchal blessing has strong reference that I will see the Savior...IN THIS LIFE. I am ripping myself from the world mom. I am becoming what I meant to be. Death cannot steal what I now know. I love you. I always will. You are one of the big reasons why I have built my foundation on THE ROCK (notice how I did not say "a rock"). And again, I love you with my soul.
I have written in my journal everyday up to Saturday. Sunday, I wrote for half the day and still need to finish.
As for what has been going on this week was so great for me. Especially towards the end of the week was when I found a lot of joy. Well, one great experience I had this week was when I was with Elder Skwati on exchanges. We went to an appointment with Sister ***. We were teaching her about the Law of Chastity. When we arrived at her home she was actually wearing a low-cut shirt and during the lesson we started sharing about how we should dress. Before we could say anything she said, "Oh..." and started adjusting her shirt to cover her body. Ha Ha! She is POWERFUL! At the end of the lesson she was saying that she never knew that she should not do the things which the Law of Chastity forbids. She expressed how happy she was that she now knows and wants to live that commandment.
So we have been teaching this brother by the name of Brother *** and also his wife. Brother *** has been fighting to live the Word of Wisdom. When we first tought him about it he immediately stopped taking alcohol and tea, but he has struggled to stop smoking. His wife has been a great source of help and I have made it a personal goal to strengthen their relationship. We have even set a goal for them to pray together everyday, read together every day, and even to say "Ndino Kuda" (I love you) every day. His wife has helped him to quit smoking at home, but his friends at work always get him to smoke. We worked with him to figure out what we could do. I suggested an idea that has helped one investigator before which was to try and replace smoking with sweets. We bought a 1kg bag of Crystal mints for him. The following day he told us that he has not smoked since we gave him the sweets. He says that the sweets are his cigarettes now. Ha Ha!
Okay, now for the sad news. Do you remember the college guys? Well, they are on holiday now and will not be coming back until the 29th. Ha Ha! We were unsure as to how transfers will turn out so we said our good-bye (or more like we will see you later). Yo! These guys were saying how grateful they were that we had brought them to the restored gospel. They shared their desire to be baptized into the Lord's church. We got all emotional and everything, but now I am hoping more than anything that the Lord will allow me to remain here. I love these guys so much. Yo! These guys feel it for sure. While they were having their competition they were sharing the gospel with the people they were meeting. They are so POWERFUL! One day I will have to share with you what they had wrote to my companion and me.
The week was really just grand. I loved it. Saturday we went out on splits and found 6 fathers! We are really working on achieving our goals. We have the Lord's help in this. We cannot do it without Him.
Lastly, at the conclusion to this week I received a letter from my closes friend who is serving in the Portland Oregon Mission. His letter was heart-felt and included birthday wishes and POWERFUL testimony. He had also included something else in the letter. He sent me a...something like and article...titled "Purification Challenge." In his letter he described how applying this "purification challenge" he and his companion had seen miracles, they felt the spirit, and truly wonderful things. The article explained how a certain missionary had asked what he needed to do to have the spirit in his work to an authority who visited the mission. The missionary was asked a few questions on what he would think about during the day and how effectively he obeyed mission rules. He was then told to fast and come up with a list of things that "poked at his spirit." Even the thought of thinking of golf came to the missionaries mind. After making the list he was told to "fast" for 40 days from the things on the list. The missionary upon the 30-40th days was experiencing miracles and the influence of the Holy Spirit. After reading I immediately started my own fast. I have created my list and have been "fasting" (from the things on my list) for 3 days now. A miracle has already happened. On my list I put that I do not wake up when I am supposed to. For 3 days I have gotten up at 5:30am without a lot of struggle. It has already blessed me and I am only 3 days into it. I hope to be seeing miracles in the next 40 days. I will try to keep you updated on the things happening with the "purification challenge." I know that at the close of my 40 day fast I will be a different man.
Dear Jordan,
You did not say anything about last week. I hope it helped. I was only trying to lift, not to put down. I love you very much my friend. I am very happy you are doing scouts. It will help you in your future. I wish I could have completed scouts. I am glad that you liked the Zimbabwean money. I kept forgetting to send it, but now you have it! Yebo! You are starting to learn about the stories from the Book of Mormon, but what are you learning? How can you apply the things of what you learn from the Book of Mormon? Joseph Smith promised, "...that a man will get nearer to God by abiding its (the Book of Mormon) precepts" (Introduction, Book of Mormon). A challenge for you is to see how you can apply those Book of Mormon stories to your own life. I love you so much my brudda. I can see the POWERFUL guy you can be some day. I want to what I can to help you become that guy. I love you more than the 100,000,000,000,000 Zimbabwean dollar note that I have.
Jake
Dear Rachel!
I love you like nuts! Yo! you are starting soccer without me. Ha Ha! It is okay. I am sure you will dominate! You are my sister after all. Make sure that Jordan trains you to be a POWERFUL soccer player! Woah! You can use the toilet now. That is so great! I am sure you do wonders in there. Ha Ha! I love you my sista!
Jakey
Dear Grandma and Grandpa,
I am now convinced that not every message I write will get to you, but I hope this one makes it. First, I love you. Second, I pray for you. Third, I want to know how I can best love and pray for you. That is about all I can do for you while I am here. I am a Servant of our Lord God. I can be a blessing for you...but only if you will allow me. Please do not keep me in the dark. Just because I am commanded to serve God with all my might, mind, and strength does not mean that I cannot serve God by serving you. You do not understand, but I can help you. I will help you on my side, but it is up to you to let me help. I am here for you.
Jake
I love you. I hope you can feel the power of those words. They have more meaning than we can comprehend. I speak them with the influence of the power of the Holy Ghost and the love of our Lord and Savior. Please feel those words. Ponder them in your heart. Recognize what I am trying to say. I love you.
I hope your week is filled with joy. You deserve it after the trials you have faced. Not only should we "rejoice in tribulation" (Rom 5:3), but we should rejoice even more so after the trial of our faith.
Let us look forward and not back. I am no longer concerned about what I have just read. It is past. It is gone. So..."Relax. Take it Easy."-Elder Wae. Enjoy every moment. It has been said, "Men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25). May I add my own words to say, "...might have joy...IN ALL THINGS." We should have joy in every moment, even the sad.
I love you all.
Keep the Faith
L O V E, like a lot,
Elder TOM
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