Week 5

 Hello Everyone

The weeks go by fast in the mission field! My new companions are great, I learn a lot from them. Since neither of us know the area very well, we have been doing tons of finding. We spent about 7 hours one day just GQing, and door knocking. We got about 100 contacts, it was physically hard though! 

Sorry, I sent the email without finishing.

Anyway...

Right now we are teaching a brother named Steven. We got him as a referral. He is really interested in the gospel and believes it can help him in his life. We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and he understood it well. Since being a new missionary, my teaching skills aren't that great, but I really enjoy learning from my companions and the ways they go about teaching.

Our branch has only been established for a year, and is still growing in number and faith. I am so grateful to our President Song. He is always finding ways to improve the branch. He has a genuine love for its members. He sacrifices so much of his time dedicated to serving the members. Right now, we are trying to help members do missionary work. We have been visiting members to see how their goals are coming along. So far so good. We really hope this is the key for the branch to thrive on it's own. One of the members is Nadia. She has a miraculous story. When she was eight, she was diagnosed with a disease that prevents her kidneys from working. She is in her 20's now. The doctors told her that if she didn't get a transplant she wouldn't live much longer. At this time, she didn't really have faith in God, but one night she just prayed to Heavenly Father asking Him for a kidney. That night she got a call from her doctor to get to the hospital immediately for a transplant. She had only been on the waiting list for about 2 years. It is the shortest time anyone has waited to receive a kidney. That was a sign for her and for me that God really does answer prayers and is watching over all of us. In my life, I have experienced answers to my prayers, and I know that He really is there and loves us. He is watching over us through our tough times. He knows us and through the Atonement we can feel His love for us. I know I am where I'm supposed to be, and this is the Lords work!

See you all next week!

Elder Westbrook

img: Our branch after fast-breaker and FHE