August 27, 2014

Dear Residents Abroad,

So I'm emailing late because we went to the Preston Temple for our P-day, which was so amazing. The inside is beautiful and I was really inspired there. Did you know they have a third new temple video? I'm sure every member in Utah has their opinion about whether they like it or not haha. My mission president loves the temple so hopefully we can go a lot. It was a bank holiday on Monday so it was open to missionaries.

Can't think of much that was too crazy this week. The Mongolian students that came to church are officially investigators and have started praying. We have to teach them very simply and ordered copies of pamphlets and the Book of Mormon in Mongolian. Other than that we don't really have any investigators we are seriously working with. The YSA ward is crazy because there are four companionships, three of which are Mandarin, and we all kind of fight for whom to work with haha. I have realized I have no desire to look back on my mission and remember silly missionary drama, so I just want to find the Asians who will hear the good word and call it a night. The Manchester Zone is supposed to be the really powerful one full of assistants, zone leaders, sister training leaders, and the elite breed haha so you can imagine there's competition and distraction.

Nah but it's all good, there's really intense opposition in the mission right now. My companion said this week was like the hardest of his mission with just random things that get in the way. It kind of excites me because I know there is something good on the way. I know this is such a missionary thing to say but I have never been more grateful for how hard this is because I am coming to know my Savior so much everyday. President Ulrich has basically explained to us that we are setting too many precedents and he wants to see Brigham Youngs and Heber C. Kimballs out here! And it all has to do with family history and retention and things.

So here is my missionary challenge to all of you. I get so frustrated when we have an investigator come to an activity, or we know someone is less-active and hardly wants to be there, and no one reaches out to them. The YSA ward here is helpful, but I think too often we come to church activities to be social with our friends and not really progress Heavenly Father's purpose of the church. I am guilty of this myself when I was home, and there's nothing wrong with enjoying your member friends, but I have a commitment to look for people who need strengthening when I come home at every angle. You feel me? Missionaries sometimes have to shoulder this alone but people can't really become active, happy members unless the ward puts in just as much effort.

So it's a grand time out here in the work. I can't wait till the day when I can send you a picture of the font filled and a little man from Hunan or Hubei or Shanghai next to me, but it takes a lot of work.

Dad, we only walk. I rode buses in Chorley a lot but here we are pedestrians all the time. Only leadership has cars and biking areas are something I hope to avoid haha.

Sorry all if I can't respond to your individual emails, we don't have loads of time this week 'cause we gotta' hit the streets!

Love you all,

Elder James Lynn Heber Weggberts