4 August 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you all for emailing me every week. I really appreciate hearing about what is going on back at home. Because we had issues with power yesterday, president gave us permission to email today during lunch. Mom, that's cool that you were able to go out and teach with the elders. It's always really awesome to have members help us out in these lessons. I'm sure that the elders are really appreciative with your help. Dad, that's awesome that you saw the Dukes. I was actually thinking about them this last week, so be sure to say hi to them from me. That's also really awesome that Josh {Duke} has submitted his mission papers! That's really cool. I was really happy to hear that! That's really awesome that {cousin} James {Porter} was ordained a Priest! Wow, he has a lot of things going on now: ordained a Priest, driving test, Eagle project. He'll be pretty busy. But that's really awesome! That's exciting that Phil {brother} and Mirtha {sister-in-law} will be having their baby soon! Wow, be sure to tell {cousin} Ian {getting married} congratulations from me!

So this week had it's ups and downs for Elder Cani and me. I've come to discover that the hardest thing about missionary work is respecting other people's agency. It's really annoying, and frustrating at times, when people say that they'll meet with you and they don't show up. It's difficult when you set up five lessons in a day and every single one of them falls through, but there's really nothing that can be done about that. We just need to continue working hard and being obedient, and then we just need to wait and see the blessings of the Lord unfolded before us. This week we had a really awesome lesson with a young man named Gembi. He's about 15 and he's a really awesome kid. He said that he was really touched by how he saw us contacting on the road in the middle of the day when it's super hot and no one was listening to us. He said that he wondered why we were still doing what we were when no one was listening to what we had to say. So when we met with him, he knew that what we had to say was important. It was a very spiritual lesson and it was really awesome. He understood everything that was said. He really understood the importance of the Restoration of Priesthood Authority. So when we invited him to be baptized, he was willing and excited to accept. It was really awesome to see the determination that he had to read and find out for himself if the Book of Mormon is true. It was a really awesome lesson that was the highlight of the week. After that lesson, it was as if all of the other hardships of the week never happened. It was really awesome! I'm really excited to see how Gembi turns out. I'm really excited to teach him more about the Gospel.

That's one thing that I've learned a lot about throughout my mission. I've learned about the blessings that we can receive when we are obedient. Maybe we don't see those blessings come to us immediately, but those blessings promised to us will come in the Lord's timing. The Lord promises us in Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 that He is "bound" when we do what He says. He lets us know that those blessings will come to us because of our obedience, we just need to be patient and accept His timing. I have seen this a ton in my life, especially in my mission. I've seen that when I am obedient I am blessed. Maybe I'll still have people reject the message I'm sharing; maybe people will still not show up their lesson; maybe people will still swear at me and tell me to get out of here; maybe it will still be in the high 90s and super humid, but I know that I'm being blessed. Maybe I'll receive those blessings later on in my life when I need them more; maybe my blessing is gaining a stronger testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ; or maybe I'll be able to find someone who will accept the Gospel and get baptized. I don't know how God works in everything that He does, that's why He's God and I'm not, but I do know that God doesn't lie. I know that He will bless us when we are obedient to His commandments. I know that the Lord does bless us for our obedience in many different ways.

Thank you for all of the love and support you give to me. Thank you for all of your prayers! Ju dua shumë. Kalofshi mirë. Javë të mbarë. Hajt pra, ju përshëndes. Tung!

Me dashuri,

Elder Watson