What an interesting week we have had here in Altus, Oklahoma! I have some pretty exciting news to share with ya''ll!  Do you remember the Richards family from Burkburnett? Just in case you don’t, they are a part-member family that we were working with a lot. Well yesterday, I got a text from Elder Wilcox and Elder Birch saying that Brother Richards has decided to get baptized next Sunday!!! It is such a miracle. Brother Richards may be one of the most solid people I have ever taught! Hearing this news has caused me to reflect and ponder about the way the Lord moves his work forward.  

Now that I am entering the final stretch of my mission, I am having the wonderful and enlightening opportunity to reflect back on the past 22 months of my life. The understanding that I have gained, by doing so, has blessed me with a greater perspective on how this work is hastened, and I have thought of an analogy: 

This work is a lot like a brick wall. Each brick is laid one at a time until the wall is completed. In the work of salvation, we are all brick layers building the Kingdom of God. Each of us builds upon the bricks that were laid previously, and as we build, God magnifies what we do. A scripture that I have used before comes again to mind: 

1Corinthians 3:6: I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 

This is a lesson I have learned here in the field. With so much work still to be done, it may cause some people to think, "Is it even worth trying?" To that question I would like to bear my testimony that, “Yes!!! It is worth trying!!" This is because every little move forward makes all the difference. As I look to the future with this perspective, I realize the critical part that you and I play in this work. With the end in mind, we should  be filled with a sense of urgency instead of hesitancy. We can be filled with faith in the Lord, because this is His work and His will. To quote from one of my favorite scriptures: 

D&C 123:17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. 

As we each do our part, we get the privilege of laboring with the Lord in His vineyard and laying the foundation for a greater work to come, even the return of Jesus Christ. That is the mission of His Church today; to prepare the world for the 2nd Coming of the Savior. All of us are needed and can help. I know this and have a testimony of it now more than ever. Please do not get frustrated by the lack of progress in yourself or whatever you are involved in. Turn to the Savior and do things cheerfully and then watch for the hand of God to be revealed in your life. It has in mine as I have humbly submitted to His will, even the will of God. That is how it has been for Brother Richards in his conversion to the Savior. It has been a long process. Many sets of missionaries have come and gone without seeing the completion of this particular wall, but each has laid a brick here and some mortar there. What a privilege to realize that we are not the first to work, and never the last. This work was started long before we were born and will continue long after we die. I am filled with wonder and amazement that I have been able to be a part of laying a few bricks in my time here in Oklahoma, and I have profound gratitude that I get to continue after this full-time service is complete. We are never done serving… just reassigned. 

I would like to close by sharing a story from this past week of proselyting here in Altus, Oklahoma. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an e-mail entitled “Miracles Have Not Ceased." I would like to add a story that started that week and has continued since. In that email, I mentioned a lady named “D” who we helped pull weeds. Jokingly, we talked about bringing a soda the next time we visited, because “M,” “D’s” boyfriend, had asked for one when we asked if there was anything else we could do for them. A couple days later, on our way back to Mangum, a random thought entered my mind. The thought was to go and buy a soda before going to their house. As we traveled to the gas station and bought the soda, we met a man named “S” in the check-out line. “S” lives in the town of Olustee, Oklahoma which is one of the smaller towns we cover in the Altus Ward. He was up for the day visiting his sister, and was leaving town when we met him. After some friendly conversation, we shared a card with him and asked if we could stop by sometime. He gave us his number and address and off we went. To make a long story short, “M” wasn''t home that day, but I can testify that the reason we felt prompted to go to the gas station was not to buy the soda. It was so we could meet “S.”  

Last Saturday evening, after a long day of work, we made the 20 minute drive to Olustee, Oklahoma - population of about 2000 - and taught “S” about the gospel. “S” first showed us his garden, and then with chickens and dogs running around us, we sat down and taught him about the Restoration. It was an incredible opportunity. “S” is so prepared for the gospel. He committed that day to reading and praying about what we had shared with him. As we walked away, the ward member with us made the comment, "That was one of the greatest lessons I have ever been a part of." And it was, because “S” used his agency to listen to what we were saying and then used his agency to commit to act. As missionaries, the only thing we did was share the restored truths of the gospel. 

I know that this is God''s work and without His guidance and help, we are nothing. I know that God lives and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know the way we come to know Heavenly Father and His Son is by having a correct understanding of their characters and teachings, and It is only through the Restoration of the Gospel that that is possible. That is why the gospel must be preached to all people. Thank you for your prayers in my behalf. I am filled with wonder as I think of the opportunity I have to serve God as a missionary.