The Work Goes on in Miami (Oklahoma)

I'm sorry that I've fallen so far behind in updating Justin's blog. Rather than work backwards from a few weeks ago on up until today, I'll just post Justin's e-mail from today. He's doing great, and it's so good to hear from him!!!

Our district: Poulson (Monett, MO), Me, Conrad, Jones (Neosho, MO, Caresia (Monett), Gass (Neosho district leader)

Hey Dad! How are you doing? I guess I can forgive you for not writing last week, that's pretty cool that E3 is a big deal again now. I bet you're glad to be out of California though.

Conrad, Janice Essex, Me

Things here are awesome. I'm really glad I haven't had to have any really challenging companions like what you've described yet. Hopefully I never will. Yes, I get to drive now, and it's interesting. The roads here SUCK. They are horrible. It's my personal opinion that every area in Oklahoma should get a truck. And probably Arkansas too. Maybe it's just because I miss driving my truck, but I think we'd be much better off that way. As far as the work here itself, it's going great. We got 6 new investigators this week, and our teaching pool is just growing and growing. The most awesome part is that we're finding a bunch of young families, too. We're hardly teaching any individuals by themselves, which is a really cool thing.

Nathan, Me, Marci

Marci, Nathan, Me, Kowalk

We've got this awesome couple named Nathan and Marci who are in their early 20s and have 2 little kids. They live across the street from the church, which is pretty convenient, and Saturday night we did a chapel tour with them, which they really enjoyed. Then we walked back to their place and had a really spiritual lesson. Every time we go over they have tons of questions, and they keep getting more and more excited (at the very beginning they were a little standoff-ish because of some things they've heard) because they say that no other church has been able to answer all of these questions that they have. It's amazing how many people say that, and it's so great to be able to explain why. I love this gospel! I really love Ephesians Chapter 4, it explains so powerfully why Christ called his 12 apostles:

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Me, Karlee, Conrad

Christ set up his church so that we could be perfected in Christ (a process explained beautifully in Moroni 10:32-33), edified together, so that we could be united, to grow in knowledge, to become more Christlike, and so that we won't be "carried about with every wind of doctrine." That's why he set up his church then, and that's what his restored church offers today. And only HIS church can offer all of that in it's fulness. There is so much confusion in the world today (especially here in the Bible belt) and literally MILLIONS of unanswered or only partially answered questions. Lately I've really come to know what it truly means that we have a living prophet and 12 living apostles on the earth today - among the many blessings that that entails, one is that there are no unanswered questions. Twice just this week I've had people who told me that while their current church has helped them to believe, that's not enough any more. Because of things that have come up in their lives, they needed more. They needed to KNOW where we come from, where we're going, who God really is, and what all of that means to them. There is no greater feeling in the world, no greater blessing or privilege I could ask for, then the opportunity I had to tell them that because of the restoration of Christ's true church, and because He is still speaking today, through his prophets, that they can know. They don't have to doubt or worry any more. The answers are there. The truth is there, and I know that all who diligently seek will find it. I know that all this is true from the bottom of my heart, with every fiber of my soul. I LOVE this work! I love you! Have a great week!

Big moth. They have a lot of sweet bugs out here.