December 22, 2014

December 22, 2014

Wow I can’t believe that Christmas is already here. I haven’t thought about it at all until just now but today feels really weird, I can’t believe that Bryn is married, I can’t believe that I will be talking to you all in 3 days, and I can’t believe that this will be my last Christmas in the mission. How time flies by. I don’t have a whole lot to say because I am going to talk to you guys in three days but here are just a few things that have happened:

1. We had our mission Christmas Party and it was a ton of fun, we had a talent show, tons of good food and got to watch meet the Mormons, it was amazing and I highly recommend it to all!!

2. I saw a Which Wich here in the zone the other day on interchanges and one of these Pdays I WANT TO GO!!!! hahaha

3. There was a Sister in our zone who got really really down and wanted to go home that I got the chance to help, she called me at 11:30 the other night and I got almost no sleep but with Presidents help, the APs and our Sister Training leader the sister is staying in the mission. 

4. About the numbers. Both you and Dad told me not to worry about the numbers, and I agree with you, but at the same time I don’t... The numbers aren’t the most important, and we shouldn’t get purely caught up in the numbers, but they still are really important. There is a reason why the first Presidency asks for the numbers and why they report them in General Conference. The mission before was based all around pure numbers, and President has keep the pressure up for good numbers and lots of baptisms but has made it clear that each number represents a soul, a child of God. To be completely honest us teaching people really won’t help them in the eternities unless they get baptized. We can change the lives of people here in this earth, and maybe help them become better people, but as it explains in John 3:5 NOBODY who hasn’t been baptized (*with the proper authority) can enter into the kingdom of God. I realize that everyone has their agency, and I am not trying to sell baptism as if it were a product, but we have to realize and understand that we are here to help our Brothers and Sisters that chose to follow the plan of our Heavenly Father to come here to earth, everyone who is here on earth chose this plan and chose to take the risk, wanting to return to our Heavenly Fathers present, but will NEVER return to heavenly father if they don’t accept baptism in this life or the life to come. I feel very strongly about this, also coming from the general authorities our mission has been given the goal of 1 baptism every week, this goal can be looked at as a commandment for us, something God wants us to do and has given to us, we need to believe in the promise that every primary kid sings "I will go and do the things the Lord commands..." It isn’t against God's will to find the people he has prepared to be baptized and if we give ALL we can and put our part, he will put the in the rest. But I still agree that souls are more important than numbers, and we don’t baptize just to baptize, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to help all my brothers and sisters return to Heavenly Father.

Love,

Elder Adams