Elder Cole Christopher Safford: Glendale Week 27 *February 17, 2014

This week was one full of trials. I have come to the realization that missionary work is not going to ever be easy because if it is easy then we will never grow from the experiences that we have. For whatever reason appointment after appointment fell through over and over. Even after we made other arrangements those would fall through too. I got so frustrated. It wasn't even potential investigators only. It was fully active members and people that we have been teaching for quite some time. Neither my companion or myself could figure out what we were doing wrong or why this is happening to us when we are trying our very best to put everything we have into this great work. Maybe we are just not looking for the right opportunities. We are going to really take a step back this week and analyze what we could do better and what areas we can improve on. I really want this work to move forward and I know that nothing in missionary work happens until we find people to teach. That is where our personal finding efforts come into play as well as the members reaching out to their friends and inviting them to hear about the gospel.

In our ward we are implementing a new finding idea. Each week we have asked primary, young men's, young women's, elders quorum, high priest, and relief society to have one person volunteer to invite one of their friends or coworkers to come to church the following Sunday. Then the missionaries (me) follow up with that person and help them make the invitation if they need it. I know that this will really help people see that missionary work is not a scary task and it can bring major blessings into the lives of those that pursue it.

This week I had the great opportunity to talk to a gentleman who was having a difficult time forgiving someone who has wronged him. It was a challenge to help him see that he had to do everything in his power to help the person feel of his love. In order for the person who has wronged us to see that we are forgiving them we must give everything that we have. Exhaust every single option that we can make in order to show someone that has wronged us that we love them. When we go up to the judgement bar and see the Savior we cannot say that we did our very very best if we didn't go down the path of discipleship and and give the person who has wronged is every option to accept our forgiveness. Give them the choice to accept the forgiveness. Put it on them. Through doing this we maybe just maybe we will see every option that the Savior is trying to give us everyday. We have a knowledge of the gospel to help us in our quest for forgiveness and accepting Jesus Christ in our lives. These individuals often don't have that. They don't know where we came from. They don't know where they are going. More importantly they don't know what the atonement feels like. No one knows what the atonement feels like unless they first experience it within their own life. The atonement has the power to heal and change even the worst of sinners. It can mend a broken heart and help us forgive those that have wronged us.

One day we were sitting in our house at lunch and we found a gigantic roll of plastic wrap. So what do we do with it you might ask? Well we locked my companion out of the house and wrapped his entire bike up haha. He was not too stoked on the whole situation but we all thought it was pretty hilarious. The things missionaries do for fun! We also went to a dinner with a couple from Australia and they had Vegemite. So naturally I tried it. It was so disgusting. I almost threw up! My mom is such a stud that she had a guy from out here in Arizona that works in Simi sometimes pick up some Ticos Tacos and hand deliver them to me! I was so excited! I thought I would have to wait two years to have it but nope. Just seven months haha.

Yesterday we had the entire BYU baseball team in our sacrament meeting. They are down here for a tournament and they decided to swing by for sacrament. It was cool to see these college ball players dressed up in white shirts and ties. If I had not know who they were then I would have never guessed they were these study ball players. They did a devotional later that night that I was fortunate enough to go and see. They had some very spiritual parts and they even had a couple of the guys share their conversion stories. The rest of the time they were making jokes and trying to get everyone to laugh. All in all it was a good meeting and I am sure that everyone came out of there more uplifted then they were when they entered.

Thank you again to everyone that has been sending me letters. I really love getting them. They are so much fun to read and it means a lot more that they are hand written. Most the time when you get and email you breeze through it once, answer the questions and then never look at it again. But with a letter it makes you feel like you have to go into a room all alone and see what the person has to say haha. I read the letters over and over. They are super great.

Well I love you all and will talk to you next week,

Elder Cole Safford