This work is amazing. Missionary efforts in London are doing very very well as we are watching many people prepare for baptism during this month of March. This past Friday my companion and I were at Zone Leader Council in Brampton. It was such a spiritually intense experience as we were able to discuss with the leadership of the mission the direction in which things need to be carried out. Being surrounded by the best of the best brings such a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow on a whole new level. The missionaries in this mission are of a remarkable caliber. I am amazed just by who they are.
With the assignment that I have right now, my companion and I do not have as much time to work in our own area as we normal would. We are busy doing reports and driving across the province some days. You would think that the work and good things in our area would slow down by us now working on them as much, but I've found that as we work as hard as we know how that the Lord allows us a chance to meet the standard of what we are expected to do. We are finding new investigators, teaching so much we don't have time to find very often, and helping multiple people prepare for baptism this month as well as next month. We have perfect unity, perfect focus, perfect balance between having fun and working, and perfectly divided teaching and finding. I have never worked this hard at anything in my entire life, and I feel happier right now than I ever have before. I have more fulfillment and enjoyment out of what I am doing now than I have ever felt. It is a tremendous blessing. I know the gospel is true and that this is the Lord's work.
As time has gone by quickly and as I have felt happier and more fulfilled than ever before, I have been taught a valuable lesson. Through the past couple months I've been praying and putting lots of effort into strengthening my love, passion, urgency, and desire for my mission. I have learned that as I focus on PEOPLE, than the love Christ and Heavenly Father have for them is allowed to flow through me. If I focus on how many lessons I will teach, and how many hours I will go tracting, and how many people we will try to get to church, you find temporary satisfaction in hitting your goals. You can feel good about yourself if you tracted for 20 hours in a week or found 3 new investigators. As I fast, pray, study, ponder, and work hard to lift these PEOPLE to have spiritual experiences and develop faith in Jesus Christ, everything falls into place. The focus isn't on these "activities" of hitting goals, but rather on the ultimate measure of success-"achievement" of fostering and growing one's faith in Christ. I have focused on real people more than I ever have before, and as I do so I open myself for revelation to help them progress towards baptism. Again, I am able to feel the love that God has for them flow through me. It has changed the way I view my mission, the gospel, and my own testimony.
Since I came into the area 2 weeks ago, we've have more success than I've ever had. The secret is love, unity, and pure desire to follow God. We have 2 baptisms lined up for this month that we found my second day here, and 1 more lined up for April. They are all students at the University here from China, so teaching is different from anything I've done in the past. London is a white and ripe place. Our faith is high, and we're seeing success and results.
YSA work is still different. Going to activities and lingering after church to build relationships with the members is honestly what brings most success, so it’s been a bit of a change in focus. We have strong unity with the branch and because of that, their fellowshipping is fantastic! It’s such a blessing to see the diversity of the Lords work as a young missionary.
The church is true!
Love,
Elder Porter
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