Elder Ian Rich: August 5: Finally a person with Baptismal date.

Thank you, everybody, for the love and support on my birthday. My computer was flooded with emails. I am eternally grateful for all of you and for your help while I'm here serving my mission. I really don't think I could do it without you. Well this week on my birthday, we had the opportunity to put somebody on date for baptism. After my 13 weeks/91 days of working here, we are finally seeing progression.

Think week actually on Saturday, Elder Alconz and I were out finding in the morning. We had planned to go to a specific area by our house. We contacted a short street when we both felt like we should go and search somewhere else. We began to contact a street that we already contacted a while back, a street full of rich people who don't want anything to do with us. We contacted the whole street, and the last house, we knocked into a man doing service. We politely asked him if we can help him, and he said: "Why not. We can talk meanwhile." He let us in, and we helped him rake up leaves and pick avocados from his tree. When we finished he pulled out chairs and asked us to share a message with his family. We were very impressed and super happy. We shared a message about the Book of Mormon and left them with the invitation to read and ask God to see if it's really true or if we are just crazy. Lincoln, the man, explained that he really would like to come to church and help his children have more of God in their lives. He explained that he would talk with his wife about coming to church.

The next day, Lincoln and his wife Norma and their 17-year-old daughter all came to church. We had a wonderful sacrament meeting and afterward went to class with them. We were learning about the importance of missionary work, and it was more like a discussion between everybody. On a certain question, Lincoln raised his hand. He explained that his family always leaves on vacation on the weekends, but this particular weekend they decided not to go. He explained that his family has been searching for God in their lives for quite some time until two young men knocked on his door asking him for service. And the following day here he is with his family. Both Lincoln and his wife Norma loved church, and want to come back. What a miracle.

We also got commented by various members how hard we've been working, and how many different investigators we've had coming to church in these past 7 weeks. They explained that not once have they seen so many different people coming to church by a set of missionaries. I know that God has a plan prepared for each missionary and that he specifically put me here in this area because he knew that I could make it work. I know God is preparing the hearts of so many people, and that he is guiding us to find them. Really this work is not of man, I am just an ordinary missionary, but God is helping us and we are just his instruments in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of his children. What a time to be alive.

I wish everybody a wonderful week, and hope you can all look for God's hand in your life and focus more on being happy and positive.

Love Ian.