Importance of Member Missionary Work . . .

February 19, 2014

Dear Family,

How are you all doing? How is school going for all of you? How is work going? Are you all still enjoying basketball? Park, how is baseball going? I know that tryouts are happening soon, so I hope you do your best! Are you all reading in the Book of Mormon still? Where are you at with that? Has anything new or exciting happened around Salem lately?

So the work out here is going very well! We have been having double digit lessons with members lately, so that is really cool! Also to help the members with the work, we have been talking about the importance of Home and Visiting Teaching. The members are starting to do it a little more faithfully, and I have a feeling that we will see church attendance increase here pretty soon!

We are continuing to work hard out here, contacting, teaching, and hopefully baptizing again here pretty soon! It is really fun, because that is the purpose of the work! So, that is really amazing to see!

So Manuel . . . He is definitely a pretty cool guy! I was just talking to him last night before our lesson, and he told me that he is a Private Investigator! I now understand why he wants to know EVERYTHING! It's his job to know! We have this book called Gospel Principles and we teach the Sunday School class from it. It is a few hundred pages long, like 300 or something like that . . . He read the whole thing! He also is going to finish the Book of Mormon before the school year is over! So cool!

Our other investigator with a fecha . . . Her name escapes me! But, we put a fecha for March 29 originally because that was what the rules would permit! But, she has not missed a day of church in 6 months! Talked to the Zone Leaders and said we could put the fecha for whenever! She will be baptized on February 22 as well now, the same day as Manuel. That is going to be another cool day of baptisms!

So last night we had a meeting with our ward mission leader. The topic of transfers came up and he asked if anyone in our district would be transferred and I said that I most likely will be. He got this sad look on his face and told me that my work here has been exceptional and that the was has been greatly blessed for my work and success here. That was really humbling, because at times the mission is hard and it feels like we aren't accomplishing much! So it made me happy to hear that from him! Also, he told me to start teaching Spanish to our district because he said I have really good command over the language!

Well, I hope this letter finds you all well! I love you all so much! Hope to here from everyone soon!

Love,
Elder Garrett McEwan :)

p.s. I have written all of these letters for people, but I am having a hard time with addresses and things. Mom, could you please send them to the people? I am just never going to be able to get them all out! Thanks for everything you all do for me! I love you all!!