week 10

Hey Everybody!

I hope you liked last week's email; I know it wasn't very typical.

We got a new mission president this past week. President and Sister Hughes arrived on Saturday, and we will get to meet them for the first time on Wednesday. It has been such a blessing to serve under the direction of President Brough, and he will be missed. But we are nevertheless excited for the opportunity to serve with President Hughes at the head of this mission!

We have taught more lessons in the past couple weeks than in all my time in the field, and one or two of our investigators are even on the path to baptism! Our Heavenly Father truely does bless us as we seek to humble ourselves and obey His commandments.

As we will celebrate Independence Day tomorrow, I would like to share my testimony of the divine purpose of this, the greatest nation on the earth. Around 101 A.D., John the Beloved disappeared from recorded history. As the last of the divinely appointed apostles, his absence signaled the beginning of the very thing he foretold in Revelations 13: the Great Apostasy. No longer was there a prophet anywhere on the earth acting as the head of the church. The authority to perform sacred ordinances like baptism, as well as to receive revelation of behalf of God's people, was lost. Without this source of revelation, many practices and teachings were distorted among the Christians, not the least of which being the proper form of baptism and the true nature of Deity.

Over the ~1700 years that follow, we see the influence of many great religious thinkers, including John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Calvin, and John Knox. Though not called as prophets, these men were certainly inspired by God to aid in preparing the way for the Restoration. In 1620, some of the followers of John Knox, who we refer to as the pilgrims, came to the Americas to establish settlements where they could practice their religion freely. Unprepared for the ordeals they would face, they should have surely died; but they didn't. On July 4th, 1776, the United States of America declared independence from Great Britain. A war of 5 years ensued which, by all earthly reason, the States should have lost; but they didn't. We see the Constitution in 1787, followed by the Bill of Rights in 1789. The United States of America is now perhaps the only nation on earth which guarentees its people's religious freedom (though "guarentee" may be a strong word).

In 1820, Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. He was called to be a prophet in the last dispensation. He and his followers would experience persecution the likes of which had not been seen on the earth since the Apostasy began. So great was the opposition to these innocent followers of Christ that by all scholarly accounts, they should have lost the battle that they never sought to fight; but they didn't.

God's work will not be frustrated. I bear testimony that through inspired individuals, He established this great nation to prepare the way for His gospel to be restored. May we ever be grateful for the many freedoms we enjoy because of our loving Father in Heaven.

Sincerely,

Elder Huston

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Coming at you from the GKLM (Great Kentucky Louisville Mission)!

week 9

How to make a typical day in the life of a missionary

Wake up at 6:30am. Pray. Prepare for the day; eat, shower, get dressed, etc. Pray. Study for 1 hour. Pray. Start proselyting at 10:00am. Knock on doors. Pray that someone listens for more than 30 seconds (repeat as desired). Talk to everyone you see. Call someone who gave you their number; cross their name out because it was a fake number. Eat lunch at some point. Pray. Study with your companion for 1 hour. Pray. Go to an appointment. When they aren't home (or pretend not to be), knock on more doors. Do some service. Pray. Visit some less active members. Eat dinner (possibly at a member's house). Go see some former investigators. Go home and prepare for the next day. Pray. Get some sleep so you can do it again tomorrow.

(Optional, but highly recommended) Let the Spirit guide you, deviating from the above example as prompted. If you do, you will occasionally see: An appointment held. A commitment kept. A life touched. Hearts changed (9 times out of 10, one of the hearts changed will be yours).

It's not easy. But I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, that it's worth it.

Sincerely,

Elder Huston

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Coming at you from the GKLM (Great Kentucky Louisville Mission)!

week 8

Hey Y'all!

I went to my first zone conference this week, which was pretty great! I got to see some of the missionaries from my MTC district: Elder Johnson and Sister Vernon. I also got to meet my trainer's trainer, Elder Irwin.

We did another exchange this week, but this time I stayed here in Paris. And because I was the one who knew the area, I was more or less in charge. It was an...interesting experience. But I realized how well I really did know the area and what I needed to do as a missionary.

Today we went down to Lexington for our preparation day. We played a few games with some of the other missionaries, went to lunch, and got to know them. It was fun!

I had the opportunity to speak in church yesterday about missionary work. One of the things I shared was what you need to do to be a successful member missionary. I call them the 5 L's:

Love everyone around you.

Learn the principles.

Live the Gospel ALWAYS.

Let the Spirit guide.

Loose your tongue.

For us full-time missionaries, there's actually a 6th:

Lose yourself in the work.

The most important is to love everyone. As you do so, I promise you will not only help others increase their faith, but you too will obtain an increase of faith, spiritual strength, and love for your fellow man.

Sincerely,

Elder Huston

Attached: A picture of me, my trainer (Elder Frigetto), and his trainer (Elder Irwin).

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Coming at you from the GKLM (Great Kentucky Louisville Mission)!