Hi there Sorry im late getting this email sent. Monday was a bank holiday so all the libraries were shut down and we couldnt get to one. Anyways big news on my part! I am now a fully qualified British drvers license holder!! YEA!! thats a ton of stress off my back. i know enjoy driving down narrow roads with blind turns and round-abouts at every corner. its ok though cause these little egg shaped cars are well equipt for it. We had a pretty good week. I had to travel back to Hayes for my test so i got to spend another day with Elder Brower. He was so happy. it seems like Hayes kinda fell apart since i left but its all cool now. i only spent one day with my companion all week and that was Sunday crazy huh? we had a ton of companionship exchanges that we had to do. I really enjoy doing exchanges you get to learn how other missionaries do work and take the best from each one. i spent my time with new missionaries while Elder Sheppard went with there senior companions. i had a really humbleing experience. One of these new missionaries has asked President Patch if he could go home. President told him to wait it out for a bit then they would talk again. We had a good time together and i kinda forced him to participate a bit more then he normally does. then it came to do some finding. i was finding like mad putting my whole heart and effort into it trying to set a good example but i just keep getting rude rejection after rude rejection each time they got worse and worse. after 45 mintues i wanted to sit down and cry. This elder hadn't stopped a single person. In frustration and a little dessperation i turned to him and said Elder this is getting really hard for me i can not do it by my self please help me. for the rest of the day he had no problem stopping people. he was actually motivating me to do the work! now he is the humbleing part. As hard a i worked that whole day we only found two people and the other missionary stopped both of them. I learned a really good lesson when a scriputred i had read cam to mind 1 corinthians 3 5-8 'Who then is Paul. and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have plandted, Apollos watereth :but God fave the increase. So then neither is he that plantedth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the Increase. Nowq he that planteth and he that watereth are one; and every man shall reviece his own reward according to his own labor.'
I have learned so much from this scripture let me make it brief
- Who the is Paul? or rather who then is Elder Solomon? Im not anything more special then an instrument through which God reaches to his children. (which in its self is pretty darn special)
- I can plant and sow and water and prune and sweat and cry and find and teach and tract but it is God that gives the increase. Like dad said in his letter. true conversion only came come through the testimony of the Holy Ghost which is given to man by the Lord
- Every man shall recive his own reward according to his own labour. Although some aspects of the gospel can be very algebraic (reading the scriptures=learning, or praying sincerly=coming closer to God) some are not I can not say if i teach 40 lessons a week i will have seven baptisms. its doesnt work like that. God has in reserve his own blessing/rewards which He will give me according to my labor. What it is (or who she is) isnt for me to worry about. I just need to do my labour and trust that he will up hold His end (which he always does or he would cease to be God)
anyways it was good. I really enjoy being a zone leader. I feel that the Lord is increaseing my capacity to serve and fill my responsibilites. Thank you for your prayers i can feel your support. I didnt think i was special enough for President Patch to send a letter to ya'll but that is cool i guess. i hope it wasnt like the first one i got from him
Dear (insert missionaries name here),
To say the least i didnt feel special.
Love you all!
Keep strong and do it. do it right. do it right now!
Elder Solomon
