They call us friends

Well, it looks like another week down. I can’t believe it has passed. I figure I’ll tell you all what time seems like for me, because everyone seems to mention it so much.

They say that the first year is hard and long... but the second is fast and easy. I fully disagree. I`d say that the people who say that are people who slacked off and didn't work their last year. Most people compare the mission to a mountain. At one year you reach the top and start to descend. I feel like I just climbed a mountain... yes. But instead of going downhill I started rock-climbing. But trust me, it is a lovely ascent. People say that "Days are like weeks and weeks are like days" on the mission. I kind of agree. The days feel like weeks, but the weeks feel more like months. Fortunately I think I’ll get my full 2 years out of my time here.

Another little thing about the mission right now, I feel like I owe you all apologies. Every Monday I receive e-mails that say that you are all praying for me... and that night I pray for all of you. I try to keep it up, but honestly... by Sunday I'm just praying for my investigators and that they all make it to church the next day. I’ll try to do better and be more consistent. Sorry.

Okay... that all said, don't take me wrong. I am doing wonderful. I love being here on the mission. We are working with some of the best people around. We brought a family to church this week that had never gone before. The husband wasn't able to come last minute, but his wife and 4 kids came. It was about a mile...ish walk to the church from their house. The kids range from 2 to 6 years of age. I know it is against the rules... but with the permission of the mother, I carried the smallest. We had a great time and the kids loved being in church. As well as the mother. When we brought them home we turned to leave and all the kids started yelling, "Come back!!! Don't leave us!" It was heart wrenching. The family has come so far. We clapped their house my first day in the area. The first time in their house they told us they didn't believe in God... or Christ. Now they are reading and praying basically every day. They have desires to change, get married and want to feed us. It is amazing to see the changes in the lives of people as we teach them. They call us friends and wait expectantly for our visits. I know it will take time, but we have surely found some "wheat" as opposed to "tariff".

We have the goal to find every day and as a minimum 10 people every week. We've been fulfilling this challenge, and then some. But as our President has taught us... we now need to start separating the wheat from the tariff. With so many found in one week and so little time to teach, we drop investigators all the time. If the Spirit doesn't tell us they will progress, we drop them. It is hard to tell good people that we won’t be coming around anymore... but it gives us more time to teach people who are ready for baptism. The mission is an interesting lifestyle. Full of it`s grand joys and small pains. I’ve learned so much since I’ve been here and continue to learn every day. Well, my reasoning for telling you all this is to explain a little more about why I don't write many stories anymore. With all of the sifting we are doing, I don't know how things will end. Just so you all know... we have 7 people who are ready for baptism, they just need to do this or stop doing that... and they will be baptized. That battle goes well here against Satan.

Well, I haven’t heard from a lot of you recently. I hope all is well and that all the birthdays are going well. I have everyone’s birthday written out on that calendar I got last Christmas, but I always forget to say happy birthday when the Monday comes around. So... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all. I love you all and have faith that all is well. I’m doing great here!

Talk to you all next week,

Elder Steinkuhler

PS It got hot again.