Yesterday I hit 600 days in the mission! That seems like an eternity! but in a good way! 

On Tuesday we got back to what I would call, "normal" missionary life. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were "abnormal" with General Conference and our Zone activity, and this week brings us back to "abnormal" since tomorrow we have a Zone Conference with a member of the 1st Quorum of the 70. Anyways...

I realized the other day, last Tuesday, that I have now been district leader for over 9 months. It's almost a mission record. Actually, it's a tie with the mission record I know of 7 straight changes. If I stay as DL one more change, I'll officially hold the mission record for straight time as District Leader. Nice. But, I'm happy to do it if that's what the Lord wants me to do. I mention this, because last Tuesday in my journal I was talking about preparing district meeting lessons and then I mentioned the amount of time I'd been DL. Tuesday was a great day for missionary work. When we went to visit a less-active 19 year old, he wasn't home, so we started talking to his sister-in-law outside and we had a nice lesson with her, gave her a Book of Mormon, and set up an appointment to go back on Thursday. Her name is Alicia, and she seems very positive. 

"[Wednesday] was excellent", I wrote in my journal. Because it really was. We had an EXCELLENT district meeting and we all felt the Spirit and left edified and ready to put in practice what we had learned about setting goals and making plans. It was a really cool experience, and we have all seen some of the fruits and benefits of doing so. The afternoon was also neat. As we were going from one plan to the next, I felt like we needed to visit a specific family, so we went towards there. However, I got lost and we ended up contacting a family that was very receptive. I believe it was guidance from the Spirit in order to get us to them, and not necessarily to the family I thought I had intended to visit. 

On Thursday we went back to visit Alicia from Tuesday and she read the chapter we left her, Moroni 10, and she had lots of great questions for us, but not about the Book of Mormon. Her biggest question was "Why are there so many churches?" which is the perfect question to ask a missionary! Like Elder Russell M. Nelson said in GC,"Ask the missionaries, they can help you!". So, we taught her about our Heavenly Father's love, gospel dispensations and apostasy through biblical history, Christ's ministry, the Great Apostasy, and the Restoration through Joseph Smith. I absolutely LOVE testifying about Lesson 1, and it helps me know every time that what I am teaching is true. I know it! And she seems like a GREAT possibility of someone prepared to receive the Gospel!

Yesterday, as you all know, was Fast Sunday. And once again, I gave the lesson in Priesthood. Luckily, I had time to plan it the day before, so it turned out alright. Elder Bobadilla improved the lesson in Sunday School. Gotta love it! But, it's really cool to be in a branch; it's a completely different experience to being in a ward in the capital!

I want you all to know that I know this Gospel is Christ's restored Gospel. We have the fulness of knowledge and truth, and all of the Priesthood authority necessary for salvation. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Through him, Jesus Christ restored His same Church upon the earth in these last days, and I have the honor of sharing that message with the world!

Love,

Elder Andrew A. LaPray