#MORMON -- Jan 20, 2014

Family!  How have you been this week?  This week has been SO BUSY but pretty good!  The life of a missionary is SO FULL of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  You're basically always exhausted physically and spiritually because it's a roller coaster of emotion, both good and bad, each and every day.

This week was all over the place.  We had Zone Meeting, Zone Conference, and Zone Weekly Planning (3 2-hour trips to Ft. Wayne = a TON of miles on our car and a LOT of time away from Angola!).  All three were uplifting and SO good.  Our mission is a very "young" mission.  For than 2/3 of the missionaries have been out 6 months or fewer! (Hence why I am a district leader/training.)  The Lord is REALLY hastening His work!  It is scary and wonderful and exciting!  We watched a montage of all the baptisms the mission had this year, and it was inspiring!

We got W______ on date for being baptized Feb 8th!  WHOA!  It has been a roller coaster with him, but he really really wants forgiveness and peace and his life, and came to church yesterday and loved it!  I know Satan is going to work really really hard on him these next few weeks though, so PLEASE pray for him to be able to make it!  I know he can with Heavenly Father's help.

The focus of this past week as a mission was what we called our "#SocialMediaSplit", which was a member/missionary effort to flood the web with photos and captions of the everyday life of a missionary.  It was so fun!  On Facebook Saturday, members around the whole mission followed us around and chronicled our day via Facebook so their friends could see what missionaries do, and hopefully ask them questions.  I've attached a few pictures that were posted to Facebook while we were serving a member at their farm.  SO FUN!  I know that it was inspired to use social media in efforts to reach out to the public.

We had A LOT fall through the cracks this week, which is always discouraging, but we are looking forward in faith to a great week this week!  I'll be having my first district meeting, which I'm stressed about, and the Zone leaders are coming to it to see how I do!  Yikes!  It will be good though.  I was sick ALL week, which made it seem pretty slow, but I'm on the ups now, and can't wait to see what Heavenly Father has in store for us in Angola this week.

I have SUCH  a testimony that Heavenly Father loves His children.  That love has given me hope, and has brought me so much joy!  The Gospel is LOVE.  Christ's life and example was LOVE.  How I love them, and love that they love me and you despite our flaws and weaknesses. :)  The Church is true!  GO SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.  :)

Love, Elder Jason Allred