Short on time....

3/14/11...Dear Family,
My time is short so, this email may be a little short. First I'll answer some questions from Mom's last letter. Yes we did get the car back. We didn't have it for one week. It's been nice having it back. My shoes are doing good. They've held up pretty well. I have been eating better...for the most part. I definitely still have my weak moments, but overall it's better. My head has healed up really well. I don't really notice the scar most of the time.


This last week was up and down. Monday was a pretty cool day. We had a lesson/dinner with a less active family and the husband really opened up to us. we taught him the Restoration, and there were some things he had never heard before. He told us stuff that he said he's never told anyone before. It's very humbling when people open up to us. We had the same thing happen on Wednesday night. It was a similar situation. A dinner/lesson with a less active family, but this time the wife really opened up to us. She has been struggling with coming to church. She changed her work schedule so she could go to church, but when Sunday rolls around she has a hard time finding the motivation to get up and go. We talked to her about it and helped her see the great benefits of coming to church and what she can do to help herself.


On Tuesday we had a lesson and dinner with Lily at a member's home. It was fantastic too! We taught the Plan of Salvation and the Spirit could be felt really powerfully. I know it really helped Lily. She was able to make some new friends in the ward, and was able to learn more about the gospel. She has been progressing really well. She has been sick the last few days, so she wasn't able to make it to church yesterday. It's too bad. However, we're going to see her tomorrow and have a lesson with her. We also have been planning on involving her sons in the lessons too so they can be baptized if they want to.


Also on Wednesday I went to Jacksonville for a Leadership Training Meeting. It was fantastic! I really enjoy those meetings. There are a lot of great leaders in this mission. It's really refreshing to be around so many motivated and dedicated missionaries. I feel like it was something I really needed.


After Wednesday the week got a little rough. Not a whole lot happened. We couldn't find any solid investigators. That's the biggest problem we've been having the last few weeks. We haven't been able to find people who are really solid and interested. Yesterday we spent a lot of time tracting in hopes of finding some new investigators. We didn't find any. There were a few potential investigators. Nothing worth mentioning at this time.


Lately I've been thinking about what really kept me interested in the Church and led to me being truly converted. I've basically narrowed it down to the Plan of Salvation, and the fact that we can be families forever. I remember during those years when I wasn't going to church I would think that if I want to be with Dad and Rachel again, not to mention all our other relatives, then I had better do my part. The thought of not being able to be together forever really worried me. I would think what it would be like to be at the judgement bar and being told I can't go to the Celestial Kingdom with the rest of the family. It would be terrible. That truly would be hell. The idea of spending eternity all alone is not one I could find happiness in. That single thought is what really made me realize that I would have to get my act together. I then would find myself saying,"Someday I'll go back to church." I always felt pretty guilty saying it too, because I know it was the wrong attitude. Thankfully I had, and still have, people around me who helped me see that true happiness only comes from living the gospel. I remember the first time I went to church when I was getting active again. Bishop Maxfield came into the Gospel Principles class and read Alma 32:33-35. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been procrastinating the day of my repentance. I remember going home and just reading that scripture over and over again. I wanted to share it will everyone. It was powerful. I'm really thankful that Heavenly Father put those people in my life to help guide me back. I hope that I can be an instrument in His hands to help guide His children back too.






Love Always, Zach