August 15, 2011

Hey family! Thanks for all of the emails. I appreciate them a ton! It is so good to hear from you all each week. It is so funny seeing pictures of Jake and Luke. I dont even know them! They are kinda like those distant cousins that you have heard about but never have met. But I love them so much! The are cuties. I am so happy for KC and Stacy!

Things are going well. We are in the process of finding people to teach. It has been a tough process but I know that the Lord is preparing us for something great. We have been tracting a ton and talking to everyone we see. I feel so grateful to even be apart of preparing people to accept the Gospel later in their lives. We have been trying our hardest to be sincere with everyone and bear a true heart felt testimony with them. We are trying to help them feel the Spirit right away. It doesnt matter what we see in reality, it only matters how THEY feel. As we have been doing a lot of finding I have been thinking so much about the missionaries in the Book of Mormon and the Apostles after Christ's death. I have found great strength in the words of the Lord to Ammon and his brethren in Alma 26:27. He tells them to go forth amongst their brethren, the Lamanites( who were a pretty rough group of people) and establish His word, and he told them to be patient in their afflictions and they would have success. I love this so much. As I was reading it I realized that it is a promise for me and Elder Barrus. We have to be patient during our efforts to find and we will have success. I know this is a true promise form the Lord. I love how Ammon tells how the promise was fulfilled in the later scriptures. (v.30-31) They did have success! They were able to convert the people who were knwon as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. The Lord will not lie. It is just a matter of if we have sufficeient trust in Him. I love the Book of Mormon. It is true and it is "dripping with significance" (-Elder Neil Maxwell). We need to use it in all that we do because it honestly answers all of the questions that we have in our lives and when we read it with the Spirit we will become even more converted to the Gospel of JEsus Christ. Read it EVERY day!

I hope you all know how much I love you. I am so grateful to have such an awesome fam. You guys are the best! It makes me so happy to hear about Kevan and Kelly at BYU. Keep working hard guys I love you so much. Thanks for everything you all do. Please let allof the Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins know that I love them.

With all my love, Elder Craig Bills