July 30, 2012

Dear Mom and Dad,

Hello!

I had a interesting day, it was Elder O'Brian's last P Day, so we went up to Gaoxiong and had Japanese BBQ with him.  After eating all you can eat meat and ice cream, I'm starting to have a few regrets.  Sweet, sweet regrets.

Hey, you know what, I did write a letter for Kayla.  Either I didn't send it, or the cursed postal service stole it.  Yeah, lets go with the second.  Let her know I actually wrote her, and I'll make sure to write again soon.

Our investigators are doing well.  Bro Zhang's daughter will be in town after the 5th, so Bro. Zhang will be getting baptized on the 11th so his daughter can attend.  He passed his interview without any problems.  It was really fun, Elder Mohr, my MTC companion, came and did the interview.  Since his companion is going home, he's hoping I'll step up and be companions with him.  Haha!  It would be fun to serve with Elder Mohr again, but I have a feeling that I will be here in Gangshan until the end of my mission.  Being Zone Leader would be fun, but super busy.

We have an investigator who is over 80 years old.  Yeah.  Who is the oldest person you baptized on your mission, Dad?  He's actually progressing, so it should be really fun.

This week, our mission worked on repenting and forgiving.  It was a tough experience, and something I'm still working on.  But I feel so much more open and ready for the Lord to shape me into what He wants me to be.  I realized that I'm not perfect, and I can't beat myself up for not being perfect.  I'll have temptations and weaknesses my whole life, but I don't need to let them control me.  Being a missionary gives you a lot of time to think about these things.

Yeah, brownie points for Mayor Becker!  Its funny, being in a foreign country makes me a lot more proud of being an American.  How are the elections going?  They're actually really close, only 3 months.  Any polls or predictions on who will win the Presidential elections?

I'm not a perfect missionary, but I've realized that that's the Lord's way.  He takes flawed creatures and turns them into His tools to accomplish His work.  I'm grateful for the opportunity.

I love you, have a good week.

-Elder Travis Leatham