Email from James - June 20, 2011

Hey Dad,

Zone Conference was really good. It was so great but at the same time was sad because it is probably the last interview I will have with President Dance. It was a pretty emotional conference for everyone because some of the missionaries are going home this week and one of the sisters, sis. paul who was in Kaunas for her second transfer when I came in and I got to know pretty well, is going home on wednesday for the end of the transfer. That has blown all of our minds that she is already going home. Soon the time of reckoning will be here in August cause once that time comes, missionaries are going to be going home every other transfer till our groups time to go home. So we will be having a lot of changes coming once summer is over. It was really cool in conference because President and Sister Dance told all of us their story of when and how they got their call to be a mission president. It was so cool and they talked about that for a while. Then they gave some of their lost thoughts to us and Sister Dance cried a lot. She seriously is like a second mom to me and she told us how much she loves us and cares about every single one of us. It was simply just a great zone conference, words can't describe it. President Dance also told us what happens when a new mission president comes in and what they do for that. When a new mission president comes in, once his foot touches the ground, he becomes the new mission president and the older one and his wife are immediately from then released from their calling. Then they, the older mission president and his wife, only spend 2-3 hours with them, they are told to do so, and then they will leave. They don't tell the new mission president anything about the missionaries or what's going on with the work. They only tell them about the members and who is in the priesthood body and mostly the church offices. What' s really cool is the new mission president has been taking our information and studying it to get to know each of us personally. What's really cool is that he takes a missionary one day at a time since he got his call to get to really know each and every one of us. The new mission president's name is President Boswell. He sounds really cool and it will be really exciting to meet him. In a couple of weeks we will be having another zone conference and he will have interviews with us and then he is pretty much touring the mission and going to every church to meet the members and have a little bit longer of an interview with each of us. I'm way excited. :D

Our week was pretty crazy. I can't go into a lot of detail about it but we almost had another baptism for the transfer with a guy we have been really working hard with. He has been meeting with missionaries for about 8 years and we finally got a date and he committed to it. He really wanted missionaries to baptize him so that was a major concern but he finally dropped it and he said he prayed and felt that a certain member should baptize him. We were amazed by that answer and had the date for Friday for him to be baptized and he said he wanted to. Well, with this member, some huge bad things happened with his wife and so he wasn't able to baptize him and so our guy didn't want to be baptized until the member could baptize him so his baptism will have to wait. He didn't come to church so that is another problem that we are going to have to wait longer for him to be baptized is with his commitment to come to church. The dramatic thing with the family was huge and came out of nowhere. Like it was really bad and it really killed me because I love the family a lot and the wife is so awesome. We met with them last night and we were pretty nervous at first to meet with them but we had a really good lesson. She really feels bad about what she did and we had a good lesson about how we really need Christ in our lives when we fall down. I testified and told her how I know how she feels when we make mistakes and we feel alone, but God loves her as His daughter and that we all love her too. She started crying and that got me crying and it really brought in the spirit so strongly. It is so amazing how close you got to the people you serve with. I would do anything for the people I have met here. I love them so much and I am so sad that one day, I will have to leave them. It was such a powerful lesson and one that I will never forget. I guess you can count that as what I learned and wish to share as my gospel learning for the week is learning how to truly feel love for everyone you serve with. Christ like love, I am still working a ton on it, don't think I am calling myself perfect. haha, but I can say I truly felt great love for her last night and I know that was God and Christ's love for her that I could feel.

Happy Father's day dad. That's way fun you got to go up to the Lambourne's cabin for the weekend for a nice break. I will have to go up there with all of us and see what it is like up there. It sounds way cool. But, I hope you had a great father's day and I always am so grateful that I have the greatest dad in the world. You truly are such a great example to me and you always make me want to be a better person. I see so many families where the dad isn't there to be apart of the family and it makes me so sad and at the same time is makes me so happy I have been blessed to have you as my dad. 

Wow Trek is here, I remember you talking about that a while back and now it's already here. Like I always say and will probably keep saying, time flies by when your on a mission. :D You will have to send me pics of what goes on. I love Trek so much and that really was a growing part for me in my life. I think it would be so cool to be a Trek guide or whatever they call them. 

When you see everyone, tell them I say hi back to them haha. :D That's cool to hear that your friend from work reads my blog. A lot of my friends tell me the read the blog too and they enjoy it. Thanks for making that for me. I check it out sometimes too, mostly to check if it's been updated, hmm hmm haha jk. It is really cool and it's fun to read back over emails I sent and especially to see the pics of the day I went into the MTC. Feels like it was only yesterday, literally. 

I'm not sure where the Dances will be reporting back to. They are finishing building their house in Midway I think so they will live out there or something. I'm not really sure. He said he has a facebook account so you could check that out. He said that is the best way for us to keep in touch with him haha. It's funny to think of talking to President Dance through facebook. He said he will add any missionary into his friends list haha. :D 

Transfers are this week which is way crazy cause I swear that this transfer just started. Not going to even make the time comment. haha. :D We will be having calls tomorrow so we will see what happens. Elder Lindell and Elder Erickson won't change for sure because trainers and their companions are always together for two now but I could have a chance of changing, so we will see what happens. I will let you know what happens next week. 

We found three really cool people this week and they all have baptismal dates so we are excited to see where they go. They were truly miracle finds so we are meeting with them a lot this week. I am way excited and I hope they will continue to progress. :D

       I love you all so much and I can't wait to hear from you next week. Thank you so much for all the love and support you always give me. 
                       Daug Meilų Visada,
                                James