Feb. 23rd, 2010 (Email)

Good morning!
Dad, thanks for sharing that experience with me about the last 3 months of your mission. I didn't know that. I told President Sexton about it since he's here talking with us. He said that he talked with President Bubert the other day and told him that I'd be here in the office as the mission secretary when he comes. President Sexton told him that I'm Roger's nephew and then President Bubert told him a little about Roger's family. The switch will happen June 30th.
It was another great week working here with Elder Collier. Things are going well in the office. One day I had to do a lot of catching up (the elder I replaced was behind on his work) and so I had to print out 92 letters from President to the recent converts baptized over the past several months. And then President had to sign all those letters, and then I had to print out addresses for all their envelopes, and then I had to put all those letters in the envelopes, lick them until my whole mouth tasted like glue, and separate them according to their zones. It wasn't something complicated--it just took a long time. And thus we see that one should not procrastinate the day of his recent convert letters.
Elder Collier told me that this last week was the most productive week he's had in this area since October. I'm glad I could be here to be a part of it. Bishop Kovacs and many other members of the Atherton ward are working hard to find people for us to teach. Bishop found us a part-member couple named the Casons. They live in some military apartments near the borders of our area. They're young newlyweds. Carlton is the husband and he's a less-active member. Michelle is the wife and she's not a member. We taught them a lesson with the bishop and it went really well. We extended a baptismal invite to Michelle but she said she'd have to pray about it a lot first. They said we're welcome to visit them whenever we'd like. A miracle happened at church on Sunday. A woman named Sister Miller finally came to church. She's a less-active lady who I'd met long before coming to this area. Sometime last year I had to go on exchanges with an elder working in this area named Elder Newby. Remember when we came to Disneyland the July before my mission and we saw those two elders on bike in downtown Long Beach? Turns out one of them was Elder Newby. Anyway while I was with him we went and visited the Millers. They weren't keeping their commitments and they expressed little interest in coming back to church. Anyway now that I'm with Elder Collier I can see that the Millers have come a long way as the missionaries have kept visiting them weekly. Sister Miller is reading Alma and she's said that she likes that book a lot. And then this Sunday she finally came to church. That's the first time she's come to church in years probably. Elder Collier has never seen her at church and he's been here since October. And she said she may come for Sunday school next week (she just stayed for sacrament this time.) Anyway, that was a miracle. Elder Collier and I have also been teaching a couple young men. We're teaching a 17-year-old named Nick. He's an investigator and he has a good heart. Of course being in High School he's a little caught up in the things of the world but that's normal. Yesterday he was telling us that if he decided to be baptized he said that his mom wouldn't be against it. Hopefully by next week I'll be able to tell you that he has a baptismal date set. I learned from David Ramos that many miracles can come from converted youth. We also visited a 13-year-old member named Zack who looks like a 16-year-old named Zack. His parents are re-activated newlyweds and they're working so hard to help their son. He's a videogamer who previously has expressed very little interest in the church as far as Elder Collier has told me. But yesterday we taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ using the old water, pepper and soap trick to teach him about the Gift of the Holy Ghost and he got it! He said that he'll come to church this Sunday in his tuxedo. Nick and Zack seem like kids that could go down either path so they really need good influences in their lives. They've helped me recognize just about how much I really owe to my parents and my priesthood leaders.
Bishop Kovacs taught Elder Collier and I a cool word during church on Sunday: EQUANIMITY. It means to be able to handle stress and pressure calmly and patiently. It's synonymous with the word meekness. I just thought that it was a cool word.
During my studies I've been listing scriptures that have influenced me throughout my mission. Here's some of them you could look up:
2Nephi 31:17-21 -- "this is the way"
Mosiah 4:10 -- "if you believe all these things see that ye do them"
Mosiah 4:12-15 -- the gospel blesses individuals and families
2Nephi 32: 5 -- the gift of the Holy Ghost "will show unto you all things what ye should do"
D&C 121:45-46 -- the power of virtue enables one to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost
Helaman 14:30-31 & John 8:32 -- the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth
Mosiah 2: 22,41 -- "ye should consider on the blessed an happy state of those that keep the commandments of God."
There are more but these are enough for now.
Hey I was wondering if you could send me the addresses of Bro. Green, Bro. Tebbs, Bro. Porter and Bro. Bradshaw. I'd appreciate that.
Don't worry Mom I understand that you get busy with work. On P-Days I'm usually too busy to write anyone other you and the converts I taught. And when I'm not busy on P-Days sometimes I just need a break.
Dad I was wondering if when you send me those pictures if you could also try and send me another copy of that CD. The one I have just has half of a Jeff Tweedy song saying "I heard the voice of Jesus/I heard the voice of Jesus/I heard the voice of Jesus" over and over again. And I'm really really excited for those pictures by the way porque les amo mucho!
Love you long time! (that's the name of a band that a young hip couple in our ward used to be in-- brother and sister harris. they live on the peninsula.)
Love,
Elder Tyler Lewis