Love the gospel!

Elder Loveless' General Conference countdown chain

I just love the gospel so much! I love teaching the gospel and watching the behavior of others change. Not for us, not for them but for the Lord. 

We found this old couple, He is 74 and she is about 60-65. I have no idea. Well we were teaching them the restoration of the gospel and invited them to be baptized. They said yes. Well, the classic but most important missionary reply is to invite them to pray about it for themselves and receive a testimony. Well we go back the next day and follow up with her (Eva) and she tells us she received an answer, "I asked and was told not to get baptized" ... (Anyone that has served a mission has heard that answer.) Before we could say anything, it caught me off guard. She began to say, "I feel he is telling me we need to be married before I can be baptized. I want to do this the Lord's way. Can I be baptized after I get married?" Yeeeeeaaa! It was the best revelation she could've recieved! So amazing! I know the Lord responds to a prayer that it is done with real intent to follow Him.

Elder Loveless' desk

We also had a miracle yesterday. When I got to the area here and helped re-open it, we only had about 60 people going to church. Well for us to have a chapel we need to have 100 or more actively going. Well we are working really close with the members, and we were blessed to see over 80 at church yesterday! In one month the Lord has worked great miracles! I love how good the Lord is to those who pray with faith and work towards a worthy goal!

D&C 46:28 And it shall come to pass that he that asketh in Spirit shall receive in Spirit;

30 He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God; wherefore it is done even as he asketh.

Love you all so much,

Elder Loveless

A crazy storm

Love this gospel!

Future chapel site

This last week was great! Our two solid investigators, Denildo and Diego are progressing well. We are finding and teaching a ton! We started out the week with only a few people to teach but ended up being blessed to find 8 new investigators and also reactivate people! The Lord is so good and loves us.

We had an amazing conversation with a man. We stopped him and told him about our purpose. We told him that the church of Jesus Christ was restored again that we have a prophet (who we get to hear in less than two weeks! Booooyah!) and apostles who lead and guide us. We asked him, "What would you be willing to do if you knew that Christ's church was back on the earth?" "I'm not sure, there are so many and I don't know if I can believe." We told him, "Sir we are sent from a prophet of God, we will not lie to you. The church and gospel have been restored." It was so amazing a light came on in his eyes and he asked for us to come by next week to teach him! 

I love being able to testify to others that we have the same gospel here on the earth. I was talking to a man yesterday from the stake, and we discussed how every person within the church immediately becomes a missionary when the make the covenant to be baptized and confirmed. We all made this covenant as stated in Mosiah 18: 7 As ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

I'm so grateful that I'm finally seeing and the Lord is opening my eyes to see that I have been called and always will be called to preach His gospel! I love this work and the blessings of it. 

Love you all,

Elder Loveless

Chicken and potatoes made by Elder Loveless

Knocking Doors

So we had a cool experience this week. Knocking doors has never been full of great success and nor will it have great success as other forms of missionary work, but we were in need of help and finding people to teach. We went to an area we haven’t been to before and stopped and prayed. We asked Heavenly Father to put someone in our path that would be willing to accept.

Well we went to the first two doors, one guy yelled at us, the next one dogs about ate us, and then the third door came. We knocked (well clapped hands) and a man came out and said, "Are you Mormons?" We said yes, and he said, "I went to your church once when I was a little kid and I have always been interested since. Can I read your book? Do you have one to give me?" Man it was such an amazing experience to enter in and testify of The Book of Mormon and The Church of Jesus Christ. It was so amazing!

I love being able to be a witness and testify to others that Christ restored His church and we have the fullness of the gospel on the earth. Some days it feels like only two percent are listening, but at least they are listening and others are and will come to know of the truth as well! Love this gospel! I know that this is Christ’s church. I know He lives and supports us when we suffer!

Thanks for the prayers everyone, the CT scan was great and I’m just fine!

Elder Loveless

The missionaries with two kids they are teaching

Back in an old area on an exchange

The Elder's house

BBQ!

Love Miracles

So my new area is Vida Nova (new life), and I’m here with Elder Gomez. He is from Cabo Verde.

We had some huge miracles this last week. One was from a prayer that we had said. We got into the area with almost nothing, just a few lists and a list of less actives. Well we had no idea what to exactly do at the moment and where to go, so we sat down and said a prayer asking for the Lord to guide us to someone that was in need. Well we made some plans to get going and out to work. We came across a name and we felt we needed to go, so we went over and she came to the door. She told us that she thought God had forgotten her and didn’t know if we would ever come by. We talked with her about why she fell away, the difference she has seen when she had the gospel and when she didn’t have it as strong. She said she felt she needed to come back and told us how she hasn’t been able to sleep for two months and she is with a constant headache. Well we offered her a blessing and she accepted. We then left and came back two days later. She came out really fast to greet us, with a huge smile on her face. As we sat down to talk to her, she began to tell us that after the blessing her headache went away, she slept for the first time in months. She then told us how she was desiring to end her life so she could find peace, and then we showed up at her door telling her how God loved her and needed her back.

It was such a special experience to be able to see how the Lord works. I know that He hears and answers our prayers! So grateful that He leads us and guides if we are worthy to do so to find those who are in need of help.

LOVE THIS WORK!!!!!!!!!!!! So excited to know I still have a ton of time left to do this!

Love you all, and thanks for the prayers. I get the results this afternoon from the CT scan!

Elder Loveless

Opening our mouths!

Elder Loveless and the other Elders leaving Cosmópolis

 Man it is so hard to leave here in Cosmópolis. All four of us will be transferred out. It was so hard to hear the news. The four of us got here together and helped build up the ward and they got so excited with all the programs that we were implementing...but we have to do the Lord’s will. 

This last week was great. Started out finding 2 families and committing them all to be baptized this month. Found 14 new investigators and marked 10 with dates. The Lord blessed us so much this last week. But the greatest blessing of all started out by opening our mouths...

We were walking down the road I believe on Wednesday, and we had about a 20-30 minute walk to our next appointment. I saw this lady with her head down and she was walking on the other side of the road, as I turned to Elder Lee we both felt we had to talk with her. Well as we talked with her we began to tell her of the blessings of the Restoration of the gospel and how it provides a way for each of us in our lives, through struggles and happy times. Well she gave us her address and marked an appointment with us. Well it turns out that as we asked what she expected from our visits when we went to her house the first time, she told us, "I know that you two are from God and that you have a message for me. As you two stopped me to talk to me I was planning on how I would end my life. I was unable to find a job for my kids, buy food and survive. I had already bought the poison to kill myself and then you two talked to me about how a way has been provided for each of us to be happy and to come unto Christ." 

I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed me to be a servant in His hands. I understand how important it is that we share our testimony to others and help those that have hands that hang down in sorrow and knees in despair. I’m so grateful for the miracle that happened this last week that all started by opening our mouths. I know that our Father loves each of His children and cares for them. I know that He guides each and every one of us to someone that is in need, and that we must be willing to open our mouths and share what we know to be true and that has given us hope! I love this gospel! I love my Savior! So grateful to be a missionary in this sacred work! 

Love you all!

Elder Loveless