March 5, 2012

Hey Family!

It sounds like it has been quite the week for all of us. Whit is engaged?? That's crazy to think about. I'm glad she looks so happy though!

We had a pretty amazing week here. On Tuesday morning we got up at 3:45 am to catch the mission van up to Tampa to pick up our trainee! We had a little meeting with all the trainers and President stressed the importance of setting an example that will last for their entire missions. I still look back on the time that I spent with Elder Johnson my first transfer, so I know that it does make a huge impression on the rest of your mission. Well we went into the meeting when they paired us together, and right away Elder Smith and I picked him out. We both had a both had a good feeling about one of them, and sure enough when it was our turn to get up there we got Elder Murray from Blackfoot, Idaho. He has actually moved around quite a bit in his life, but most recently that's where he lived. We made the trip back to Ft. Myers after that in the mission van, and started off a great week with the three of us. I told Elder Smith before he got here that when you have a brand new missionary with you, things just seem to work out and fall into place. We got to have some good lessons with our investigators.

We had an incredible experience this last Friday. The week before Elder Smith and I had gone to drop off a Book of Mormon to a lady that had ordered one off mormon.org. She was really friendly, but asked us to come back in a week so that we could meet up. I've seen tons of media referrals, but she stood apart from the rest of them because of how genuine she seemed. I was praying that she was a positive as she seemed, so when we stopped by on Friday I was anxious to see what would happen. We knew she was from Brazil and so we had a member from there go over with us. Her name is Jobiana and she had her daughter Elaina sit in on the lesson with us. Right off the bat she told us about the positive experience she had with members of the church down in Naples when she was a nanny for their family. She said that she would see the Book of Mormon sitting around their house and every time she saw it she had a desire to read what it was about. One day she decided to go online and type the church's name into the google search bar and she found the church website (thankfully). After spending hours going through the pages and watching videos on there, she ordered a Book of Mormon. As we went through and discussed the Restoration she was so sensitive to the Spirit. As Elder Smith shared the First Vision with her she just got a smile on her face and then she told us how good that had made her feel. We then explained the Book of Mormon to her and shared a portion from the introduction. The end of the last paragraph says "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah." She was quiet for a second after that, and then pointed to the spot on the page that says "the Lord's kingdom". "I want to be apart of the Lord's kingdom", she said. The Spirit was so strong as we testified of the truthfulness of the Restoration, and then we felt prompted to extend an invitation for baptism. Before we could even finish she said that she wants to be. We then asked if she would be prepared for March 24. She said yes, and her daughter agreed to the same thing. Jobiana came to church on Sunday and loved all of it. She felt the Spirit and then invited us to come over this week to continue teaching. I feel so blessed to be apart of this. The Lord is preparing people, and when they are finally ready some people just fall into place.

Well I love you all! Have a great week and know that we're doing our best down here in Ft. Myers!

Love,

Elder Kade Bartschi

President's Letter

Dear Sisters and Elders,

This weekend we united as a mission in fasting and prayer to increase our faith in Jesus Christ and receive His promise that He will make an instrument of us in His hands unto the salvation of many souls.

In the Wednesday ZLDLC Specialized training, our missionaries expressed a desire to carry our February finding frenzy over to a March Madness finding. There is a sense of urgency to find new investigators. The Zone Leaders counseled in their meeting on Friday and were inspired to hold a mission fast that we may find 180 new investigators one week in March. They also decided to fast for members of the Florida Tampa Mission to have a missionary experience with their family mission plan. When Enos prayed for his heart’s desires and they were granted, he asked “Lord, how is it done?” The answer came: “Because of thy faith in Jesus Christ….” I see this faith manifested in you every day.

The first step in finding begins in our nightly planning. The first key of faith in nightly planning is to start with the key indicator goals you want to accomplish the next day and then plan specific and abundant activities for that next day that will allow you to accomplish those goals. Then we pray and act in faith with real intent or a sense of urgency to accomplish those goals. I am grateful to read of your valiant February finding frenzy efforts and to share in your many miracles. I am also grateful for companionships that reported zero. I knew that they gave their best effort. I knew that they were honest. I loved their honorable report. . We have set ambitious goals. How can it be done? Only through faith in Jesus Christ. I want to again testify that the following promise in the Book of Mormon applies to the Florida Tampa Missionaries:

“But his is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God…And it came to pass that they..fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of His Spirit to go with them…that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren…to the knowledge of the truth…and it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them…I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. And …the sons of Mosiah…took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.” (Alma 17:3-12)

Again, I believe you are ready for the fulfillment of this promise. Please, this week and every week make the finding of New Investigators a Passion, a Culture, a Mindset. We must set daily goals to FIND, we must plan each day with determined finding activities. We must plead with Heavenly Father to bless our finding efforts. We must work with a bright happy faith, with love and an optimism that He will bless us with success and then have the patience and diligence to allow the results to be on His timing. Finding His prepared people is a miraculous and rewarding pursuit when done His way. Remember nothing happens in your missionary work until you find someone to teach. He has proven to us that He can greatly multiply the number of people we find each week to teach. Please remember the Loaves and the Fishes. He can make so much out of so little. Trust Him that He will reward your Faith to Find.

I love you !!!! Thank you for all the great faith you are exercising, the daily diligence you are performing and the love you are living. I pray for your happiness and peace. I believe in you.

President Summerhays