What Good Would That Do You?

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura
Companero- Elder Zapata
Carta #60

Hi Family!!!

This week was a pretty good week!!! We had a baptism it was siiiickk!!! Cajuste got baptized, it was sweet. We found him knocking doors like 3 months ago, and he's been progressing ever since. It was super cool because after his baptism he was just super happy and high on the spirit hahah! it was so cool. The Haitian people here in Chile are the nicest people! hahah! When you talk to them, they ALWAYS let you in the house. The only problem is that they have their own church called the Church of Haiti, but luckily Cajuste doesn't believe in that church and we were able to teach him easily. And normally the problem with the Haitians is that they speak creole or french. So I've been trying to learn some french because there's soooo many Haitians here and the just get super happy if your able to speak french. So dad, it'd be sick if you sent me like an English/French dictionary or a Spanish/French would even be cool. Maybe even teach me cause you know French hahah!

We have basically been looking alll week for people. We have a lot of people that are on the point of getting baptized, but I know that after they get baptized we are going to have NO ONE. So we've started to look and look for people. We get rejected A LOT. But Emily sent me a talk this week that really helped me with that. And it talks about an experience a guy had in his mission when he was in the same sector for 7 months, and they had NO success. Even though he was doing EVERYTHING right, being obedient and everything. And he was getting super discouraged because he would see all the disobedient missionaries baptizing a ton of people. But he wasn't getting any.  So he decided to pray. To pray out loud and during that experience he said he received an answer that helped him his whole mission. And it was that God knows EXACTLY where ALL the people that will accept the gospel and be baptized live. He knows where to send us, but WHAT GOOD WOULD THAT DO YOU if he sent you straight there. And he goes on to talk about how success in the mission, isn't measured by baptisms or numbers. Its measured by how personally converted you are on the mission. If we are able to save one soul how great will be my joy?  WE are that ONE soul. The most valuable. And he sends us to those difficult neighborhoods, so we can GROW. So we can PROGRESS.  because, WHAT GOOD WOULD THAT DO US if we were sent directly to every person that will be baptized. So I have learned to smile when we get rejected, because I know God is leading us to these people and these neighborhoods. Its also changed my outlook on the mission, and not wanting to just baptize, but to become CONVERTED.  Because WHAT GOOD WOULD MY MISSION SERVE ME? If I'm not converted. That is the most important. And I truly know that I have become so converted on the mission. I have seen the answers to my prayers and I have felt the spirit as I testify of the things we teach. And that is what makes me happy to be here. Because I know it will be a blessing for me the rest of my life, if I truly become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ!

I hope that we all can make that our goal. To become converted to the gospel, because that is what really changes us as people. That is my new goal on the mission.

I love you Family. Thank you for always supporting me!!!  You guys are a huge blessing.
Love,
Elder Nate Dirkmaat
Tell Jaren to email me when hes on the mish!!!!!!!