Our friend Wolfgang

 Oh hi bakey!

So a few weeks ago it was spring, and we merrily planned a camping trip to finish up Ben’s last days of his spring break. First it was Death Valley, then Moab, now we’ve decided to go back to comb wash near blanding. But guess what? It’s freaking winter again, and it’s supposed to be in the teens at night, and it gets dark at six, and your mother, for the first time in history decided to take a day of and go with us….I might just get a hotel room and we can camp next month.

Well, this week has gone fast. It was fun talking to you on Monday. I went through a time just like you are right now, at roughly the same point in my mission. It was my first holiday season out. I had a comp I got along with, mostly. He did think he was better than me, but I knew he wasn’t. He also thought he was a harder worker than me. I thought all he cared about was getting in tracting hours to report to President. If we started to talk to somebody who didn’t instantly perk up to the word baptism, he’d blow them off. We did work a lot, we taught a little, but not much. Then I got transferred back to Quebec City, which was my first city, but not in the same area. I had another hard working companion, but he was kinda dumb, and although he tried, he couldn’t really connect with people. By that point in my mission I just thought I was there to tract. Which I jus sort of accepted as being what a mission was. I wasn’t miserable, but I wasn’t joyful either. Then, he got transferred out and I got to train, I was scarred to death. I’ve told you about my trainee, he was from Switzerland. He spoke German first, French and English were his second languages. That was the first time I spoke French 100% of the time. My language made a huge jump. I also realized that I knew a lot more than I gave myself credit for, mostly because I didn’t have someone second guessing me. Finally, I realized that I was a hard worker, I just didn’t have someone telling me that they were a harder worker. Elder badar and I worked hard, our area was a bunch of small towns. We tractted out all of them, some more than once. We didn’t teach much, but when we did it was really special. I remember we had this German investigator named Wolfgang, he was a young guy, just out of college, super cool. We actually became real friends with him. I remember he asked us how we liked being missionaries. I remember my answer totally surprised me. I told him that I was never happier and that I’d do it for as long as I could. Later, elder bader asked me if I meant that. I recall telling him that in that moment with him as my companion and being friends with a guy like Wolfgang, I did mean it. I said that wasn’t true before that time, and it was only occasionally true after that. Wolfgang never got baptized, in fact, we didn’t baptize anyone in that area. I was transferred to upstate New York after that, which I was not happy about, to another comp that, let’s just say, I tolerated. But guess what, by that time I knew who I was as a missionary, I really knew why I was there. And strangely, we got two baptisms in that area, which was beyond rare in my mission.

I think I’ve told you all of those stories before. But my point is, so many times in my mission I felt just like you were last Monday. I may have felt that way more than not. But there were some times in there that I literally would not have wanted to be anywhere else. I am so grateful for those times Jake, because that’s the experience that is really the foundation of my testimony. I felt the Lord in my life. Expect to have those times on your mission too son. Because I know you will. And when you do, acknowledge them to God in your prayers, thank Him for them, because you’ll always have them and they will be your foundation too.

Well, there’s that then.

I went into the office this morning. It had snowed overnight, but the roads were clear by the time I left. It was nice being there. I have this feeling that I might be more productive at work. This morning proved that wrong. All I did was babysit Mark and deal with I.T. I headed for home just before noon and I brought some McDonald’s to your mom on the way. I steal whatever time I can with her, you know how busy she gets. Driving home after that I went under the train tunnel, the one after the roundabout. After that s-curve, by that little park, a big box truck was stopped at the side of the road and his whole roof had been peeled off. I guess he was too tall for that low bridge and ripped it right off. I started laughing when I realized what had happened. But as I passed the truck, I could see how hard the driver was taking it and my emotions swung completely around feeling sorry for that guy. He probably got fired for that, if not worse. The power was out when I got home, I waited around for a few minutes then decided to go back to the office. I got back to just about that same place the truck was when I got a text indicating that the power was back on, so I turned around and came home again.

Jacob, I have complete faith in you. Enough for you for when you’re not sure how you are doing. I fasted for you yesterday, just so you know.

Love,

Dad

P.s. Ethan’s homecoming is this Sunday. I know that because ben keeps making sure we’re going to be away for church Sunday.