MARCH!!! 3/1/10

Well family and Friends the 3rd month of 2010 is here can you believe it??? Things are just racing faster and I love it I love being lost in the work and I love that I have 9 month of experience that has made me who I am today. I can't wait to see what the coming months will bring in regards to spiritual growth. What blessings and miracle have come this past week!!! First of all Elder McKinley and I are still together for at least one more transfer so we are in Papakura still which is good. Last night we called President about our three baptisms, and he was stoked. He has all the missionaries call when they have baptisms or when we set someone. So then we told him about the 7 others that we set over the past week. He went nuts!!! Over the past week the zone went from 3 set to 23 which is great!!! My companion and I asked to go back to the country president said he would pray about it then my companion said pray harder. We both miss the country life, but are loving the busyness of the city. So Yes James was married on Friday, and then baptized on Saturday. It was incredible definitely on my list of most prepared investigators. Now we are working at getting him the priesthood so he can baptize his three children on the 13. Also Thomas and Margret were baptised. The day of, Friday, we got a call saying that Thomas had a cough and his father (hard case non member) would let him be baptized we left the flat feeling down, but had a very busy day planned all our appointments fell through except for one. We went to the flat to get things sussed for dinner, and get ready for the baptism and I told my companion to grab the white pants for Thomas because I felt he would be getting baptized. Sure enough we got there, and he was ready to go. What a MIRACLE!!! It has been great. Saturday we had a big BBQ after the baptism at our Ward Mission Leaders home. We had heaps of investigators there, and they loved it!!! We finished off the month with 11 baptisms in the district, and 24 in the zone. It was great!!!

This morning I got a call from the zone Leaders, and they said that due to the number of current sets they wanted to raise the March goal to 34 At first I was like you are nuts, but then we talked about it and they told me to take it to the Lord. So I prayed about it felt OK, but still not to great. I then began to read from the Book of Mormon in Ether Chapter 12 just so happens that it where I am from reading cover to cover. It is all on faith, and how we can accomplish all by faith. I want you all to read that chapter and then count the word faith and how many times it is used. You should get a number of 34 what a great answer to my prayer that by faith our goal of 34 will be accomplished. I then called all of my district and had them read it for companionship study, and then call me back. What a powerful spirit I felt from the Elders, and sisters in the district. They are men and women of great faith, and they are all in to do there part in accomplishing there goal. I love the different stories of faith that are talked about in there, but I really love how it applies to us in verse 29 take out Moroni and put in your name. How is your faith? What are you doing to strengthen it?

My heart is full of Joy. I truly love the work. I love the way, like wrestling, that it completely drains you, physically, mentally, emotionally, and now spiritually. What a time to wear a sweet black name tag!!! I am in awe of the power of Christ. I read some emails today from missionary friends who were really worried about word of wisdom issues of getting their investigators to be married, I know all missions are different, but Christ and his power is the same. Just as preach my gospel says when they have a concern about these things help them to recognize that it is more of a concern on whether the Book of Mormon is true, because if it is, which it is, then Joseph smith was/is a prophet, and all the revelations he had were from god. I promised that if you help your investigators to see this then they WILL progress, and they will be prepared to make covenants with our Heavenly Father. Remember that they can never be converted past our own conversion. The field is white and it is time to put down our "sickle" and as Sister Neilson said "it is time to get on the spiritual combine." There is a reason we don't use rainbow discussions any more, or memorize things. The future of missionary work is here and we need to be apart of it. So Jump on in and have a miracle today because it is only a lack of faith that miracle can't happen!!!

I love you all thanks for the continued support, and love that I feel each day from all over the world. Keep working hard and strengthening your faith!!! Remember Ether 12 read it and email me your thoughts, and in sites.

All my love,
Elder Matthew Lee Stucki N.Z.A.M.