October 10, 2011

Dear family,

It's Monday... again!! This morning I kept on chanting, "email email email." I'm pretty sure I was bugging the other elders, but I just couldn't contain my excitement. Email email email email email email email

It's been another great week. Not too many crazy experiences, so I'm sorry if this letter is a little short. I'll try to make it exciting and include some cool pictures. Either way, I'm doing fantastic! I've gotten sick the past couple of days with a sore throat and enough phlegm to fill our apartment, but I'm doing alright. I just feel really tired all the time, so it's kinda hard to bike, but at least Elder Navratil isn't too bent on working hard haha :)

I'm definitely becoming more comfortable each week when it comes to teaching. Each year the church is coming out with better material for missionaries, so I've been trained really well. Elder Navratil has a trainer checklist that we go over in companionship study and we're getting close to getting done with it. Pretty soon I won't be a greeny anymore! Haha I'm pretty sure I said that last transfer, but it will be legit this time. Transfer calls are coming up this Saturday, and so the week after that is when the new missionaries arrive and the old missionaries leave. Which reminds me of something awesome! Elder Navratil's parents are picking him up from the mission home and they'll be driving all the way back to Canada. They're going to stop in Kansas City/Independence to look at church history sites and the new temple, and so they'll probably go to the visitor's center. I'm not quite sure if April's going straight to the visitor's center, but wouldn't that be sweet if he saw her there?! On like her second day on the job???!! We just thought it would be so funny if he saw a Sister Atkin, walked up to her, and said, "I'm your brother's daddy." Haha we had a good laugh about that one :)

We were able to meet with Betty and her family last night. We met with Betty a week ago and she loved what we shared about prophets and revelation. She wanted her whole family to sit down and listen, and so we brought over the Spanish Elders to translate for her husband, Jose. We're still deciding on whether we'll hand them off to the Spanish Elders or keep them ourselves because Jose doesn't speak very much English, but the kids don't really know Spanish. Hmm... But anyways, the lesson went really well. We watched the Restoration DVD (which gives me chills EVERY time, by the way), and talked about why the Book of Mormon is important. The kids actually paid attention, and I could tell that Betty totally felt the Spirit. She even said that she felt "warm" while watching the video, but she doesn't know if that was the Spirit. Jose was a little skeptical, but I think he liked what we shared. We plan on meeting with them again next Sunday, and so hopefully they'll start reading the Book of Mormon as a family. Man, I have high hopes for Betty and her family!

Yesterday was a really great Sunday. Our ward decided to hold Fast Sunday the week after Conference. The combination of being sick and fasting really made me weak, so that might not have been the best idea. But I really felt humbled and I was able to have the Spirit with me all day long. I was so eager to share what I felt about Conference that I just had to get up and bear my testimony. I kinda got a little emotional, but it was legit. Elder Navratil got up after me and immediately said, "Well, not to be outdone by my companion..." Haha what a guy :) He thanked the ward for their kindness and made sure to make it known he was leaving. It's funny because we've had a hard time filling up our dinner calendar this month, but after church we were able to fill it up until Elder Navratil leaves. Now that's the way to get a ward to feed you: tell them you're leaving.

I'm so stoked to get the Conference Ensign next month! Each companionship get's the Ensign every month, and so you don't have to worry about sending me one. I just didn't know we got them each month because the mission office has been shirking the past couple months with our supplies. Hopefully that changes.

That's so sweet that you were able to make it to Melissa's farewell. I'm so excited for her! Haha it's okay to tell me about "America's Got Talent". Man, I wish I could've seen it! I remember that I totally loved that guy. I'm glad he won. And I totally hope that Vocal Point wins. They are really good.

The story about the pastor from Dallas just breaks my heart. I just don't understand how somebody could feel that way about our church. So many people claim that we believe in "a different Jesus" and that we are a cult. To be quite honest, it bugs the dickens out of me. I don't believe in a "Mormon Jesus." I believe in THE Jesus Christ who perfomed miracles and died on the cross at Calvary. Satan is really good at using that as a tool to make missionaries like me angry. But I just have to always remember that God loves everyone more than I can comprehend, even if they are a knucklehead who believes anything they hear over the pulpit at their local church. But when a well-known pastor decides to spew off like that... I totally agree with you when you say that they're just digging themselves into a hole. Betty is a prime example of someone who hates hearing about other churches from a pastor, and just loves The Word. Of course there are people who will take the side of the pastor, but there are quite a few people that hate hearing negativity about other churches and will drift away from him.

I love the Church's response to the whole fiasco. Yay for us!! But like I've said many times to my companion, I really don't think that the true church on the Earth today would have leaders proclaiming crazy things like that. Can you really imagine Pres. Monson saying something like, "Jehovah's Witnesses are so far from the truth that we shouldn't associate with any of them. They have achieved cult status, and should be shunned." Uh, yeah, right. And the funny thing is, Webster dictionaries simply define cults as: "a system of religious beliefs and ritual." Well, according to good ol' Webster, all churches are cults. So Mr. Pastor, is Webster wrong? Are you not part of a cult yourself? Do you even know what a cult is?? The hole will only get deeper, and he will fail. God's work will only keep getting stronger.

It makes me sad too, Mom. While the church is exponentially growing, so will it's enemies. It's a sign of the times. But in all seriousness, if one hasn't read every single page of the Book of Mormon and sincerely prayed to know if it's true, they can not claim that it's not true, or that we all belong to a cult. God has promised that he will reveal the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon to any true seeker. Now that is pure religion - going to the source of all truth.

Anyways. Sorry if I sounded like I was preachin' :) I just love our church and am becoming more defensive of it. Conference sure helped with that, and hopefully it doesn't become a negative thing or a weakness of mine. I just know it's true, that's all!

Thanks for emailing me and tell everyone hi. I love my family so much! I sent April a letter last week so hopefully she responds. It's sounds like she's doing well and loving it so much. Thanks for your testimony and your prayers!

I also know that the Savior lives. I know that this is His gospel, and that "no unhallowed hand can stop the work." The priesthood authority to act in sacred ordinances and covenants is very real, and it is on the Earth today. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. And the only way I know these things are true are through The Comforter himself.

Talk to you later!

Love, Elder Atkin

P.S. Thanks for the pictures! Here's some pictures of companion study in action. Yeah, pretty intense, huh? I'm totally rebuking Elder Navratil in the 3rd picture haha. Enjoy!