Email from Elder Lofthouse 6/23/15 Service Galore, IPads, and More!

This week was awesome. We did a ton of service. On Wednesday we
started to build a playground. It is an excellent playground. We
helped build a jungle gym with a network of ropes in the middle
instead of metal bars. It's amazing.
 On Thursday we went back and finished off the jungle gym spider web
thinger. Then a member took us to a rib house called Brad's Pit. I had
what was called the Linebacker Special. 1/2 a rack of ribs and two
southern fried chicken breasts with garlic mashed potatoes. Needless
to say it was not a good weight loss day. After lunch we went to the
chapel and had interviews with President Manion. I love the Manions.
They are such loving people. Anyway after interviews we got our iPads!
Cool, eh?  They are a great tool in helping us become more effective
missionaries. After that Elder Hlavaty had to go to a new district
leader training, so Elder Phillips, Elder Ustach, and I went to help
pour cement for the playground. We helped set the cement and then the
kids at the school we were building it at were going to lay the wood
chips the next day.
 Friday we had zone training meeting. We talked about hoe to use the
iPads to make studying and teaching more effective. We can cross
reference stuff way easier on our iPads. The zone leaders used an
awesome analogy for it. They related it to football. We have to watch
film (study), practice (role playing in companion study), and then
play our hardest (teach with the spirit). It was a great training.
 Saturday we helped a lady move from one part of our area to another.
It was a super easy move because she actually packed her stuff up. It
was pretty nice to be able to go in and pick up boxes and furniture
and not have to worry about packing up for her. After we helped her
move, we went to bulldog metals, a business owned by a member, and had
lobster for lunch. I love lobster. It's super good. That day was also
not a good day for weight loss.
 Sunday was great. We have a couple of investigators that we have been
trying to get to church for about a month now that came this week!  We
stopped by their house about 20 minutes before church started and got
them to come. They are both on date for July 11th. We could possibly
have 3 baptisms on that day. We had a fantastic lesson with them that
night. It's a great thing being able to see people grow and progress.
I love it.
  Monday was also a pretty good day. We made some fliers for our pick
up basketball nights that we are starting again. We've had a lot of
people that we have talked to say that they would love to come play
ball with us, so we are going to take advantage of it. I have a
feeling that it will be pretty successful. I guess we'll find out, eh?
  Today was really fun. It was p-day. A typical p-day for us goes like
this. We wake up and play basketball in the morning, come home and
shower and eat and do our studies, shop, and then play sports for a
couple of hours. Emailing would come after that, cut with iPads we can
shorten the amount of time it takes to email and have more time for
sports! It is awesome.
  This week I learned a great lesson in patience. We must learn to be
patient with others, but we must learn to be patient with ourselves.
If we are not patient with ourselves life is going to be full of
disappointment and frustration. We have to celebrate the progress we
have made up to that point. We must always be progressing, but take
time to see the improvement you have made and don't let setbacks get
you down.  Life is full of them, so look for the little things you are
doing well and appreciate the many blessings that come with overcoming
stumbling blocks. I promise that as you make an effort to recognize
the progress, however much it may be, that you are making you will
become more joyful. And your joy will only increase the more you
progress, step by step, to perfection.
   I love being here on a mission. The work is tough, but it is for
the salvation of the children of God. That makes every step of the way
worth it. When times get tough just think of this quote from the movie
Galaxy Quest. "Never give up, never surrender!"

I love you all and wish you all the very best this week!

Email from Elder Lofthouse 6/16/15 Woohoo!

This week was pretty great.  We had another baptism on Saturday.  And we have 1 on date for July 11 and we should have 2 more on that date as well by next week.  It is a lot of fun here in Red Deer.  And we are getting Ipads on Friday!!  WooHoo!!  That'll be fun.  We'll be able to use them to make our work here more effective and more interactive. 

This week I would challenge you all to study Chapter 6 in Preach My Gospel.  It is the Christlike attributes.  I challenge you to prayerfully study it, and to choose one of them to improve on this week.  All of those attributes are essential to leading a Christ like life.  We must strive to improve daily to become like Christ.  That is how we reach our full potential.  

At R's baptism

I hope you all have a great week!!  

Email from Elder Lofthouse 6/9/15 Another One

This week we're having another Baptism!!  Woo hoo!!  I can't wait.  It's going to be soo good.  

So this week has been a pretty fun week.  We have done a lot of service.  We helped set up and take down a Childrens festival.  It made me think of Xander.  He would have had a great time at it.  

So we were able to meet with our investigator J this week.  She is having a rough time.  We know that the Book of Mormon and the Church will help her, but we can't make her do anything.  But We'll just keep on working with her.  I know that it's the Lord who softens hearts, not us.  

This week was a huge testimony builder.  I know that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our Religion.  It all hinges on this book.  If the Book of Mormon is True, then Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and this Church is the only true church on the earth.  On The other hand, if the book is false, then this is a big lie.  The only way to find out is to read the book and to pray about it.  Take Moroni's Challenge and the Holy Ghost will testify that it is true.  I promise.  

I love you all and I hope you all have a great week.  

Email from Elder Lofthouse 6/2/15

Elder Hlavaty and I are staying together for one more transfer!!  Yay!!  

This week was pretty good.  On Saturday we got to go out to Stettler and help brand some calves.  I remember doing that in Nevada a looong time ago.  It was super fun.  We were also able to get 4 investigators on Date for baptism.  They're progressing so well.  I can't wait to see them all make that choice.  I love it up here in the Great White North.  

This week really taught me a lesson in being bold.  We have to stick up for what we believe in.  The world will try it's best to taboo the subject of religion, specifically our religion.  But Satan cannot get the upper hand.  We have to live what we believe.  Not just talk about it we have to live it.  Everything we say and do should reflect our commitment as disciples of Jesus Christ.  There cannot be any middle ground.  We either do or we don't.  

2 Nephi 2: 27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil;for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

Who will you choose to follow?