I love you so much! I love the replies I've been getting from my weekly emails! I love it when you email me :) I love hearing from everyone
it's now my 2nd p day in the mission field so I'm managing time a little better aha but I have an even busier day today so hopefully I can type everything I want to say in time.
To start, we had zone conference this week, so every missionary in our zone combined with 2 other zones met together in Lake St. Louis and President and Sister Bateman were there. It was all day and was a very spiritual experience. Something we discussed as a mission is our mission culture.
Our zone leaders, Elder Clegg & Elder Brian, lead the meeting with our zone talking about what our mission culture is. Basically talking about what our mindset should be, what our attitudes should be, and to basically set the tone for missionaries all around us.
It was so amazing what they talked about. They showed us a video of Sister Ward, from our zone, opening her mission call from back home. As she read the letter, the spirit surrounded the entire room. I instantly felt so loved and so comforted.
They explained to us that the feeling we all received when we opened our mission call is something we need to recognize and reflect on as often as we can. Our missionary culture is to understand why we are out here serving a mission. To remember that we as missionaries are called by a Prophet of God to serve in a specific area.
I remember opening my call and thinking of every place in the world where I might serve. As I continued to read my heart began to race. I read the words, "you are assigned to labor in the Missouri St. Louis mission." I instantly knew that is where i needed to go. I knew that there was a reason I was called here. I knew that if I trusted the Lord that he would help show to me, why I was sent there.
I think this very well relates to each of us individually. Serving a mission or not, we are all children of God. He loves you. He wants what is best for you. And you can find out what your plan is, you can receive guidance, you can feel comforted and his love with you constantly...IF you are going to put 100% of your trust in him. Have Faith in Jesus Christ. Use that Faith each and every day. Wake up and think to yourself what you can do to better your relationship with your Father in Heaven. Be ready to receive guidance, because he is ready to give it to you, if you're ready to accept it.
This week has been amazing. My bike chain broke while I was riding so we walked home aha but right when I got home it started pouring and thunder and lightning. So that was a blessing.
I have met so many wonderful individuals and families that have made such amazing changes in their lives to come closer to Jesus Christ and they can already see blessings in their life because of it.
I am so wealthy. I am so wealthy it's not even funny. I have taken so much for granted. So much. Yes you were right, mom, just like i knew you would be but I refused to listen aha I should have spent more time with the family. Sometimes those don't exist out here. Single parents, divorced parent's, duct tape windows, section 8 housing every corner, cigarettes every where, broken into homes, trailer parks....And everyone seems happy. Because what they have is enough. And they are all thankful to God and are willing to listen to our message.
There are tender mercies left and right. Blessings every where.
The Missouri st Louis Missouri missions standard of excellence has been for years;
New investigators: 2
Invitations to be baptized: 2
Investigators attended church: 2
Investigators with a baptism date: 2
The mission president announced at the last zone conference that it's changing to all 1's because everyone is getting 0's and there is no imprpovents. So they basically said we are routinely making our weekly goal 2 and not achieving it.
He wants us to set realistic goals and have a better reason to achieve them. So they got cut in half basically long story short.
Well me and elder Burgess said HAHAHA we have one purpose, to invite others to come into Christ. So umm let's friggin do it. Who cares what the standard is. Let's set our own goal and talk to every single person. Not only talk to every person, but check this out aha this is where it gets crazy, we made a goal to invite each person we met with to be baptized within our first conversation! Not the next day, not the next lesson, I mean.
"Hey how's it going?"
"Good"
"We are missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints, we'd like to share a message with you about Jesus Christ."
"Sure.."
Then we explain the restoration in 4 minutes and ask them
"So if you read this book and came to know for yourself that it's true, would you want to be baptized?"
"I mean yeah I guess...if it's true."
"Sweet well we know it's true and we promise if you read it and pray you'll know too. So Will you be baptized?"
Just like that aha we literally first time talking are inviting people to be baptized. It is something that seemed so scary to me before but its so simple and Christ wants us to follow his example, well what better way then to be baptized aha so cut the crap
let's get straight to baptism.
Anyways this week our results were:
An entire family at stake conference
3 with a baptismal date
7 new investigators
And over 15 people invited to be baptized.
How's that for standard of excellence 
This is not to brag or to be boastful, it is to show that we have all been given soooooo much by the Lord, the absolute we can do is invite our friends to be baptized. Invite them to follow Christ's example. Christ doesn't roam this earth and minister his gospel like he did before the great apostasy, but this restored gospel is still here. It is here and it is true. And we have been called to share that message. He loved us so much he gave us his gospel. It's selfish to not share it. Bare your testimony on Facebook, I invite you and the family to do that. Instagram or Snapchat. Don't be light about it. Tell them its true, tell them it will change their life, PROMISE them it will being blessings.
My back is hurting. A lot. I'm praying each day that i get through and its working but yeah it's definitely pushing me to my limits. I scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor in the ward that said he'll work with me for free 
So hopefully that helps, I just gotta be faithful and pray it's fine haha
We have 3 people that have committed to be baptized in June and I am so excited to watch them come closer to the savior. I'm so excited for them and I have loved getting the opportunity to help them through it.
Next p-day is memorial day and my birthday so that'll be dope that I can email on my birthdayaha
I MISS ALL OF YOU! AND I LOVE YOU!
So does Heavenly Father.
Elder Newbold
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