Elder Casper 3/29/2008

Dear family-

Isn´t it just incredible how fast time continues to pass? What an awesome blessing it is to know that our Sissy will be finishing her well served mission in 17 days. I honestly cannot believe that a year and a half has already gone by, it seems like just yesterday we were all together enjoying our family time. Then Lauren and I left and I had the opportunity to see her face every day for 2 months and we always said, "can you believe we have been here for 2 weeks?" Haha, yeah way funny and now we can say, "CAN YOU BELIEVE ITS BEEN A YEAR AND A HALF?" It's crazy but it has truly been such a blessing to be able to serve with Sissy and to feel of her spirit. We are a blessed family.

It was too bad to hear about Nate, but things like that happen and it for his own good, in the next six months he is going to grow and progress so much, he just needs to prepare himself and do what is right. Tell him I love him and that I will send him a letter off this week. Tell Mark and Wendy I love them and that they all are in my prayers. Rumors suck, but it doesn’t only happen in Springville, Utah...it also happens in Chile. In all my sectores that have been small little towns, they are all just full of rumors. It's just one of the enemy attacks to cause contention and impede us from progression. If we can learn to forgive in such situations our progression will be endless.

This week has been awesome! We have been blessed more than ever, and my testimony of diligence has been strengthened so much. We have found 12 new investigators this week and 9 of them are families. On Thursday I had the best day of my mission, we got to the sector at 6:00 and we planned to go knock a few apartments. That was our plan for the day, to just go door to door trying to teach. Well we finish the day with 61 contacts, 9 new investigators and 5 lessons taught. We felt really good at the end of the night and it was a blessing for us to be able to find new people to teach because that has been the hardest thing for us over the past few weeks. We stuck with our plan and by doing so the Lord blessed us. Yesterday and today are two days really dangerous in Chile and president has decided to keep all the missionaries in for the two days. Its called (youth combat day). All of the youth just go out on the streets and do all the damage and anything they want, and they do it because like 25 years ago on this day the police killed 2 teenagers here in Chile, so all the youth use it as an excuse to cause mischief.

We had pre-interviews this whole week and it has been killer, but the fun thing about it is that we get to talk to every single missionary in the mission and get to know them better. It's been a good experience. The mission is doing great and this week was even a better week than last week. We are finding so many new investigators in the mission. Last week we found 323 new and all other key indicators continue going up. We are finally catching on to the vision that President Resek has for our mission. This month looks like we are going to have a lot of baptisms for our mission and we are starting to progress a lot.

It has been a really good week and I got to go to Edward Bello and Poeta Neruda on divisions this week. It was good to see the members again but I wasn’t able to see the family Facondi that was baptized while I was there. They are doing good though and preparing for the temple. Elder Garcia and I are going really well, we get along so well and I honestly miss him when we are on divisions. Whenever we hook back up after divisions it is such a relief to be back with my companion. I love him to death and the unity we have is like none other I have ever had. President is doing well and we are planning a trip to go sledding with their family when it snows. He wants me to teach him how to golf so I think one of these p-days soon we are going to hit up the links. I would be stoked, its been forever, but I don’t know so I wont get my hopes up.

As a mission we are reading Alma, with the focus on the faith of the people. I don’t know if I told you that already but now you know. Yesterday I was reading in Alma 11-12 about when Amulek taught Zeezrom about the plan of salvation, and in Alma 12, when he testifies of his companion and explains even more the great plan of redemption. What I love about Alma and Amulek is that they weren’t afraid to bare testimony of what they knew, because as Alma says in my mission scripture, that he received an answer through the spirit of prophecy and revelation. I often think to myself, If I have received the same answer through the spirit of prophecy and revelation how could I have the faith of Alma? How could I have the courage he had to preach to the people? And its very clear how to receive these two things, and it's as he teaches in many parts of the book of mormon, through fasting and prayer. They are two powerful gifts that the Lord has given us to become more like Him and to grow closer to Him. We all need more faith and courage to share the gospel, and Alma tells us how to receive them when he says "for I have fasted and prayed many days to know of these things for myself." And as it says in Alma 17, when he and the sons of Mosiah were once again reunited...that they had gained a knowledge of the scriptures by fasting and prayer. Alma teaches us many times about fasting and praying, and they both are commandments and ACTS of faith. I am learning a lot from Alma and the missionaries from the book of mormon and I aspire to be like them.

On Thursday night I finished my journal and I was really worried because I didn’t have another journal for yesterday. Well I got back to the office after pre-interviews and my package had gotten here. Honestly thank you so much Mom and Dad. Also Grams, thanks for all the cool things you sent me too. I cannot express how much it means to me that you worry about me so much and are so thoughtful and supportive. Its sad to work with missionaries that don’t even have family that writes them, they are just out here serving because they know this is true and they have no support from their family members. And I honestly can't imagine how hard it would be without the support of you guys, I love you with all of my heart and once again thanks!!! I loved everything you sent me, thanks for the liahonas, journals, goodies and everything else, it truly does mean so much to me.

Please tell Ronnie and Lisa hi and thanks for their support. They are great and I miss them so much, they are awesome and I would love to hear from them. Also one thing, just so you can get everything ready if you need to send anything to me, Elder Adams parents will be coming to pick him up in 7 weeks and he said that if you want to send stuff down to get into contact with them. It will be free and you won't have to send the packages. Do you still have their numbers and everything? If not let me know so I can get them from Elder Adams.

My time is running out and I am going to have to check out until next Saturday. Just to finish and so you know, I am just going to come home on my normal date, so I will be released the 22nd of September. If you would like to get you traveling plans ready, go ahead. Tell Ashton way to go with his playing at Pebble Beach and to keep it up. Once again, thanks for everything, I love you all beyond your possible comprehension and I am so very grateful for all you do. Just know I love you, pray for you and think of you always. Until next week, work hard, search the scriptures and do Gods will and we will be blessed. I love you, I love you, I love you.

1-4-3-4...love,

Elder Mason N. Casper