November 15, 2014

Mom, did I include everyone that you asked me to?
Hello all! It's absolutely crazy trying to write everyone in the hour
time I have once a week to do it. I hope you all know that I love you
and appreciate all of your letters and emails even if I don't reply. I
can read hand written letters the night I get them but not respond
till Saturday. I can only read emails and respond to them on Saturday.
The MTC has been great, but I am so so very excited to arrive in
Arizona in 3 days! I love to serve the Lord, and I know that every
second of the next two years is His time. I love my Savior Jesus
Christ and I have loved learning how to better invite others to come
unto Him. If I had to choose one thing to share, it would be that one
of our actor investigators here at the MTC who we teach every day has
committed to be baptized and start coming to church! He prayed to know
that Book of Mormon is true during the lesson with us and felt the
Holy Ghost testify of its truth. It was so wonderful to learn to love
him as a child of God and know that he is starting his journey of
following Christ starting with baptism. I was the one to ask him if he
would be baptized, and when he said yes, joy rushed through my body.
He - Lome- has had to grow up on his own so he didn't see the need for
God or Jesus Christ. We helped him learn why we all need the gospel of
Jesus Christ by focusing on the atonement, the gift of the Holy Ghost,
and the plan of salvation. I wish I could write more detailed, but
just know that it has been so wonderful. After the lesson, elder
Bradley and I were so ecstatic all day. There is no joy like bringing
others unto Christ. Always remember that we are should be focusing on
helping people come unto *Christ* -not the church, not the programs of
the church, not a friend, not the missionaries, not mutual, not
anything other than Christ. That will be a true and lasting
conversion.
I love you all!
Elder Shaffer

PS-mom will you please thank Oma for the apples?