Growing Faith

Hello all,
This was quite the week, spiritually speaking, ending with my last temple trip as a missionary.
We continue to teach Subeer. On Tuesday we had a really good lesson. Initially we planned on having the lesson on the apostasy and also teaching him the Law of Chastity, but as sometimes happens, the spirit directs otherwise. We read Alma ch. 32 about building faith. It is amazing to see how people begin to understand the teachings of the scriptures. He understood that because he didn't continue to nurture his faith during his trip and the recent weeks, he lost it and now has to basically start over again and grow it. He really just wants to serve God and do what He wants. We testified to him that God wants him to gain his righteous desires and that He would bless him to do it. That's why we as missionaries are here to do, to "Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end" (PMG). It is an amazing experience being able to be a part of this magnificent work.
Recently the members of my district have been struggling with motivation and finding new investigators (We are having a hard time finding new investigators also). (When I was here in the email the emergency alarm at the Bellevue Downtown library went off so we had to evacuate...I'm back at a different library across the city.) Tomorrow in district meeting i'm gonna try to address that issue about keeping on progressing even during a "rainy season." In answer to a prayer I found a story about a woman who crossed the plains during the pioneer era. In it she described the weather and told how she kept on progressing and moving forward even in bad weather to get to Zion. In missionary work it goes the same way. We all have times of bad weather, but we keep on moving forward and we will eventually get to Zion. I have learned a lot about "enduring" through trials throughout my mission. It teaches us charity, patience, and long suffering. In life we all have trials, but it is never an end. The doctrine is clear: "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastnessin Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20)
We ended up dropping Ashley. It seemed as though she was looking for every excuse NOT to join the Church. Even after talking with President Larkin and our bishop, she still has concerns, which may or may not ever be fully resolved. Hopefully future missionaries will look her up in the area book and contact her again soon.
On Saturday there was a big Korean party. There was a family in the branch that had a concert featuring a Steinway piano performer in the area and another local artist in the area named Akana. It was really fun! The branch members were encouraged to bring non-member friends to the concert and dance afterwards. Elder Stoker and Elder Nulph, who are in our district were also invited. It was a great way for non-members to see that Mormons also like to have fun also. It was a really good turnout and we got a few referrals from it.HERE is a link with more pics...
Today was our temple day. In an always-powerful experience, I realized that God is happy with us, even in our unholy state. The temple is always a great experience as a missionary. It brings a greater measure of the spirit into our lives in the following days and I have noticed helps me be a more powerful teacher.
So time is really ticking away. Only 13 more days as I "sprint through the finish line" and faithfully "endure to the end." The Church is true!
~Elder Fetzer