Elder Mitchell Brett Bagley: Transfer coming up...

Mother Darling!

Well without my consent this transfer has come to an end and the "Spirit of the Lord has called me a different way" (Alma 22:4). I will be leaving North Hollywood area 4 and going to serve in a car area. Elder Seth has also been called to move which means that our area will be closed or in other words "absorbed" into the areas of other touching boundaries. It is sad but we can talk about that later! Tuesday is transfer meeting so that’s when the big meeting to see who my new companion will be! It's gonna be an exciting change!

This week was pretty hard. But I have nothing to complain about! My studies in the morning have gotten to another level of spiritual enlightenment. When the time comes to stop studying and get on with the day I have the biggest temptation to just read a little more. I love seeing the change that comes when I treat personal study as my time to sit down and have a lesson with the Spirit. Having a pen in hand and a question in heart helps too ;)

My revelation book has started to become one of my most precious possessions. Holding it and rereading the personal communication between God and myself has become a great blessing.

I would encourage you to read through chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel. It will give you insight and direction on how to teach your class. I have also learned that knowledge will come from the scriptures but testimony on that knowledge will come from the Holy Ghost. Revelation is a guide but also a reward for when we show God we truly want to know him and his kingdom. Nothing will guide and protect us more than the Holy Ghost, but are we showing him that we want his help with? If not we must get better at recognizing his hand in our lives. That will really help us to see that we need His help now more than ever.

My headaches are a thing of the past. I prayed and fasted and acted on the instructions of our mission nurse and they have really started to diminish. I need to continue to work at drinking water and things like that. I'll have one every now and then but it’s no problem!

Thank you so, so much for the letter you sent about the Godhead. I was actually reading a shortened version of Pres. Hinckley’s talk in the 2014 Jan Ensign. I was pondering the Godhead and I was wishing I had a little more to chew over and then just like that, I get your letter. Thank you Mom for thinking about me and acting on your promptings to share the gospel. As the week has gone on all the topics in church and my personal studies have reverted me back to what you sent. It has truly helped strengthened my testimony about my Father in Heaven and how I need to understand that. So thanks :)

This week we saw little to no success in the numbers but rather within ourselves. We did not pick up any new investigators and had to drop a lot that we had found previously. It is hard to let go of investigators that you worked so hard to find and teach. I am new to dropping but it is something that has really blessed me and how I see mission work. I need to teach those who are willing to receive me and stop throwing pearls at swine just because I am scared I won't find another investigator. That being said we are planning to drop Olga and Miguel tonight...I am not excited. We have taught them a bunch but they are just not progressing. It breaks my heart. I feel like they are the first family I have loved…truly loved. And tonight we have to let them go. It’s a big leap of faith but I have already seen blessing from following the promptings to drop investigators.

One of those blessings is Juventino (the husband of Veronica and investigator we dropped). He came to church (by himself) at 9:00 (when church changed to 11:00) and sat through the wrong sacrament, but don't worry he stayed for the right one too. 6 hours of church! Whoa. He said he wants to be baptized and has seen the Lord's hand in the blessings he has seen. It was awesome. I am sad we won't be here to see him make this choice but I am happy he has made this decision.

I am sad that I have to leave this area and the people here…especially Elder Seth, the ward, and my district. There has been so much here that has helped me grow more than I could imagine but I have faith that God has more in store…greater, bigger blessings than I could imagine. That’s the whole part of faith. It is knowing the future will always be better, always be brighter when you have faith. I am confident in handing God the record of this area and saying "I did my best". And so it continues on.

Con Amor

Elder Bagley