May 27--Email From Matt

This is a picture ok? Take the luck that you might have, take it cherish it.

cherish is a hard word to spell.

Hey mom,

Thanks for writing I really do enjoy your letters, a lot of the time, they give me good insights on missionary work and life, ok, your questions:How is the work? It's going pretty well, I mean it's been hard but really we have both been growing, and we still need to grow a lot more but I have a lot of trust in the Lord and I'm a gonna work this week, so everything is going to turn out great.

 Did Arturo get baptized? I sent you a picture of his baptism so I guess that answers most of those questions right there haha! He got baptised and confirmed 2 weeks ago, this last Sunday he received the Aaronic priesthood as a priest so that is amazing!

Who are you teaching now? That is the biggest problem, we haven't been able to find new people to teach.... But I know, in part, what we need to do and we are gonna do it! Anyway, we are working with ward members and the thought of not having anyone to teach reminds us that we need to ask for references after teaching so that's been working out well.

 What have you been studying? About that, I need to improve my studies, tomorrow I am going to diagram what is happening in the BOM when I read it because right now I-m in Isiah and that is some heavy reading, but I love it.

What have you been thinking? Thoughts usually, but most of the time I sing hymns. I think of who we need to talk to and praying for the direction of the Lord. How is your companion?  Tell him "hi" for us. He is doing good, I always forget to say hi to my companions on your part, but I'll try to remember it this time hahah :)

This is a picture, just a little disclamer, it's a very nice picture, so it might try to be your friend.

What experiences have you been having?  Well, you'll just have to wait until the end of this letter. I really did like what you wrote about having to spiritually create things before physically going through them. That is a wonderful analogy and I'm going to use it.

We had a chance to talk to a guy named Pablo this week, he's a married man and has a wife and 3 kids, he has already talked to missionaries before, but anyways, we started talking to us and he half-way interrupted us and started talking about how we don't need churches and that the church is just inside of everyone and not necessarily an organization. I'm going to be honest.  A human frailty that I have is that when people start saying things like that, I don't get mad or anything but I look at it as just a puzzle and after they finish, I usually point out how they are wrong and then I say what I know to be right and that almost never gets me anywhere. But as we were listening to this man, I felt the subtle impression to stop look at what he was saying in that way and to start looking at him as the brother that he is, I decided to follow the impression and tried to let love rule my judgment rather than pure logic. After Pablo finished his small discourse on why we were wrong, I responded but not pointing out where he was wrong rather, with love and the Holy Ghost, he did not question my answer and accepted it and we were able to teach a little bit more before leaving. Maybe it isn't a miracle to many people but it was to me. I know now that the Lord loves all of His children and I know that He want's me to treat them with love like He would.

-Elder Cole