August 9th

Hello everyone! Cambridge 1st Ward is the place to be, the work is going great and the members are really stepping up. We have a dinner planned with a member for every night this week! We've also had members coming to our lessons, which really helps those we are teaching to be able to understand what a regular member of our church is like.

Elder Ichi and I have been doing well together. We've been teaching a bunch, and our lessons are going smoothly. He's a really spiritual guy and easy to be around, which I'm grateful for.

We probably had the best Sunday since I have been here. We had 5 people we are teaching come to church, and that's not counting a couple of people we aren't teaching who also came to church. To make it even better, there were a bunch of less-active members who came! It was fantastic to see people make it to sacrament meeting, and I felt like all the efforts this past 5 months were worth it just to witness what happened at church. Sometimes the work might be going at a different pace than you would like, but no effort is wasted. The funny part about sacrament meeting was that the talks were all centered on patience. I guess it was something that I needed to hear!

I've thought about my decision to serve a mission, and I've also thought about why I believe the things that I go out and teach. I struggle with different obstacles week to week, but the mission seems to be designed to bring out your biggest weaknesses and give you an opportunity to make them strengths. Sometimes I wonder what the line is between taking on hardships and just being an idiot, giving myself trials. There are so many things that I don't know, but my testimony is as strong today as the day that I chose to serve a mission. I believe in Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon really is another testament of Jesus Christ. While some may say that scriptural accounts are embellished to enhance teaching, I believe that the events within the scriptures hold truth at the core, and that Jesus Christ was literally the Son of God. He was a real Person, and did all that He said He did. I am grateful for Him and for His example to us all!

We are only as strong as the promises we keep.

Elder Crandell