Wednesday, November 6, 2013

E-mail from the Stake Presidency (Tremonton West Stake)

September 14, 2013

On Sat, Sep 14, 2013 at 6:11 PM, Tremonton Utah West Stake Tremonton Utah West Stake <tremontonweststake@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Elder Zundel, 

We hope that everything is going well for you in the MTC as you get ready to go to Tijuana. We have previously tried not to send emails to our missionaries, fearing that your limited time on the computer each week might not allow you to receive extra emails, but we have wanted to keep in touch. After the June 23 meeting and Elder Perry's announcement about missionaries using the internet, it seemed appropriate to reconnect via email. We plan to write to you a couple of times a year. Please don't feel any obligation to respond to us, especially if your time is busy. We would, however, love to hear from you. 

We are very proud of you and all the missionaries from our stake. We have attached a copy of our missionary list for your information.  We currently have 58 missionaries in the field from our stake, with 8 missionaries waiting to enter the MTC, and 9 more working on papers. 

By now you have been a missionary for a couple of months. Hopefully you're starting to catch on with Spanish and are feeling confident with your ability to teach. I will tell you that the other night a parent told me that their little league young man has been watching you as a hero, and your decision to serve a mission has made you ten feet tall in his eyes. 

Here are some questions if you have a minute: 
  1. With respect to the June 23 announcement, are the missionaries in the MTC being trained on using social media to do missionary work? 
  2. With what you've learned in the MTC, what advice would you pass along to young men who are preparing for full-time missions? 
Thank you for your service to the Lord.  You are a good example and we pray for you personally as well as all the missionaries from our stake. 

Best wishes, 
Tremonton West Stake Presidency 

Chris Thurgood
James Bingham 
Kirt Rees 

Reply from Elder Zundel

Thank you for the letter.  There has not been training for any social media in the MTC. The advice I would give people is to get prepared to be in one of the most spiritual places besides the temple and the home, the spirit that is felt here is amazing.
 This past Friday I made a trip down to Las Vegas to get my visa and leaving the MTC grounds was very different, especially getting into Vegas. The time seems to go by pretty long but it is necessary to be prepared to serve the people in your prospective field, DO NOT take days off. The time is not yours anymore it is the Lords so use it wisely.
I do have one piece of advice I would give to teachers and priests. That is to start praying now the the hearts of the people that they will be softened, and that they will be prepared to hear the message of the restored gospel, and if they do so they will see miracles happen while serving.
Con Amor,
Elder Zundel





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