This week has been great week. Just to give you an idea, each day my companion and I talked with (and shared a principle of the gospel along with an invitation to) more than 40 people each day. It was awesome, I cannot tell you how much I love just talking to all of the people on the street. It always makes for an interesting experience. One of my favorite contacts was to a mother, her daughter and niece. Her name was Janet. As we began to talk with her, my companion testified about the book of Mormon and the difference that it can make in the life of an individual. She then asked us how she could get a copy of the book in order to read it. Well, we solved that problem for her and further testified and promised her, in the name of Jesus Christ, if she would read the book that her family would become more united and a feeling of peace and serenity would fill her home. As we promised this to her, her eyes filled with tears and she gratefully thanked us and went on her way. We gave her as a referral to the sister missionaries (she lives in their sector). The best part is that experiences such as this one are not one in a million or one in a hundred, but they occur many times a day, each day.
We are teaching a less active member named Maria Salazar. She, after 28 years of inactivity, has come back to church. All it took was a single invitation to General Conference two months ago, She came and has not stopped coming since then. Her biggest challenge is that her entire life (since she was 16 or so) she has smoked, and a LOT. But over the past month she has lowered the quantity to 20, and then to 15, and now to ten, and is growing ever more close to her ultimate goal of freedom from her addiction. She asked us this week if she could have an interview with the bishop because she now recognizes him as the individual who is called of God to help her in her process of repentance.
I love being a missionary, it is wonderful. Remember that the missionaries wherever you are, need your help, please help them.
Elder Hutchins
