They had compassion on them (Mosiah 20:26)

Richard McGuire

Dear Family,

I want to make it absolutely clear that your prayers bring miracles. Whenever we experience success it is a miracle. It is a miracle when we get further into a conversation, it is a miracle when someone gives us their name or Facebook, it is a miracle when a member refers us to a friend who is ready to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to express my gratitude for your prayers in my behalf. They do not go unanswered. Thank you for being as Lehi who cried mightily to the Lord in behalf of the welfare of his people. Sidenote: I think I might be turning into a maritimer because I look back through previous letters and notice that I'll quote some scripture passage wrong or something, but hey it's the thought that counts. We had a very productive week from lots of viewpoints: key indicators, personal contacting, interacting with members. Still no one to teach, but I realized that my frustration could be resolved by two things: realizing there are four parts to the Work of Salvation and there is always something we can do to improve the circumstances we are in, always.

The Work of Salvation means four things all surrounded by ordinances. Baptizing, retention, activation, and temple work. I had lost sight of the ordinances the previous week and when we lose sight of the goal we don't know where we are going. Baptism is the ordinance a lot of missionaries flip out about. That's pretty much the goal. That's where we want every non-member to get to. However, when we are only working on 25% of the Work of Salvation we are not going to be as successful. Therefore, we work on helping members do missionary work, we do service, we reach out to less-active members, we do family history and go to the temple. These four parts keep us balanced and less stressed.

My second point. There is always something we can do to improve the situation we are in. We can always work harder, work smarter, do something different, tweak something, change something, or invent something. Nephi and his brothers tried several different ways to get the plates. However, the principle was to get the plates. Surely as the Lord live and as we live, we will not go back to the tent of our father without the plates. The principle is diligence. To never quit. Never give up or give less. Don't return without the plates in hand.

I realized that I am not working as hard or as smart as I could. I could be calling more people in the car. I could be calling people over lunch. I could be setting up more appointments with members and less-actives rather than just 'stopping-by.' There is always a way to do things better. The way to do things better is in the scriptures. We had some great experiences this week.

So we put together a transfer plan or a plan to accomplish for the whole transfer for finding new investigators. After much thought we came up with more than 15 points of finding and a SWOT analysis of where we are as missionaries in Cole Harbour. We have since enacted this plan and we have a very solid potential investigator whom we found through fulfilling the plan.

We found Lana at a gas station filling up on gas and making conversation with the cashier. Lana is a single mom in her 30s who has been through a ton. She really likes the idea of prophets and continuing revelation. There are prepared people everywhere when we have a plan. Lana friended us on Facebook and on her profile page she has been posting quotes from Elder Oaks without even knowing who Elder Oaks is! She even wants to come to a baptism for the sisters' investigator this Saturday. Sidenote: the sisters found Terry through a member referral and Terry has a job, isn't on welfare, has a family, and functioning mental capacities!. We are blessed. There is not doubt in my mind that faith precedes the miracle.

Our Heavenly Father presented a beautiful plan before this life. He had a large plan called the Plan of Happiness, but he also had to plan how bears worked or how a river is supposed to flow or how fire is supposed to burn. Heavenly Father has a plan and it is real. The gospel is so real and makes so much sense it just blows my mind when people reject it.

Another story that I thought I'd share with you is about Brother Chatham and Brother Frank. Brother Frank, our assistant ward mission leader passed away this past week. It's amazing how fragile life is and how fast it goes. We were just in coordination meeting with him last week and he was putting together the digital mission when the next day he has a heart-attack. That man was a character. He reminded me a lot of you Dad. Always making jokes, always serving others,  telling you you're really not that smart. We were talking about self-reliance just the other week and I made the comment 'Don't teach a man to fish, fishing is not that hard.' He straight up told me "Elder McGuire, that doesn't make any sense." What a funny man. More than 500 people attended his funeral. He touched so many lives and was in the high council for years. He made lunch for a lot of apostles that would come and visit over the years. Elder Perry even wanted his tomato soup recipe. Really going to miss that man.

He was a very faithful home teacher. He pretty much home taught the whole ward because no one else would. One man he home taught, Brother Chatham, wouldn't even let him in the door for 10 years. So Brother Frank would wait each time every month on the door step until he had to go pick his wife up from work. Then 5 years ago Brother Chatham finally let him in to talk. They talked about everything. He challenged Brother Chatham to take the missionary discussions and he declined every month for 5 years. Brother Frank told us his goal was to sit in the celestial room with Brother Chatham. Now this goal is my goal. Brother Chatham doesn't even believe in Jesus Christ but he came to church yesterday and said he is going to try and read the Book of Mormon. He's also reading a ton of intellectual history political stuff about mormons which doesn't have the best agenda. Nevertheless, we will keep trying. Brother Chatham and I will sit in the celestial room together or we will sit in the Spirit World together. I will not return without the plates.

I want you all to know how much I love reading your letters. 

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

Elder McGuire

...and then an ice storm knocked out the power.