Upon This Rock I Will Build My Church

Dear Family,

Thank you for writing me and praying for me. Thank you for putting my
name on the prayer roll and thank you for those times you fast for me.
Many of the miracles that I am blessed to experience every day is
because of your faithfulness. I am amazed at our family more and more.
We really don't know how good we have got it. I have taught people
that want nothing to do with their family, who don't think family is
important or that family is out-dated and bigoted. Opposition to the
family will continue to increase as we approach the second coming.
It's a sign of the time that is prophesied throughout the scriptures.

Another thing that is taught in the scriptures is the commandments.
Jacob teaches in 2 Nephi chapter 9 about many commandments that people
struggle with. He speaks of those that are learned but are not wise
because they think they know more than God. There are those that love
money and refuse the poor and their needs. There are those that lie
and cheat and commit whoredoms. Many people think that the world was
consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ at one point, but in
reality it has and never will be consistent with the church. It has
and always will be the world. We have the same problems as Jacob's
people did of old. Many people think they know so much that there's no
God. Greed and love of money is everywhere. Whoredoms are committed,
lies are told. The world doesn't change much. All of these sins that
Jacob mention between verses 29-38 don't seem to have any connection
other than that they are wrong and throughout the world. The stem of
these issues is discovered in verse 37. What do all of these sins have
in common? They all are idol worship. People put worldly philosophies
above God, the put money over God, they put sex over God, they put
lying and stealing over God. Idol worship is a serious problem. The
solution is always coming unto Christ through Faith, repentance,
baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the
end.

We received transfer letters yesterday morning. I will be headed to
the rock. The rock is a nickname for the province of Newfoundland. I
will be the zone leader over the Newfoundland Zone and I will be
proselyting in the northernmost part of the mission, Grand Falls. I
fly out on Thursday. In a way this is bittersweet, Bridgewater is my
absolute favorite area. It was a good stress reliever from Cole
Harbour. We found and taught in total 13 investigators. We currently
have 10 (had to drop three because they weren't too solid) and 5 of
them are coming to church consistently. We have people that want to be
baptized (more on that later) and we have less-actives and a recent
convert coming to church. We get fed 5 nights out of the week and we
have a log cabin for an apartment. Bridgewater is the promised land.
It hasn't been free from challenges, we began with only one
investigator and a recent convert who had said he would never walk
through the church doors again. It came down to many things in
Bridgewater but I would summarize what I learned into two Christlike
attributes that made the Liahona work. Faith and Diligence. In Cole
Harbour I didn't think we would find anyone, so we didn't. I didn't
work as hard as I could have. We would only went finding for 10 hours
and talked to 140 people and then we wondered why the Red Sea didn't
part.

In Bridgewater I turned my mission around. We consistently have found
an investigator each week. We worked until we couldn't work anymore
and then we kept working. I learn something new in every area. In Cole
Harbour I learned how to study and how to plan. In Bridgewater I
learned how to be more Christlike and how to find. The Lord
consecrates our afflictions for our gain. Some other big news is that
STEVEN MAGGO IN COLE HARBOUR IS GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SATURDAY!
AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! The Cole Harbour elders called me and said that he is
going to be staying in Halifax so he's going to be baptized. One of
the biggest miracles of my mission.

In terms of Burland and Jasmine they came to a ward activity this past
week. It was a potluck dinner and auction for the youth who are going
on the first ever Pioneer  Trek for the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
stakes in Maine. Very Exciting. They liked the activity and lots of
members were very friendly to them. We then had a church tour and
Jasmine was very excited to be baptized. Unfortunately Burland is a
harder sell. He asked a lot of questions about priesthood and church
government and he feels like he needs to know everything about the
church before he can get baptized. It will take some time but they
will get there. They fed us on Sunday after church. I don't remember
the name but they were Turkish biscuits. Very good. It was like salty
bread with meat and cheese and all things fattening. I will be sad to
leave them. Elder O'Brien is also sad because he is headed to New
Brunswick.

I love you all

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

Elder McGuire

p.s. look up the Newfie accent on youtube and also what getting
screeched in is like. That will be my new life in a few days. I'll
send pictures!