Endure to the End

Dear mom,

I am now in Spartanburg. Spartanburg 1st ward - Greenville East zone. Back in the upstate! With none other than Elder Stephens! He is a guy who I spent one day with when I got transferred out of Anderson, and he is also a former companion of Elder Memmott. So we got along instantly since we already basically knew each other. I'm also living with Elder Gemmell, who just finished being trained. And his companion is... Elder Thompson!!! The guy who came out with me, was in my district in Anderson, was in my district in Aiken, was in my zone in W. Columbia, and is now finally in my district again! And we all live together! It's so awesome! I love it! We have so much fun! 

We're working with an awesome family, the S., as well as a part member family, C. P. (the mom, she's a less-active) and her two kids C. and S..  Please keep them in your prayers.

By the way, yes Sister Robertson came out with me and yes she goes home in March. Sister Garlick is off in Martinez (said like a southerner- martin-ez, not like a Mexican mar-teen-ez) Georgia training. She lives with Sister Chai, who came out with me, and a sister who is half way through being trained by her.

I have been studying lately for a talk we were asked to prepare for next Monday. Elder Marcus B. Nash is coming and doing a tour of our mission. He asked every missionary to prepare a talk on 1 of 3 topics, then to report what topic we picked. Then on the spot he will choose someone from each category to speak.

The topics are 1) How to be a Successful Missionary, 2) How to teach with Power, and 3) How to Work Successfully with Members.

I picked 1. As I studied for it, and continue to study for it, my thoughts are constantly directed to the Savior. In short, if you want to be a successful missionary, or a successful father, or a successful anything, you need to understand the Atonement. If you can't open your mouth and tell someone from experience that you know the Atonement is real and that Jesus Christ is the Promised Messiah, then you need to get on your knees and pray for that gift with all your might- you need to pray for an opportunity to witness the cleansing, redeeming, strengthening power of the Atonement. Once you have experienced it for yourself, and you have attained a hope in Christ, then you can testify boldly and lovingly of it. Otherwise it is empty and vain and no one will care to listen. And once you know how it works and have a personal witness that it does, then you can truly Endure to the End in all your doings. I know that the Atonement is true. It is the central focus of our message and doctrine; everything else is just an appendage to it.

Oh by the way, on Saturday we found this train track and we put pennies on it to flatten them. We were going to go back another day to pick em up, but a train came by just a minute later. As we were picking up the pennies, it started to drizzle, then hail a bit, then.... Snow. It snowed! It snowed a ton! I have some pictures and video of it from our apartment while we were waiting for a member to pick us up for a teaching appointment. It was awesome! It all melted away by Sunday afternoon, but it was great! I wore my snowflake tie ya'll sent me to commemorate ha-ha. With that, yes I got my package. I gave a tie to each of the other Elders living with me now. It was great. Thanks!

That's about it this week. Love ya'll!

Elder Seaver