February 28, 2012

Dear Family:

Hi everyone!!! Yes Elder Alba is still alive:) We had a mission tour scheduled for this week for Tues. with Elder Dixon the Area President for West Africa, and at the last minute he changed the day of the meeting to Monday. How is everything going on the home front? Any exciting news?

Yesterday we had our mission tour with Elder Dixon. It was a sweet meeting! This time Elder Dixon taught about teaching and motivating. He spoke on the importance of having the Holy Ghost with us as we taught and how we can have the Spirit to be with us! He repeatedly said "you have been foreordained since the beginning of the earth to be here." He also was interviewing elders, and I was one the ones he interviewed. He just was asking questions about me, where I was from, about the family (how long we had been members, so I told about both sides, and grandma), how long I had been out, etc. He asked if I was worthy to hold temple recommend, "yes I am". He then asked "Are you going to be worthy of a temple recommend your whole life?" I said "I hope so! That is my hope and my prayer!" But I said it like "yeah that's what I am planning for! I will be!" His response was "no it a yes I will, not just a I hope so!" I quickly realized he didn't get what I said "Oh no of course! I will be! I was just saying yeah that is the plan, that is what I am hoping for!" He said "Yeah this is definitely a Yes I will be worthy my whole life!" But he smiled and continued on asking more about me and how long I had been out and a zone leader! He asked what I was teaching those in my zone, and I said I was teaching how to be successful missionaries, and that is dependent upon how Christlike you become! I told him it doesn't matter how many baptisms you have or lesson you teach, but how much you become like the Savior! He said that is exactly it! He said this is the best time to do it and that is what success really is! The interview was good, other than my "Yeah I hope so" answer:)

Then we went for the conference. Each missionary was asked to prepare a talk on finding people. Elder Dixon was going to call on three randomly so all had to be prepared! President Shulz got up and announced how it was and I was not among the Missionary speakers, so I thought - yes got out of that one! Then after those three had gone, Elder Dixon leaned over to President Shulz,and he got up and announced that three more would come up and give a talk. He said "Elder Alba, you will give a talk on our purpose as missionaries and what a successful missionary is and then the next two will give a talk on finding people!" So mine was the only one on our purpose and how to be successful, the rest was on finding people and I had to give mine off the cuff no preparation! I got up there and gave it on how to be successful is dependent on how Christlike you become! I think it went well! Everyone said it was powerful and great! And everyone wondered why mine was different topic than the rest, but I think it was just because of the interview! So I was interviewed and gave a talk! But the whole meeting was great and spiritual!

So the other big news was the brother came to church! The less active we had been teaching came to church! We were standing at church and he came! The very first less active my whole mission who actually came back! It was so powerful! He said he felt like he had come home! The same feeling he had when he had gone to the temple just like I had told him! The temple is the foundation of his testimony! And so we based everything around that, and forgiving other, and holding to our testimonies and he came! It truly was amazing! He has never given up on his testimony! The whole thing has reminded me of when I went to the temple! I had the same feeling! Nothing was strange or new, but it felt familiar and like I was home! It was great to see him there! We will continue to work with him and keep him firm and always coming! By the looks of it, he will:)

I have to go but I love you! Thanks for everything! Next week will be better email!:)

Love your son and brother

Elder Ryan S. Alba