Wednesday, January 10, 2018

January 8, 2018

Dear family and friends,
My new area in Hollister is going well, there is a lot of work to do here and we’ve been super busy. In one day we found 5 new investigators and taught 9 lessons which is pretty crazy. We have a couple of people close to baptism so we will be working with them a lot too. The branch here is pretty small and we just got a new branch president, this area has a lot of potential and hopefully we have a lot of success in the coming weeks. 

We had a baptism in our district last week. The English Elders taught him and when he was ready to be baptized he asked my companion to baptize him because he has taught him a few times and he’s the one who found him. I interviewed him since I’m the district leader and it was a great baptismal service. Baptismal interviews are always a unique experience, it’s a special step in the progress of a convert to be a part of. 

2017 was a great year, it’s crazy that I spent an entire year as a missionary. I’ve had some amazing experiences and it’s probably been the best year of my life. I’ve learned a ton about myself and a lot about God and I’ve come a lot closer to Christ as I’ve helped others do the same. It’s funny how turning outward and serving others can end up being the best thing that you can do for yourself. One of my favorite scriptures says “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” I’ve found that as I’ve devoted my life to the service of others, I’ve been incredibly blessed and it’s it’s been an awesome experience. I’m looking forward to what 2018 has in store and I’m glad that I get to make the most of the time that I have left.

-Elder Godwin