This week wasn't filled with very much teaching, so it's a good thing I love service! We had many service opportunities and I greatly enjoyed it. However, we need people to teach, badly. Lately we've been finding people for the missionaries outside of our area to teach instead of ours, so we will be exerting extra effort on finding people for us to teach.
We had a unique experience this week. We got a call from an unfamilar number. It was member of the church who lives within our branch but hasn't been to church in over 30 years. He called us up to invite us to his house for dinner on Sunday. We arrived last night to meet him, his two sons and his niece. We had a nice meal and recieved fresh vegitables from their garden, then sat down to share a little message about the restoration. We didn't get very far into the lesson before it got too late and we had to go, but they committed to coming to church next Sunday and the sister missionaries are going to meet with them again to teach them about the restoration fully. It was the first time I've ever had someone call US to come to them and help them come closer to Christ. Seemingly out of nowhere this inactive member decided to have the missionaires over to meet his non-member family. We came to find out that all those years of inactivity didn't go by unnoticed. This man's faithful home-teacher has been over to his house every single month for over 30 years. 30 YEARS! That's 30 years of seemingly zero results. 30 years of effort for just one man who seemed as though he would never change. This faithful, aged and well experienced home-teacher showed all the excitement and thrill he had the energy for when he found out what was happening. Joy illuminated his eyes at hearing of the long-awaited results of his efforts. What a perfect example of the true principle that not one of our efforts is wasted! For 30 years he would stop by every month and would show up again if he didn't make contact. This is a huge testimony builder to me of home-teaching. The Lord has given us a very important and influential duty as home-teachers and visiting-teachers. It is but one of our calls to action and He takes it very seriously. It is a powerful way of reaching out to His beloved children, especially to those who are lost or wayward. I know home-teaching is important. Go and do the things which the Lord has commanded and do it with a perfect brightness of hope and love toward all men! We are the Lords search and rescue team. We cannot fail.
I know this is His work. This is the work of salvation. Not just the work of salvation for those that are lost, but even ourselves. I know God loves us. I know He blesses us and watches over us. I know all good things testify of Christ. I testify that He is our loving Savior and Redeemer and that He lives. I have seen Him in many ways. He goes before us. He is on our right and on our left. He guides us and constantly lifts us higher, making us better- making us Godly.
I love each of you so much! Shout out to Alex, Alicia, and McKenna: I hope you have wonderful birthdays this week! I love you and will be thinking of you.
-Elder Aaron Curtis
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