April 23, 2011

My dear family,

From what I can tell from the weekly update is that you had a good week and that all is well on the home front. I always love hearing what everyone is doing and how they are getting along, so I thank you for informing me about what is going on.

This week has been a good week and we have had a wonderful day today at the temple. Elder Ketchum, in his very spiritual manner, wanted to go to the temple today to start off the transfer running. This is Elder Ketchum´s last transfer and we have nicknamed the theme of it ¨To the Rescue & Go Big and Go Home.¨ I, of course, am not going home but you get the picture. We and President have been thinking about how we can help certain companionship every week and we have come to the conclusion that we will focus on one companionship, every week, from every zone that needs help overcoming certain obstacles. In that week we will do all that we can, with the zone leaders to attend to their needs. So that is the reason for the title ¨To the Rescue.¨ I hope that makes sense.

So today in the temple Elder Ketchum and I, for the first time, went to the three act play instead of the first two acts or just the second act like we usually do as a church. It was neat. It took a lot of time as we arrived at the temple to do initiatory work at 9:00, attended the endowment session at 10:00 and then had to wait until 1:00 to do sealings. We were able to eat their in the cafeteria before we went to the sealing rooms.

There were quite a few French patrons today so the sealings were all done in French. That was great. It is really fun seeing people who are so faithful that live where the church isn´t like it is in Utah, or like they say here, La Fábrica, or the factory. I was talking to a brother there in the temple who lives near Baurdeux France, and he was telling me, in English of course, that he was baptized in the year 1969, because two missionaries knocked on his door and he saw the Spirit in their eyes. He and his wife got baptized, his life changed, and three of their four children served missions. From what I understood his four children are all active and married in the temple. One of his sons is a stake president in León France and this brother was very special.

He said that many years ago, President Kimball selected one person from 10 European countries to be sealers and this brother was one of them. He had received that power directly from the prophet. He since has been a Patriarch and you could tell just from talking to him and seeing his emotion, how deeply and eternally grateful he was for those two missionaries that knocked on his door many years ago. So you never know the eternal impact of what you do, not only as a missionary but as a member as well. The example that we set, live and show can literally change lives, for the better or, sometimes, and sad it is, for the worse.

Elder Ketchum and I are very busy and very excited to finally be working together again. We loved the special time we had to somewhat train new missionaries, and we are glad that we can work hard together and reap good fruit. I love this work and hope that you have a wonderful week. I love being a missionary and can honestly say that I don´t think I have ever been more happy. I just love doing what missionaries do. Don´t get me wrong, because sometimes it is hard, but I am at that point in my mission where I can know from personal experience that all rough times come to an end where we see big blessings. I trust that that is the case with all of us. Por sacrificio se dan bendiciones. I am not sure how the line goes in English, in the hymn ¨Praise to the Man.¨ As we make sacred sacrifices the Lord will eternally bless us. What a beautiful concept.

I love you all very much y espero que tengan una semana super buena con mucha alegría y Milagros. Nunca dejen de estudiar las escrituras y orar fervientemente con frecuencia todos los días. ¡Les amo mucho!

Y Elder Ketchum les ama mucho también.

Con mucho cariño y amor y aprecio,

Élder Driggs