A New Year

To the Missionaries of the Great Texas Houston Mission!

We are in awe of the great work you are doing. Last week, as you have each committed to be finding, we found a record number of new investigators in this mission! We had many areas find more than 10 investigators! 15 new investigators were found in Conroe (shout out to Elders Wildman and Christensen) and 11 new investigators in Crockett (shout out to Elders Chavez and Rhodes)! Several others also had similarly great success. Perhaps the most noteworthy result from last week was that almost every area in the mission found new investigators! As this continues, many lives will be blessed forever on account of your great faith and wonderful work.

I couldn't help but marvel as I sat in several interviews and meetings last week and listen to person after person talk about how they will never forget the day that the missionaries "knocked" on their door. Finding is an act of faith just like searching ("finding" in) the scriptures. The answers we seek in the scriptures aren't always found in the text, but we are given them anyway because we've searched the words of the Lord. Similarly, when we seek for families by looking where they are, it's not always behind the doors we knock on, but the blessings may come by other means. Sometimes we're tempted to say to ourselves when we're passed a referral from a member (after having worked our tails off in the streets with little to show for it), "See, I knew we would should just work with members." In so doing, we fail to realize that the reason that referral came is because the Lord is blessing us as He sees us exercise our faith by our obedience and our works.

In Ch 9 of PMG, we learn that no effort we make is wasted. "When people choose not to investigate the restored gospel, your work is not wasted. Your consistent efforts in serving and teaching as many people as you can is one way God prepares His children to eventually receive His servants. He often reaches out to His children through you. Even when people do not accept the opportunity to learn the gospel, your service and words are evidence of God’s love for them and may plant seeds that future missionaries and members of the Church will harvest.

"When people do not accept the gospel, do not be discouraged. You have raised a warning voice. You have given them a clear choice. Disciples of Christ feel sorrow when people choose not to repent, but they maintain a vision of who they are and what they are doing. They continue to diligently move forward."

We love you and pray for your continued success. What a great privilege it is to be the bearers of this great message. With the new year upon us,  let us each resolve to be a better, to be more trustworthy and to raise our vision believing that we will find those who He has prepared!

Love,

President and Sister Mortensen

Last Friday we had a YSA Specialized Training at the Institute building at Texas A&M. Starting this month are going to have a presence on 16 college campuses instead of 2. We gathered all missionaries assigned to a campus and provided training on the most effective ways to work on campus. It is so exciting to feel the spirit of this great work!

Institute Director Brother Garlick with our Elders

Institute Director Brother Hull with President Mortensen and the Elders

Brother Garlick and Elder Barlow

Road trip back from College Station. Love a car full of sisters!

We had a wonderful dinner with these amazing sister missionaries! Hermana Coley, Hermana Willard, and Hermana Renteria invited someone to be baptized every single day for 5 and a half weeks straight. Their diligence and faith is an inspiration to all of us. 

Hermana Renteria, Hermana Coley, Hermana Willard

The next several pictures were taken at a wonderful baptism in the Bridgeland Ward.  It was a joyous event and we were so happy for these great missionaries and their investigators.

It's our wonderful mission nurse Sister Ziegenfelder and her husband.