letter from elder david

Dear Family
This week has been an extremely good one, the first week with in the field for my companion. I am doing my very best to be a perfect example of what a missionary should be. The area is a great area, the only problem is there is no work being done at all yet. We have had problems tracting, the same ones I faced a few months ago when I was serving in Hillsboro ward, but that can be overcome. In our weekly planning session that we had we went over the area book and discovered that there is nothing, a very bare book, the previous missionaries were the zone leaders and they did a great job of contacting and re-contacting the former investigators and many less-actives. So I felt burdened and fearful, that the last few months of my mission that no matter what I did, I would not have a single baptism. I knelt down in the the other room and began to supplicate to the Lord for direction. I was answered with a charge to be patient, the Lord will provide and I have had to remind me that God himself is the Lord of the harvest. The next thing said was that nothing will happen in the wards until they are living the counsel given by an apostle of the Lord, that if they are not obedient to the counsel given by Elder L. Tom Perry that the wards will continue to have 1 or 2 baptisms at best, despite the missionaries that are in thier wards. I want to tell you of how amazing the bishop is of the evergreen ward. We sat with him for I think over 2 hours last night after he offered to feed us any night we didnt have a dinner. We discussed what elder Perry's instruction was and this humble man repeatedly asked me, a very young inexperienced boy what his ward can change to conform to what the apostle has asked. President things will happen here if not because of the people in the area but at least for the faith of that humble bishop. The Lord will reward his faith and I plan on doing all I can to help him achieve his goals.
My companion is doing great, Elder Mellor already knows a lot about being a missionary, and he has already had a few experiences like the one last night, that most new missionaries arent lucky enough to experience. I wish I was able to listen about the inner workings of missionary work in the ward as has been discussed in this last week. Unfortunately we are struggling to find more investigators, and he needs to be teaching and baptizing. Hopefully we will find the key to this area that will unlock the hearts of the non-members.
This is my last area and I plan on not wasting a single second. I see the privledge I was given to be counted worthy to train at the end, and I plan on making the most of it. I have very little time left and I have so much to make up for in the previous parts of my mission. I have baptisms to get and I plan on having baptisms, I pray each night for it and work the next day as if it all depends on me. I understand the importance of obedience and strive to be a 100% missionary, perfectly obedient in all things.