Elder JBoettcher

Hey yall,

This was a wonderful week for sure. Very spiritual, those are the best kind of weeks.

Update! I will be leaving Euless on Wed, and going down to.......................... Mexia, Texas!! ( Basically the middle of no where, try to fing it on a map! )

I am so excited to go to Mexia! I hear it is in the middle no where and its country! I havent even left the states for my mission but i have been cultured! Leaving the tongans for the cowboys. I am going to miss Euless a lot because it is a great place, the members really are the best and are so nice. They have really helped me out through the hard times of being a missionary. And the poly members are amazing! So it will be a hard goodbye but i know that it is time for me to move on and go to a new area!
The good news is, in Mexia i will be in a car area! Heck ya!

I am excited for the change and i hope i do what i was sent there to do!

Well the visit from Elder Anderson was just amazing! No crazy announcement of our mission using Facebook or Ipads, it was just a training from him and Elder Callister from the seventy.

It was just what i needed to hear. They talked about the atonement and how to benefit from it as missionaries and how to use it teaching investigators about the atonement. And Elder Anderson told us to study the Book of Mormon and the Bible and take what the scriptures say and apply it in our lives. Also he said  I have been having a hard time because i tend to compare myself to other missionaries because i just do, and i know its dumb and not good to do that but i do. So hearing that from an apostle of the lord really helped me get everything in perspective. So i will take what i learned and ill have to make the best of it! Here is a few points he mentioned that i think we could all apply to our lives, not just missionaries. I know we have inspired men that teach us what the Lord wants us to hear.

1. Don’t compare yourselves to others, only compare yourself to yourself and make honest plans for improvement.
2. The brethren want you to be great missionaries, but more than that, they want you to become great Disciples of Christ.
3. Don’t skip repentance in the conversion process; we are looking for real growth and real conversion in our investigators.
4. Teach about the apostasy in order to help our investigators understand the significance of the restoration.
5. Don’t ever underestimate the power of your testimony
6. Move beyond “I” and focus on others; especially if you are struggling.
7. As your understanding of the atonement grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase.
8. To preach the power of the atonement we must apply it in our lives.

Then on Thursday i had the chance to go to the Dallas temple!!! The temple was AMAZING. I really enjoyed it, and it was a much needed trip. While i was doing the work i felt the spirit so strong, and i knew the person i was doing the work for was happy. I know temple work is true and it is the house of the Lord.

I will get my new address to yall asap!

Love and miss you all!
Elder Boettcher

p.s. my bite is doing much better... still bitter towards dogs. :)