Time Flies!

Dear family and friends,

This has been a FANTASTIC week! Last Friday, I had the amazing opportunity of baptizing my good friend Dean. It was a great day. I will send pictures later on from the Apple Store in Bath! The spirit was so strong. It was also the first time I’ve had a baptism that there were no issues with the Font Filling System so that was a relief! In the past, I would get a little stressed and press the “Font Fill” button too many times, but this time I only pressed it once and it worked. The water was also an ideal temperature. We also made some awesome programs that I am proud of. I might post one home in the future, we’ll see. I have all my baptismal programs saved on my flash drive so I’ll have them regardless.

This week we also had a cool opportunity to teach a lady from China. It is VERY difficult to preach the Gospel to someone in their second language. Considering my tendency to use lots of big words in my lessons, I had to really focus and rely on the spirit to allow me to put the message we share in as simple of terms as possible, because it IS very simple! We showed the Restoration video in Mandarin so that was pretty fun. It was just an all-around good experience. She also attended sacrament meeting yesterday and loved it although I don’t think she understood much. We took her on a chapel tour afterwards and when she went into the kitchen she remarked that she would love to cook the whole ward Chinese food.

I love serving in Trowbridge so much. The friendships, experiences, and just… everything about this place gets better and better as the weeks fly by (and they fly by REMARKABLY fast.) I am so grateful that I am here. I know with a surety that this is where I need to be right now. I am also grateful when we receive a text from members that say “Redskins killing the Eagles.”

Being a missionary has allowed me to recognize my many weaknesses. I am grateful for this, however, because our weaknesses allow us to learn and grow, which is a big part of why we’re on the Earth in the first place! I am humbled daily and would not have it other way. Through the continuous process of repentance, I can improve my life and improve the lives of others. I am so grateful for my Savior and His atonement- without it, this most sacred of works could not possibly move forward. As I strive daily to more fully consecrate my self to the Lord, I see Him mold me into what He wants/needs me to be- which is far superior to who I would otherwise be.

I know the work that I do is the work of God, I am so grateful to be able to act in his name and speak with the authority He has given to me. I am grateful for the simplicity of the gospel. If the Kingdom of Heaven is as a little child, then they should be able to understand the gospel in it’s fullness better than anyone else. As such, deep doctrine is just not necessary and is a waste of time! We need to strive to seek a deep understanding of simple doctrine instead of a simple understanding of deep doctrine. That is one of the most valuable lessons that I have learned on my mission thus far.

I love you all so much! I apologize to the many, many people I still need to send letters back to. I will send them soon!

Love,

Elder Frederickson