Monday, November 13, 2017

Pioneering Effort

Hello Everyone!

This week was the first full week of official online proselyting here in the Oregon Eugene Mission.  What that basically meant was Elder Huang and I are spending a bit of time each day adding friends to our Facebook accounts from our investigator pool as well as ward members.   We have also gone over to various ward members and started to work them by selecting some people from their friends list and sending a Gospel message to them over Facebook messenger.  It has started slow, but as we continue to figure it out the goal is to be able to consistently contact our investigators over Facebook and even teach those who are too busy to meet with us in person.  It has been an adventure, but it is fun to be apart of the missionary generation that is pioneering this effort.  We will see what happens!

Outside of that, the big challenge this week is that all of our main investigators have been gone this week due to various appointments around Oregon.  This has resulted in a lot of Tracting, contacting, and anything else we could think of to find more people to teach.  It has been slow and a struggle, but I know I have also personally learned a lot from it, especially as we have gone over and tried to find referrals from members.  I have learned a lot more about what kind of member I want to be from the great examples of many of the people found here in the Newport ward.

One new investigator that we are excited about came from a couple weeks ago.  Elder Hoskins, my previous companion and current zone leader, came down for a split and we went out to a tiny town called Siletz.  While there we went to knock on a door.  No one answered, but as we were leaving a young man came up to us on his bike and asked us why we were dressed so nice.  We answered him and it led to a conversation about the Restoration.  He told us to contact him through Facebook messenger.  Then this past week Elder Hoskins told us that he made contact and we were able to teach him the full first lesson, as well as find out about many friends he has in the ward who he had no idea were members.  It was a true miracle and I look forward to teaching him in the future.

Thank you for all of the support and talk to you all next week!
Elder Baxter


Excerpt from a letter home:
"We visited a lighthouse that is close to our apartment and it was on a small peninsula.  It was blowing winds probably 70-100 mph, but it was very beautiful.  A lot of huge waves crashing onto the Oregonian rocky coast, as well as a nice lighthouse.  The lighthouse was locked though, so we couldn't go inside."

Holding onto the Word 

Love the waves

Check out those waves Elder!

Fun Lighthouse 

As far as the eye can see

Smile and "Wave"

Tag on the Sand

Tag on the Rock 
[Anyone else hearing a primary song]

Contemplate  

Windy Day

The big picture

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