Missionary Letter

Dear Sis. Brosnahan,

I was out with the missionaries this morning driving them around
before work. It was tough to find people awake before noon. I know I
wouldn't be up. There is one lady we visited who was baptized baptist
last year and is interested in the missionaries message about the gift
of the Holy Ghost. She feels obligated to her church because they
helped her out financially and she really feels she has found an oasis
of solace after having gone through the dessert. Many Born-again
Christians really feel this way.

I likened her experience to Nephi in the Book of Mormon. After having
traveled through the dessert and suffered starvation and fatigue they
finally arrived at the land Bountiful. This land on the sea shore was
flowing with milk and honey. I can understand why when God commanded
Nephi to build a ship and cross the ocean, many did not want to leave
Bountiful after what they had just been through. But Bountiful was a
stepping stone on the way to the Promised Land, and after traveling
trough an arid Arabian Dessert, God was still asking them to cross the
expansive ocean before arriving at an even better place.

After talking with this sister, we spoke to a great young couple. The
brother is training in the millitary for a few months. We showed them
the Restoration DVD. The wife really asked some great insightful
questions. She asked if the Joseph in the Bible was related to Joseph
Smith. i said they are different Joseph's but they are connected in
an interesting way.

Joseph in the Bible is one of 12 brothers and sons of Jacob (Israel).
Joseph's older brothers Ruben, Simeon, and Judah lost out on the
birthright because of some mistakes they made. So, the birthright
went to Joseph a younger brother instead of some of the older
brothers. Because of jealously, the older brothers sold Joseph into
slavery into Egypt and told their father Jacob Joseph had been eaten
alive by wild animals. Later, a great drought and famine came and the
family of Jacob and the 11 sons were starving and went to Egypt to
find food. Well it turned out that Joseph recognized his family and
served to save his family from the famine.

In a way, this story in the OT is an allegory that teaches us
something that will happen in the Last Days. Just as the Joseph in
the OT saved his family from the drought and famine then. The OT
foretells in Amos about a future famine, not of bread or of water, but
a spiritual famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Today, we like
the 11 brothers can turn to a modern Joseph Smith to help us escape
this modern spiritual famine.

I hope everything is going well for you. Our ward has a missionary
meeting twice a week on youth night and after church on Sunday which
the ward missionaries attend and arrange splits and new member
discussions. Furthermore, on youth night before scouts and YM/YW,
a representative from all the auxiliaries attends. During this meeting the
missionaries review all their investigators and we plan splits, fellowshipping,
phone calls, and rides to church for each investigator. These meeting have
resulted in a doubling of our baptisms.

Sincerely,
David B.