Watching As the Lord Opens Doors

Hello my beloved family! I am sorry that this mail is coming so late! We got to go to the temple again this week, which was great, but it shifts our p-day so that our letters home are a day later than usual! We also moved some of our preparation day time to the evening so that we could teach a lesson during the day. It's great to finally sit down and write to you all! Another highlight of the day is that I went and bought some new insoles for my shoes. They feel so good!

This past week has been a great week! I will tell you about two of the highlights! The first one was on Sunday with our investigator named M-san. We taught him a lesson right after church about faith and that we can have faith in Christ by understanding and embracing the atonement. I have never been in a more Spirit-led lesson. It was amazing how sincere and on point his questions were and how perfectly the scriptures we shared answered them. When we finished explaining the atonement we talked about the way we use the atonement in our lives by introducing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One thing led to another and he pretty much committed himself to baptism! There was an incredible feeling in the room during that lesson. He is so prepared. I feel like Elder M and I have just jumped along for a ride and have been sitting back and watching as the Lord opens doors for this sincere little man. I am so excited for him!

The other came during a lesson yesterday where we committed another man named H-san to baptism. That was exciting too! He is progressing very well and we are just happy to be a part of it :)

This week I have thought a lot about Love. I think about how loving Mom and Dad are to me and my brother and sister. I think about how much they have put up with, especially from me. I think about how many times they must have jumped for joy when we made the right decisions, and then how many times their hearts must have broken when we made the wrong ones. It breaks my heart to think of the many times that I was the cause of their anguish, but I am so grateful that they have endured, that they suffered long. Though I didn't understand it before, and still don't understand it perfectly, they have shown me the meaning of charity and pure love. They have shown me that love outlasts everything; you could say it endures all things. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about love. It doesn't change due to situation or how you happen to feel that day. It is constant. It is the abandonment of yourself and an absorption in the happiness of others. If I didn't know better I would say that loving someone and being a glutton for punishment are the same thing, because in both situations you just keep going back to what hurts you. I am so grateful for my parents. They have never stayed down--no matter what we/I have thrown at them, they get right back up. They truly want the best for us and they haven't found the limit to their willingness to sacrifice for that cause. Thank you Mom and thank you Dad!!

Love you guys! Gotta go! Y'all are my favorites!

Elder Siebach