Dear Family and Friends,

                                       It has been a great week and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to write you all. Things are busy as ever right now, this coming month we are hosting more meetings, trainings and tours than any other time I have served as an Assistant, I don't know whether to feel like a Public Relations Representative or a missionary. Things with Elder Metcalf and I are great. I learn alot about humility from him each week; he is such a good person. We have two General Authority's coming to visit the mission in the next two months that we need to make preparations for which should be really exciting. I can hardly believe how fast time goes out here. It seems like it is always the day time because I sleep like a stone and the night passes away.

 

                                      The Ward we have here in North Olmsted is incredible. I  have developed great relationships with many of them and they have really responded to our missionary efforts. In fact this week we kicked off a 40 Day fast as a ward for the missionary efforts in the area. Different families and individuals are will fast collectively and consecutively for 40 straight days. We go and eat diner with them, share a lesson and then they fast until the next evening when we will start the same process with another family the following night.We have been getting great contacts on the street every night since we started the fast, for which we feel very blessed. We have been sharing Matthew 4: 1-11 with them which accounts the 40 Day fast of Christ and His temptations in the wilderness. I have come to appreciate those passages of scriptures profoundly. They are rich with principles of power that can be applied to all of us. The lesson we share with people really gets them to ponder the ways in which Satan still speaks and tempts us to abandon what matters most to us in these days. He barbs Christ with temptations that start with the wording "If thou be the Son of God" after which he goes through an assortment of temptations that vary from physical appetites, to power and esteem of the world to  attempting to get Christ to question His own identity and the Father's love for him. Christ sets forth the perfect rebuttals by using scripture and in no way attempts to prove who He is; He knows who he is. I tell the members that Stan still poses those "if" questions here and now and it is what stops us all from doing missionary work or any other good thing. He says things like "If you share the gospel with that person, you will lose your friendship with them" or "If you try to share the gospel you will stumble over your words, and people don't want to hear it in the first place". It is a liberating choice to silence the "If" whispers of Satan. My hope is that we may always recognize the voice of God and that of the adversary. There is no such thing as "if we are children of God", we are His Children. He does love us. His voice can always be recognized by it's enabling message and encouragement. His voice sounds like hope, love and progression. I know my Shepard's voice and that is how I know these things are true. I pray that we may all continue to believe in God. Believe that He has something greater in store for us than all that the world can offer. More than any appetite may appeal. May we all align ourselves with him and accept his guidance by keeping the commandments and communing with him in simple, humble prayer. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

                                                                                                                                   

 Love always, Elder Prince