earest Friends and Family,
I apologize that it has been two weeks since I have written. Much has happened to be grateful for. The work here in East Cleveland has been in bloom which has brought me a great deal of satisfaction. On the 19th we were able to baptize our good friend Walniesha Collins! and on the 20th I was able to confirm her a member of the Church and confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost upon her by the laying on of hands. This young woman is quite amazing. She is from the inner city and is very independent. She has her own job, car and apartment and she is only 20 years old. She has come such a long ways since she first starting investigating; including being able to give up smoking and in the process having to give up some friends. She has been a great example to all of us here at the Cleveland University Branch and I felt it a great honor she asked to confirm her a member of the church. I love the spirit that is always manifest in that ordinance. We have also had success in finding new people to teach and we had three new investigators come to church this Sunday! All of this is exciting to me because it has been a while since the work has truly picked up in this area. Early this week President called me and asked me if I would accept the assignment to train a new missionary. I was so thrilled and accepted with "giddy" as I told him. All week I have been thinking about this new missionary and I have been growing more and more excited. I have been praying for him all week that he will be ready to hit the ground running and have the time of his life. I also got to thinking that this assignment would also mean 3 more months in East Cleveland; a total of one year in this area. I was really excited for that and thought that this would be the case until last night President called and released me as a district leader and thanked me for my service in that assignment. He also told me to pack my things because I was to be headed to transfer meeting on Wednesday. This means I will be training a brand new missionary in a brand new area that he and I have never been before. I am so excited! This happened to me last year when I trained Elder Crosland in Ashtabula. I love the idea of getting a fresh start somewhere and starting from scratch. It will be a great training opportunity considering he and I will be learning the ropes together. So, If you would please pray for this young Elder and I; that we may have success and that we may forge a friendship for the eternities!
This experience is rather bittersweet for me because I know wherever the spirit of the Lord calls me will be my final area. It is also hard to leave East Cleveland. I love everything about this area; it is the "home" of my mission. I love the inner city.To me, something so depressed never looked so beautiful. I love the red bricks and concrete. I love the graffiti and the worn down houses. I love the tastes, the smells and the sounds. Above all, I love the people. I had several meaningful conversations with many of them last night and this morning that have left me with a warm feeling in my heart and a confidence that success is to be had anywhere the future takes me. It has been 9 months altogether and I can say that I have put more heart and soul into this area than any other. I felt such a surge of charity for everyone this week. I was hugging them all and telling them I loved them long before I had a clue I was leaving. I feel that the Lord has helped me learn what I needed here. I believe the two greatest lessons learned here were to first; see people for the children of God that they really are. And Second; happiness is not in circumstance, it is in decision. I pray for this area. I hope that many miracles are to come in the future and I hope that I have helped this place in some small way to be better.
Now it is on to the next one!
This is the only true and living church on the earth. True because it is established by God and the principles spoken within are eternal. Living because there are many on both sides of the veil who are anxiously engaged in living these principles. I pray that my faith will never fail and that I may be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ all of my days! I know he is True and Living! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Love Always, Elder Prince
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