Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Derek's Last Mission Letter

Derek comes home from London this Thursday. He said he got a flat tire on his last day on the job. The picture below is him sending off his companion who was leaving to go home. I thought I'd share his last email to you. I'm a little sad that I won't be getting any more mission letters they have been really inspiring. But we're anxious to have him back. JOB WELL DONE ELDER GREEN!!! We sure love you. Derek's homecoming talk will be Sept. 13th at 8:30 a.m.

hello there. i had a really cool and fulfilling experience this past week which i would like to share. so as you know i served in aylesbury a year ago and that was fantastic. this past week i went on my final work over there. i was with an amazing elder named elder hatch and he has been doing amazing work there. a lot of the people i started to teach are now being baptized. but there were two experiences that i loved. last year my companion and i stopped this 17 year old indian girl named sasini and we went to see her and took her out teaching. my goodness she is one of the strongest investigators i have ever seen and now shes preparing tho be baptized onthe 12 of december. its so far out because her parents wont allow her to be baptized until shes 18. that wasnt the cool experience, though it was great to see. one that i will remember happened on wed night. i was on a split with a member, named abraham from sri lion, and 6 appointments fell through in the space of a couple of hours. poor elder hatch was frantically trying to work something out but he couldnt get anything. he had an appointment which left us with a 1/2 an hour to spare, but we werent just going to give up so we prayed. i asked Heavenly Father to let us use this time the most effective way. a simple prayer, but as i did so a vivid memory came into my mind so clear that i couldnt deny it being the spirit. i remembered tracting a street last year with elder smith, and we knocked on this african mans door. i dont remember what i said but i remember the spirit i felt. we never got to teach him then so i knew we had to see him now. i found the door with no problem and at 8:30 at night we knocked. he was the only one in and i asked him if he remembered me, but he didnt. then we proceeded to talk for 20 minutes about the book of mormon and abraham was doing likewise. he accepted the book of momron, told a time to come back, and we left. Now to you that may seem normal but the spirit that was there sunk deep in his heart. 2 nephi 33:1 took place. leaving his home i couldnt heple but just smile because i know that the lord is in this work. he is leading it and i have been his instrument, though rusty at times, for these past two years. my mission has changed my life. im a so greatful for the tender mercies the Lord has showered down upon me. i dont feel worthy to have been the recipient to all these blessings because there are so many. i wish that i could stay here for another year but i would sin in my wish, for i should be content with the things the Lord hath allotted unto me. i am very content indeed. the goals that i wanted to accomplish on my mission have been fulfilled and now im ready to end. thank you for all of the letters of support youve given me. you dont realize how important they were to me in the beginning of my mission. i love you mom and family and hope to see you smiling when i get home.

love
Elder Derek Thomas Green

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