October 8

Dear Family,

I was so excited to see General Conference. My goodness, this was a powerful session. Talk after talk brought so many new ideas and inspiration to my mind. I am thankful for Prophets. Most of all, I am thankful for our Lord, Jesus Christ.  The announcement of the ages for missionaries was huge! I expect that many girls will go on missions. I expect that there will be no girls at BYU when I return :P. But thats ok! My dream of marrying an RM will come true. That just became a standard for me now. I love what Elder Holland once said, "Let your families know that you are a mission oriented family. "Ïn our family, we serve missions."

I have a great appreciation for the talks from all of the speakers. I especially was touched by Elder Hollands, Elder Cooks, and Elder Oaks'. Elder Hollands talk spoke right to me. As a missionary I feel as though I have special opportunity to be changed and shaped into a new creature. Without coming out here, I don't know if it would have been as big of a priority. With these experiences that I have, I cannot go back to being who I used to be. I cannot return to my "nets." I have a higher law to live and I have a responsibility. I have a potential to reach. I cannot expect the Lord to invest so much time into shaping me and then not do anything about it!  I have decided that whatever career I choose, seeking the Kingdom of God comes first. Whatever job will help me spread the gospel and seek the Kingdom first is the job I will take. I am thankful for Jesus Christ and his healing powers. Through him we find peace, and serenity. We also find satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment. I know that there is a God and He loves us. We have the potential to become something great! Why throw that away? Let us take advantage of that and learn all we can, serve all we can, and accomplish all we can.

We had a great week and we have two new baptismal candidates. G. is back on track. He came to General Conference and LOVED it. He is really starting to soar.  K. is a dutch man and very interested in the Book of Mormon. He wants to learn all he can and is making progress. We're excited to be teaching these men.  My companion, Elder Bickham is a stud.  People are always surprised to learn about two Mormon missionaries not from Utah, haha. 

I love my mission. It means everything to me. I am excited to be out here and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now. God is good. No, He is INCREDIBLE!  I am thankful for the opportunities that he has given me. I am thankful for my family and for the support of all of you. It was great hearing from you! Love you all!

Love,

Elder Schulte