James is in South Dakota - mining for Diamonds in the Rough!

James is waiting for his Visa by serving the people of South Dakota!  ( -- mining = proselyting; Diamonds are people who don't yet know their true worth!)

The Address is:
SDRCM
2525 W. Main Suite #311
Rapid City, SD 57702

SDRCM stands for South Dakota Rapid City Mission!


He arrived last Monday!  We got this email yesterday and are tickled to share it with you! - This is a letter to his Mission President:

This mission is the best!  My companion is the best example of what a missionary is all about.  We work hard for the people of Rapid City and work hard to follow all the rules.  I have noticed that my capacity to love people has increased.  I do feel crestfallen when our investigators do not keep out commitments and am overjoyed with the tell us what they've read in the Book of Mormon.

One couple that we've focused on recently is Ben and Meri.  They (and we) have seen that the Book of Mormon applies to their lives.  We have recently shared Mosiah 4 with them.  We can experience the same feelings that King Benjamin's people felt -- clean hearts, pure consciences, and a desire to do evil no more.  President, rest assured that this Gospel is true to me.  I can see it work in my life and in the lives of the people around me.  Elder Edwards and I go to bed exhausted each night and having no regrets about our day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and in a letter to his friends he shares this story I'd like to share with you!:

....I told myself, sarcastically, that my companion would be captain of the XC team and wanna run up a mountain every day before proselyting...so guess what? - Every day at 6:30, we run up a ountain and back down =D!  Love my companion and I love this Mission!

If you have your book of Mormon, read Mosiah 4 and look and feel for what the atonement feels likein the peoples' lives!  We got to share this inspired scripture with a man who has had a rough life. His "street name" was 'the Reaper".  He's witnessed suicides, homicides, substances, abuse, and everything else you could possibly think of ... but he is changing his life!  He has a daughter now, Sylvia, and when he looks into her eyes, all the pain that he carries seems to melt away and you can only see the love that he has for his family.

Not only that, but the missionaries always say that if you wanna change your life and have all the commandments of God be easy for you -- you just need to READ SCRIPTURES,  PRAY, and ATTEND CHURCH!  This is sooo true!

Gotta Go!

Love ya all!!!!

James