I'm excited to tell you that I'm still alive and well. I'm doing great and I'm having a great time. I'm sending two recordings this week because I wasn't able to send one last week. So you get to hear from me twice in one week.
Can I just say this gospel rocks? I've changed a lot from being here for about 2 months and you know what? I'm good with it. I really like what I'm changing into. I'll tell you why.
Recently the Lord has been blessing us with lots of work to do. We have a goal of having 5 people baptized by the end of the transfer and 6 set with a date. I'm excited because all these people are coming unto the Lord. One experience we had was really awesome.
We were driving to see a headquarter referral and we saw someone at a house that we had been to the very first day I was here. We pulled over and went to talk to them. The lady there wasn't really interested but her grandson came out and we started talking to him. He's into science and has been through a lot. We were talking to him and another guy came out of the house and said "I heard ya'll talkin' and wanted to come listen". It turns out that this guy, Michael, has been trying to find evidence of God through science. He was asking really good questions such as "will my dog go to heaven?" He had asked Jehovah's Witnesses that and they said dogs don't have spirits. We told him that before anything was created physically, God created it spiritually, therefore dogs have spirits. He also asked a really awesome question that we were very happy he asked: "If someone in China, who lived in the middle of nowhere, lived an almost perfect life before they died, helping others and doing good, but didn't know about Jesus Christ, would they have a chance to learn?"
We were able to explain the spirit world to him and he understood it really well. Saturday we were able to get him a copy of the Book of Mormon and as we were pulling away, he sat down and started reading right there!!! It was amazing!!
We are so blessed and do you know why? I really can't answer that because I don't know why. I believe it is because we are working hard. (We heard from the Zone Leaders that President Perry talks about me and Elder Lowry in training meetings. We were like "No, he doesn't." Apparently he does though.)
Anyway. I'm still waiting for my fudgies stuff. By the way mom, I need my birth certificate so I can get my license. Yes I know we sent a copy but I'm going to need the actual thing because they require it at the DMV. Please include it in the package that you will be sending (if you haven't sent it yet), or mail it by itself.
Buck, I was reading the letter you wrote to me in the MTC (the very first letter I got) and I read about you getting some music to me. I haven't received it yet. EFY songs and hymns (in any form that does not have a distracting beat or things), songs that invite the Spirit and are uplifting are accepted by the standards here. This goes for anyone who gets this email. I would be very appreciative of it.
Well, I love you all and remember, even a small little letter is helpful to someone 2300 miles from home.
Take care and remember the Lord loves you all.
-Elder Mangum
(Don't worry readers, we got the music, fudgies, envelopes, stamps, etc. to him! :) )
