Rejection with a good message

Oi!!!!Como Vai, para o povo do U.S.A Todos coisas este bom aqui!

Wow what a week. I don´t think I have ever been so rejected, but never have I felt so much peace. Kadi Bazemore sent me a great quote that I got today in the mail. I know that life is hard and from all of your letters I know that life is wearing on you. Here is the quote "I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerating force against religious bigotry, priest craft, lawyer craft, doctor craf , lying editors suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs , blasphermers, licentious and currupt men and women -- all hell knocking off corner here and corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, who will give me dominion over all and every one of them, when their refuge of lies shall fail, and their hiding place shall be destoyed, while these smooth polished stones with which I come in contact become marred" (Joseph Smith)

Also You can read 1 Pet 1:7 . While we are in the life we have things we have to do. One reason we are here is so we can gain experience. You can have knowledge 2 ways. From your own experience or from someone elses experience. We can have faith on something as much as we want but as soon as we excercise our faith in that thing and plant the seed and look to see what grows we can come closer to having that perfect knowledge. God is a god because he Has perfect Knowledge in Many Many things. All trials are only oppurtunities! I want all of you the next time you face adversity to say,"ok, this is an oppurtunity to increase my faith now what do I Do." Then seek revelation. It could be instant it could be a long wait. But faith. Evidence of things not seen. Hope for things not seen. Have any of you found any of the 5 levels of faith yet? I see that Kadi has. Keep it personal and make others seek as well. Those are treasures of knowledge to be sought after personally!

Well as far as this week goes. I Have had Many OPPURTUNITIES. this Area is really hard. Many rejections. We have 3 families that are waiting for a response from the Spirit for the truth. Wow. I have experienced alot here in this area. My companion and I sometimes get sad and we lift each other. Most of the time it is him lifting me. But this week I had a chance to lift him. He always tells me what a good missionary I am. I tell him no he is a good missionary. He was feeling a little down and discouraged and beginning to lose hope. I was like "uh oh" so we stopped and talked. We have worked so hard and we feel like sometimes it is our fault that the people aren´t accepting. We always have to remember that we are here only to love and give the people a chance. All around me everywhere, have their agency to choose. Even Christ was rejected, (by his own people) meaning that Christ himself could preach a powerful message of the restauration of the church and they would still reject.

Today we went to the temple and I learned alot of things. Also today we went to the mission office near the temple. and my companion talked to the President. And when my companion told me the things he said I felt so much better. He said that the President said that he knows we are working hard. Even though the numbers are low he knows we are working hard. Our mission President is a great guy. HE IS INCREDIBLY INTELIGENT AND DEFINELTY RECIEVES DEVINE REVELATION. He then said something to the fact that this work is not about numbers (numbers are only to measure) but this work is about love and life. I wish I could share all I have learned in my deepest of hours here on a mission. All of you who are preparing to serve a mission, know that it is not easy. And that I was not prepared for what came. We are teaching the gospel from 630am-930pm (sometimes later). This work is that important. It is the work of Christ. Moses 1:39- "this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Immortality is taken care of but we must do our part for eternal life. It is not easy but worth it. I have work to do!
Love
ElderTossey