Even though it's hard, a bad day on the mission is far better than a good day back home. There are no words to describe the difference.

He does it again! My heart is so full because of this kid. It's all I can do to hold back the tears. He strengthens my testimony with every letter. I love him dearly!

Hey everyone!

I'll start by saying that the keyboard I am using is kind of like trying to type on a moldy loaf of bread. Most keys are switched and I have very few symbols to use so you might notice some weird things throughout the email. Just ignore them.

The mission is just great right now. Really, sometimes I just have to sit and look at all the blessings and benefits of serving in Uganda and my mindset changes almost immediately. There are days when we will come in around 9:30 pm after teaching 3 lessons in a day and I find myself hanging my head and hoping for the day to end right then. Then I step back and realize that the numbers we achieve on a bad day are often higher than many missions see on the greatest day. Not in a boasting way but in a broad way. It isn't my work or power but the Lord's. Think of it somehow like Alma 26 as Ammon glories in the Lord. I am so blessed to serve here! The missionary work in Uganda is unlike anything else. 

Another fault of mine is that I often find myself being bored of the area I am in. A few transfers in one area can become monotonous. Its kind of funny when you come home from what you thought was a boring day and then sit and think about the things that happened. Sometimes I just realize that not everyone sees things like a motorcycle getting run over by a car or a guy stick welding without glasses next to a shop that sells propane. Or a man selling a full size cow and a few pigs on the back of a motorcycle. Or even passing someone beaten so much that they are lifeless on the side of a frequently traveled road. It's as though the unordinary things become ordinary overtime.

 When you feel like you have knocked every door in the area the work can become a little discouraging. Lately we have been trying our level best to work with the members and receive referrals from them. THAT is the way to do missionary work here. Member referrals and member cooperation is the key to success in this mission. Ntinda is an amazing area and we are grateful every day for the referrals we receive.

Our investigators are struggling a bit right now. Each and every one seems to be going through individual trials keeping them from progressing in the gospel.  Newcreation Esther kind of told us this week that she would not be able to be baptized for fear of her family disowning her. Sadly though, her mom and uncle gave her permission and her Grandpa was the one who said no... We are pretty frustrated about that. I wont lie, I have grown pretty close to her as a friend and have found myself extremely sad with her decisions. That led me to really ripping out some heavy scriptures in the New Testament and Mosiah that I hoped would help her. They didn't... Ill be honest and say I let my anger get to me and I handled the situation completely wrong. I learned my lesson. She insists that she will be baptized one day but just not now. She knows it is true and knows what she needs to do. In fact she has had two pretty incredible dreams that answer her prayers in the most obvious way. One dream literally told her to be baptized on March 26th. She didn't seem to find that very necessary.... Man, it is frustrating! Ibrahim has been out and in with work and then fell sick this last week. So he hasn't been able to meet us for some long time. We just continue to try. On a brighter note we do have our recent convert Sam going to mission prep and fully planning to serve a mission! That will be amazing!! We also tracted into a less active member this week named Marianna. She is 19 and told us she was baptized at 15 and then couldn't find the church when she moved. We started teaching her and she said she has a half dozen people at home she wants to show us. We are seeing her tonight after emailing. This could really be our big break!

Well, I don't really know what else to say. I have this feeling that I need to bear my testimony on missionary work in hopes that some younger aged people read my emails and it can help them. Before I came on my mission I found myself doubting whether I should go. We all know quote ¨doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith¨. I took that pretty literally and realized that there is nothing back home that could help me more than a mission. Even the morning I woke up to leave, I put on my suit and grabbed my bags. As I worked my way up the stairs with 2 years worth of things in my bags I had a serious pit in my stomach. In that moment I didn't want to go. I really didn't want to go. I felt that it was seriously too late to back down and continued on my way. As I was in the MTC I continued to sit in misery. I told myself at that point that I didn't care what the next two years had for me. Even if it was the most miserable 2 years of my life I would go through it. I promised myself I would never go home. How stupid I was to think that a mission would hold the 2 most miserable years of my life. It was hard at first. The conditions I started in were a big challenge for me. Looking back on those first weeks, it was all for a reason. Everything that has happened to me since I left the airport in Salt Lake was for my own benefit. About 2 months into my mission I realized that I was happier than I had ever been in my whole life. I would come home from a hard, hot and long day and then realize that it really was so fun! A bad day on the mission is far better than a good day back home. I really wish everyone could see the change in me since I left on my mission. There are no words to describe the difference. First off, gaining a greater knowledge of the Gospel has been the greatest blessing in my life. I encourage everyone to just study more and more and never be satisfied with your testimony. The gospel is our safe guard. Everything we know can comfort us at any moment of the day. Just think about what we have and all the added light and knowledge we have. The other day a pretty drunk man came up to me and began yelling at me to read John 1:1-14. His point was to try to prove that the trinity is real and God is Jesus Christ. I didn't care to add my two cents and we continued. That night I read the Joseph Smith Translation for that section. Wow, that is a blessing of having modern prophets. If you find the time, compare John 1:1-14 with JST John. I guess I am kind of ranting now... But, all in all I just want everyone to know that this time that I have spent on my mission was the best choice I have made in my life. It is an indescribable joy to serve a mission and I hope everyone can feel the same happiness I feel. The mission is the greatest time of my life.

In closing I just want to thank everyone for supporting me. Especially in my lower times. The support I get from home helps me so much more than you think. I am so grateful to be here and look forward to the next 18 months. Im 6 months down and time is flying too fast. I love all of you so much! Have a great week.

Love,

Elder McLain