Sorry for not emailing last week... We didn't have much time to do anything... Last Monday, President asked us to go to the Zoo with him and his family. It was a lot of fun! I took pictures, so hopefully some of you will see them soon. It was interesting to see President Riggs in his normal clothes. He wasn't a Mission President at that time, he was a dad. I got to see my favorite animal (cheetah), which was really neat. We saw lots of Monkeys, lions, Tigers, Elephants, and snakes. I even saw a komodo dragon!

This last week was very busy, mainly because we are preparing for zone conferences that are happening this week. It's the first zone conference week under President Riggs, so it will be interesting to see the different dynamics of how he conducts the conference. Last night he put on a "why I believe" fireside in the Woodbridge Stake Center. My old area! There were so many people that I knew, and it was nice to see that they still remembered me! Hearing from President and Sister Riggs speak about why they believed in the church was amazing, but the highlight of the evening was something different. The ward mission leader of my first ward stood up and said he had a letter to read to the audience from a recent convert in their ward, Carol Stradderman. The lady that I had taught and baptized 5 months ago. She was dealing with sick children, and couldn't attend the fireside. In the letter, she bore an incredible testimony. I couldn't hold back the tears as I heard about how the gospel had changed her life. It was one of the greatest things I have ever heard. She is preparing to enter the temple next February, and wants me to go with her. I cannot wait.

We had a huge miracle the other day! We were just finishing up eating lunch at our apartment, when Elder Dehaan said we should go visit Kris (a lady we knocked into 2 weeks ago). So we drove over there and pulled up in front of their home. It was POURING rain outside. We saw that her car wasn't home. We sat there for a second, then said a prayer. We asked God why he wanted us there at that time. Right as we finished, we saw a man and his wife sitting on their porch watching the rain. We both had the strongest impression to go talk to them. They received us very well! We got to know them, and then transitioned into our message. During the whole time that we were talking, our backs were getting soaked. They realized this, and invited us into their home. We sat down and they yelled to have their children come. They have 5 kids all over the age of 8. They confided in us that their oldest son had passed away 4 years ago at the age of 17. We later found out from someone who knew the family that the son had taken his own life. We talked about the plan of salvation, but had to answer different questions that they had in between. We invited them to an Family Home Evening that President Riggs holds every Monday night. The dad is a CIA Agent, and said that if he isn't at work, he and his family will be there. We are very excited to start teaching this family, and hope to bring them closer to Jesus Christ.

I know that the plan of salvation is one of happiness. God wants us to be happy. With every trial that we come in contact with, God has provided a way to get through it, and come out in a positive manner. This church is continuing to change my life, and what a joy it is to be able to share that possibility of change with others. 

Elder Michael Litchfield