Letter to the Young Men of the South Shore Ward

*** This is a letter Jason (Elder Mace) wrote to the Young Men in our ward back home. I thought it was something that everyone would enjoy reading, so he told me I could post it...

To the Young Men,
I just wanted to write you all to let you know how things are going here in Mesa, Arizona. The cardinalls are going to the Super Bowl, so everyone is happy about that here. But it's January and already warming up. People here are saying it's going to be a hot summer. . . . Naturally, I'm excited about that. . . . The record high, I hear, was 122 degrees. Buisnesses were shut down as the AC couldn't keep up.
But life been good so far. I've been working hard and seeing some success come from it. I'm so glad that I've been given this opportunity to serve as a missionary. I don't imagine that there's anything quite like it. It is without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever done, and the best.
I don't think anyone ever sat me down and told me how hard it would be. I've been tired every day since I first went into the MTC. I've been cursed at, had doors slammed in my face, and had even the most solid investigaters tell me and my companion to never come back. (Yeah, that last one crushes you every time.)
But, now that I think about it, I don't think anyone ever sat me down and told me how amazing a mission is, either. Even through all that difficulty, there is real, lasting joy that comes from serving. There is no joy like watching someone change their life and find their real relationship with God, who is their loving Heavenly Father. We aren't the only elect ones in the world. There are many people who "are only kept from the knowledge because they know not where to find it" as it says in the D&C.
For example, my first companion and I were out tracting and we found a young, single mother named Ceanna. We found out later that she had been praying only ten minutes or so before for direction. Then we showed up. We told her about eternal families, and she was really excited about that. She came to church two sundays later and loved it. As she learned more she started to share her knowledge with other people, invited them to talk to missionaries and learn more. Then she herself was baptised, along with her oldest son. I have no doubt that she is one of the elect, chosen to be here at this point in time. And she never would have been brought to knowledge of the gospel without missionaries to teach her.
There's nothing like watching people receive forgiveness from their sins as they come to know Jesus Christ and the power of His atonement. I can't describe the joy that comes when you see one of your investigaters get baptised. It's the best feeling in the world.
--Elder Jason Mace