Missionary Service Brings Happiness and Growth

Lauren is pregnant!!??? ahhhh (Lauren is one of Sean's friends who was recently married)

We received a reference from a member yesterday and now we have a GOLD family!!! The brother's name is Miguel.

I'm working hard and my companion's awesome.

Elder Rodriguez will be calling in a couple weeks. (They will be rooming together at BYU.)

Well.....I'm just really happy. I've grown so much in my testimony this week. I found out how to make better choices and listen to the spirit better.

I miss Nate honestly and I'm excited to room with him. (Nate is Sean's friend and former BYU room mate. He is serving in the Rosario Argentina mission right now, and left about 1 week prior to Sean. They are going to be rooming when they start back up at school.)

We have to go to the bank today to get money with the zone. I'm tired, and this letter's really short because I was doing the weekly informes....but nothing new really has happened. I'll write more next week! I love you!!!!

Elder Layton

(Steve Rau asked Sean for his input on a local program known as the Aaronic Priesthood Encampment. What follows is his response.)

I'm a missionary in the Peru Lima North Mission. I've been out in the mission field now for 19 months and I love every experience, every day, and every part of my mission. The APE helped me prepare for my mission in so many ways. Before my mission I was prideful and didn't do many things that I should have been doing to prepare for my mission. I was invited by the Stake Presidency in a formal letter (to attend) and sent my response of aception a few weeks later.

Honestly the APE is ingrained in my head. It was the first time that I felt the responsibly of helping a companion. It was the first time I could feel what it was like to have a district, or a zone. Now that I'm a Zone leader in a full-time mission I can definitely say that the APE helped me a ton. You could ask me in what way it most prepared me for my mission. It was the spirit of the APE and the spirit of the work that helped me the most.

To be honest, I don't remember anything I learned there. But I remember one night when President Rau and the other leaders called us (the district leaders) into a small tent and asked us about the "missionaries". I felt that I really wanted to help the other young men progress and learn so you could say it help me start developing a charity for others. All I can say is thanks for letting me be apart of the aaronic priesthood encampment :)!

Elder Layton