Message from Elder Hobbs (Jacob)

Hey EVERYONE.  This is a message I received from Jacob.  I thought you all might like to read it.

Hey Dan!

Things are going great here in Georgia. The church is true, and the differences become apparent especially in Fort Oglethorpe, where I'm at. The membership here is strong, and people are so kind and loving. We're in the buckle of the bible belt, so it's interesting seeing the different points of view, and the effects of the 21st century on these people.

There are a lot of small congregations, struggling to keep membership strong and active, among baptists, Church of Christ goers, and Pentecostals. Also there are a number of Seventh Day Adventists. A lot of people think these are the latter days. A lot of people think a lot of preachers are hypocrites. A lot of people believe in visions and miracles.

There's a lot of fear, or something like it. In the older generations. The younger ones are more open and more searching. My companion and I have an idea about how we can reduce the fear out here, by focusing on how we treat people we run across. Since people are good Christians (or like to think of themselves as such), even if they don't want to hear from us they're willing to give pass along cards to people they know. So we turn them into missionaries. If we help people, especially preachers, love and trust us, and we help them how we can, then love and trust and a seed of the Gospel is planted. It'll lead to a lot of change out here.

Things are changing already, for the worse. Baptists, especially Southern Baptists, consider all other religions to be cults. People become dissatisfied and turn to Pentecostal or non-denominational churches. We're gonna help them turn and find the wonders of the restoration, if we can. On top of that, though, a large number of people just don't attend church, and simply believe in their hearts and have no motivation to get involved in anything else. It'll be fun working with them.

Anyway, I hope things are going well in Pocatello. Tell everybody hi for me. Love ya lots!

~Elder Hobbs