12/31/12

Dear Family,

 

It was a joy to see each and every one of you on Christmas, to talk with you, and get an update on how all of you are doing. I sure love each of you and I have often prayed for your success in everything, school, relationships, work, and so on. You are all so amazing to me with the way you use the atonement to overcome trials and improve, cleanse, and purify your lives. (I almost put "livers" instead of "lives." That would be weird, but all of your livers better be clean and pure too!)

 

Father: I promised you a letter last monday. I remembered it all day. I remembered when I left the Church Building, I remembered when we went to a lesson with a member, I remembered when I got home to do laundry, and I remembered when I got the call to go pick up two elders in our zone so they could e-mail. I remembered it when we went to dinner with members, and I remembered when we came home, when we planned, prepared for bed, said prayers and got in bed, and all the way until I fell asleep. So I remembered, But never did it. It was sad. I sure love you though and was grateful to hear from you on Christmas. I hope you are enjoying work and family... and teaching mom to shoot! What was that about? Random! Can I have more details please? Are you getting a gun too? Or are you just going to use the Shotgun if anything goes wrong?

 

Mother: So, you are going to tote a 40mm pistol? The spirit impressed you to do this? What in the world is going to happen!? The second comming is definitely near if my mother has to start training to use a pistol! It's really really cool! But its kind of scary too. I want to know the spiritual thought process that brought you to that conclusion. By the way, I am sending a package home. It's the Christmas tree and ornaments, Some cards I could no longer fit in my wallet, A toy that Erik gave me that I love but cannot have in this mission. For the packaging I used the plastic penguin door decor thing. So be looking for that please. I need to know what pickes to buy to stick in my back pocket, (P.S. Did you get a chance to talk to the mission department about the time I have left on my mission?)

 

Rachel & Ryan: You're great! I was glad to hear everything was going well! Thanks for your wonderful examples!

 

Jeremy & Heidi: I was grateful to see that Chloe and Olivia knew how to wrap a CD! Haha. Thanks for the CD. I am glad you're both well!

 

Elizabeth & James: Thanks for your e-mails and pictures. Elder Palmer was glad to hear that there indeed was such a site about mormons and gays. We're going to probably start referring people to it. Keep on keeping on!

 

Erik: I am grateful that you are going to the MTC and helping out! You definitely would be my favorite person there! I am sure the lessons you have "investigated" have been great. Speaking of which, I met a young boy who looked and sounded like he was from Africa, but he was born and raised in Italia. I asked him to say something to me in Italian, he said "Ciao, meu nome e John" Thats EXACTLY like portuguese. Except "Caio" is "Tchau." Does that boy really know what he is talking about? I was very surprised. I sure love you. Thank you for the e-mail!

 

Well today I finished the Book of Mormon. I sure love that book. I was studying in Preach My Gospel right after, and (I dont have the book with me so I have to guess the page numbers.) on Page 39, I believe, talks about praying to get an answer that the Book of Mormon is true. I loved re-studying that. There was an idea on there about how to introduce the Book of Mormon that I have never heard before. It says to present the Book of Mormon to the investigator, and explain a little about it, and to "read one or two passages that are personally meaningful to you or could be meaningful to him or her." There were about five that easily came to mind and I wrote them all down. The first one I thought of was Ether 12:4, (In fact, 90% of the scriptures I thought of were out of Ether, and the rest were practically in Moroni.) I believe it is Ether 12:4 that says "Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world." I remember that verse bringing a lot peace to my soul when I was in the middle of High School. Its amazing how many questions one simple verse like that can answer, and how many fears it can quiet. We don't have to fully understand the atonement, thank goodness. We just have to accept it.

 

I am sure loving what I am doing. Elder Palmer is a great companion. The first word I would use to describe him is "moldable." He is a repentant missionary. We both have really striven to be exactly obedient this transfer and because of that, I feel the spirit more. Our room is spotless. Our desks are clean, our beds are made. We've been on time for tracting. It has been wondeful. Because of coming closer to God through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, my testimony is getting stronger that "whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world." I know this what investigators need to help them hope for a better world.

 

I sure love you all! I love your examples! I want you to know I love my Savior. He's rea; He does exist. I am thankful to represent him and I hope I don't stop even after I come home.

 

To Zion! To Zion! Hurrah Hurrah for Isreal! (Mission Cheer)