Dear Elder,
Hi! Thanks so much for writing to us last week. I am glad you got glasses and I hope they help you see better. Thanks for sending a picture; they look awesome. I deposited $100 in your account to make up for the money you spent.
I like what you said about Heavenly Father giving us carnal laws so that we can be brave enough to confront the spiritual laws. I’ve noticed that you are right. As far as other missionaries go, I think it is important to be forgiving and understanding of others. I think that a good leader uses "kindness, persuasion, meekness, and love unfeigned", not to force a certain response, but because it is the Christ-like thing to do. A good leader leaves the outcome in the hands of the Lord and doesn’t use manipulation, shame, or coercion to get someone to do what they think is right. I have been thinking that when interacting with others, we should do what is right, not what “works,” because in the long-run, what is right is the only thing that really works. Does that make sense? What do you think?
I’m so glad that you could give your companion a blessing and that he felt better. I hope that he is still well. I’m also very glad that you two work well together, too. I think that as long as you two continue to make an effort to feel the spirit and be united, your differences will only bless your efforts.
You said, “I don't know if the Lord has given me the ability to keep on working in the face of trials or if I am just conforming myself to failure.” Wow, that’s deep. But I think you are right, wondering if you are conforming yourself to failure is a doubt, and I think it is a lie. Read Alma 32 again. Do you feel the swelling motions in your heart? Do you feel enlightened in understanding? Is your faith beginning to grow? “Every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.” The sign that the seed is good is your heart. Is a tree beginning to grow? If so, be diligent and patient, and in Heavenly Father’s own time, you will taste of the fruit. I think that the only failure would be to neglect to nourish the seed that you know is good, in other words, in giving up, and we both know that you are not going to do that.
Well, Matt, you mention the Family whose son died. You said, “Mom please show them as much love as you can. I know that it means so much for them, don't be afraid of seeming... I don't know, intrusive or something like that, just pray, ask for ways to help and follow the spirit. Let charity guide your actions.” What you said meant so much to me, and I determined to do what you encouraged. I am very familiar with the article by President Faust that you mentioned, in fact, I had read it just a few days before your email came. It was re-printed in the June Ensign, and I found it a very comforting and inspiring message. I know that it’s being there and my reading it was not coincidence, and I think your idea to share it with the family was inspired. I followed your counsel, prayed for that perfect love that casts out fear, and took my Ensign over to the them. I told the mother about your concern and I showed her the talk and told her you thought it might help them. I told her that I’d read it and it comforted me as a parent. She thanked me for the Ensign, and said she wanted to read the talk and that her husband would want to read it, too, because he’s been reading tons of scriptures and conference talks in order to find comfort at the passing of their son. Matt, thank you for asking me to forget myself and go to work!
I’m so glad that you want to attain all that Heavenly Father has offered to you, Matt, through His son, Jesus Christ. You are of a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” you have been ordained to “shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Stay faithful, and you will dwell in the presence of God with the souls you bring unto Him, forever.
Now it is Sunday, and I’m getting ready to have a stake young women presidency meeting here at the house. We will be meeting with the members of a ward young women presidency (Blog Note: A ward is a congregation, a stake is a group of congregations) in order to teach them and to find out how we can support them in their callings as leaders of the young women in their ward. Wow, I just realized something. As a presidency, we’ve talked about how we need to determine the needs of the young women in the various wards, and plan stake activities that will help the wards meet those needs. This meeting is the perfect time to do this. That might seem obvious to you, Matt, but we hadn’t thought of it, and I’m glad the Spirit helps us remember the things we’ve forgotten!
Yesterday was a nice day. Katrina and Thomas got home from EFY, unpacked, cleaned their rooms, and then went to swim at the water park. Miriam and I drove them there and then met Dad where he was working at the laundry. He joined us in running some errands and then we dropped him back off and went home. Later, Dad brought the kids home and he and I went out on a date. Dad randomly found a trail in a neighboring city, I’m still not sure how he knew one would be there because he’d never been on it and didn’t know where it led. It was fun to hike with him, and as we hiked, we met many families including grandparents and babies hiking back to their cars, so we knew the walk couldn’t be too far or too strenuous, which was good since by then it was pretty late. It was a beautiful hike, Matt, and not too long later we got to a waterfall. It was really pretty, and there was a way to climb down to the bottom, and there was space to sit and play by the water. I really had fun hiking to it with Dad, and I want to take the kids there this next week, or the week after. So far, we haven’t found a good day to do that, though.
Friday was awesome. Elizabeth and her kids came over, and we had fun visiting. Dad asked me later what my sister and I did, and I told him that whenever Elizabeth comes over I have fun showing her all the things I am up to and the projects I am planning, etc. It’s fun because she’s so nice and patient to listen and to give her opinion on them. I also have lots of fun feeding her kids. I have no idea why I enjoy feeding little kids so much. That and reading them stories is like my favorite thing to do. Sounds like a grandma, doesn’t it, ha ha.
Speaking of being a grandma, I got to Skype with Lily. When I answered the call, she laughed and clapped. She also put on her new sunglasses for me. She asked for “monkey” and “cow,” the puppets I always use when we Skype and she sang the “Where is Monkey, Where is Monkey? Here I am, Here I am!” song that I sing to her when I bring out the puppets. Our connections were bad, but we got some nice visiting in before we gave up and said goodbye, ha ha. Lily hasn’t thrown up since Monday, but Cassandra says they are still really restricting her diet and schedule. I’m so glad she is doing better!
Friday night, Miriam, Dad, and I had a movie night. We ate stake, mushrooms, onions, sweet potato fries, and root beer floats, and we watched a movie. I was looking forward to it all day, and it was very fun to be together!
Thursday, I woke up wanting to do all these projects, and as I said my morning prayer I really had a hard time focusing, but I kept praying, determined to stay there till my heart was right, and as my mind focused more on the Lord and less on vain things, I realized some ways that I could reach out and serve other people, and so I spent the day doing that, instead. That was also the day that I visited the Hauns. I’m so glad that I stayed on my knees that morning until the desires of my heart changed and aligned with the will of God. It was a wonderful day, and I even got to fit in a few other things that I’d been wanting to do. A quote by Brigham Young helped me that morning,
“It matters not whether you or I feel like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do. . . . You will find that those who wait till the Spirit bids them pray, will never pray much on this earth. [Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 44]
If I did not feel like praying, . . . I should say, “Brigham, get down here on your knees, bow your body down before the throne of him who rules in the heavens, and stay there until you can feel to supplicate at that throne of grace erected for sinners.” [Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 46]
Wednesday morning started out like that, too, Matt, and I was on my knees for quite awhile till my mind cleared, and I laid aside the distractions in my mind and focused on the Lord. It was a good day, we worked on the basement a lot. I don’t really remember much more about Wednesday and Tuesday either, for that matter. Let’s see…Monday we… Ahhhh, I just looked at the clock. It’s less than an hour to my meeting! I’ll write a bit more later before I send this off, okay?
Okay. Whew, I’m back. I had my meeting, we went to church, ate dinner, and now I am writing again to you. Dad and Thomas are at a priesthood meeting, Katrina is writing to you, too, I think, and Miriam is hanging out in her room. We were planning to take Katrina out driving when the guys got back, but it is raining out there, so I’m not sure if that will happen.
When he was at EFY on Monday, Thomas texted me asking to help him find his way back to campus. Apparently he left a building out of a different door than he intended to, lost his way, and wandered clear off campus! He had just told me earlier that day that he gets lost easy, and now I believe him. Dad and I were thinking that we could take him on the drive, give him a location, and have him help us get there. We figured we could help him learn to have a better sense of direction, ha ha!
Sacrament meeting was wonderful today, btw. Some of the young men who are priests gave talks about their train trip to Reno. I may have mentioned it already. When they arrived, the mission president of the area met with them and talked to them about missionary work and then he assigned them to different missionary companionships, and they got to do some missionary work. The young men who spoke, Kenny and Sam, did an amazing job, and I felt the spirit very strongly.
Well, that’s our week in a nutshell. I sincerely hope yours was a good one, too. Tell your companion “hi” for me again. I pray that you will lose all fear and be full of the Spirit of God, love for the people, and zeal for the work. I pray the same thing for me!
Love,
Mom
P. S. I just remembered what we did on Tuesday. Miriam and I went downtown and shopped for awhile, later we went in to Orem to drop some stuff off at Preston's house including treats for his family. We also dropped off treats to a family in the neighborhood whose mom wasn't feeling well. I helped Dad work on the basement as well. Monday we took Miriam out to eat for family home evening. I can't remember what we did after that and neither can Dad or Miriam. Pretty sad, huh?
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