Nope, it didn't bite. Yes, it's alive.
We helped them clean the lot in front of their house :)
The Beach
I didn't get a picture of this, but my companion did,
we bought this for the branch activity that we did.
At a meeting in Culiacan
Hey Mom, thanks for the letter! Can I offer a few words of advice? A very wise person that I dearly love once told me this and I think that it's going to be important for you during your efforts to help the family:
"I think it is important to be forgiving and understanding of others. 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. What do you think?"
I really think it's a good idea to not use as many electronic gadgets, and I'm totally with you, but I think that the family has to decide not to use them. It's like the example that President Monson used in a talk he gave this last General Conference. Talking about childhood experiences that he had in Provo Canyon he said:
"Dad would drive about 35 miles an hour all the way up to Provo Canyon or until we would come around a bend in the road and our journey would be halted by a herd of sheep. We would watch as hundreds of sheep filed past us, seemingly without a shepherd, a few dogs yapping at their heels as they moved along. Way back in the rear we could see the sheepherder on his horse—not a bridle on it but a halter. He was occasionally slouched down in the saddle dozing, since the horse knew which way to go and the yapping dogs did the work.
Contrast that to the scene which I viewed in Munich, Germany, many years ago. It was a Sunday morning, and we were en route to a missionary conference. As I looked out the window of the mission president’s automobile, I saw a shepherd with a staff in his hand, leading the sheep. They followed him wherever he went. If he moved to the left, they followed him to the left. If he moved to the right, they followed him in that direction. I made the comparison between the true shepherd who led his sheep and the sheepherder who rode casually behind his sheep.
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep.” He provides for us the perfect example of what a true shepherd should be."
I do not want to imply that you or dad is like the sheepherder asleep on his horse, but I do think that we can draw a contrast in that the sheepherder drove the sheep, and the Shepard lead the sheep. The family is either going to be driven to use less gadgets or lead to use less gadgets.
I think that this Christmas is going to be one of the best that the family has ever had :)
Thanks for telling me about your thanks giving!
Well family, Gregorio is still amazing, this week we were able to see Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (2011) as a branch activity! (I'm going to send a picture of something related to the activity) The 2011 movie is a lot easier for invetigators to understand, it might be good if the family saw the movie. anyway Gregorio brought a friend to see the movie with him and after the activity he asked for the video so that he could show it to his family, how cool is that?!
Well Im sorry, yet again I ran out of time. I hope that you are all doing good, Im hoping to have good news next week! I love you all!
-Matt
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