20 Jan 2014

Hey Mom!
This week went really well. We're probably gonna move tomorrow afternoon for our new apartment. Tomorrow morning will be an interview with President Lima. I'm excited to see the new house. This week was really hot again but thats not new. I'm doing well and yes I'm using sunblock. Thats great that you gave another talk in Sacrament Meeting. Its been a long time (maybe 5 months) since I've given a talk at church but we talk so much that I think the members get tired of it haha. I've been reading more General Conference talks as usual and am impressed by how much I learn sometimes. I read a great talk about the Atonement this morning by Elder Scott. "It is a fundamental truth that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be cleansed. We can become virtuous and pure. However, sometimes our poor choices leave us with long-term consequences. One of the vital steps to complete repentance is to bear the short- and long-term consequences of our past sins."
This made a lot of sense for me because of another talk that I read this week that Sister Oscarson says, "We live in perilous times, and the decisions which you are called upon to make on a daily, or even hourly, basis have eternal consequences."
With these two quotes in mind, we are able to feel a deep hope and gratitude for the Plan of Salvation. Our choices today are vitally important for our eternal progress. When we sin, we can be forgiven but it is still necessary to deal with the good and bad consequences of our actions. This helps us to set goals, make priorities and be disciplined to choose the right. A loving Heavenly Father has provided a way to return to His presence and independent of how many times we fall we can always get back up. But just to be safe, let's be cautious and careful to lessen the frequency of our falls.
I'm doing well and I'm happy. I'm gonna get my hair cut today. I'm also gonna buy new contact lenses and maybe do some other chores. I love you and pray for you often.
Jared