12 Aug 2013

I cant believe Valerie and Preston have already been married a year! That makes me feel super old in the mission because that seems like such a long time ago!! I cant believe Daniel goes home tomorrow! The time is flying way too fast. Before you know it, I'll be home too. Blows my mind.…..

I have grown to have a deep love and appreciation for the members of the church that are truly trying to follow the Savior and do the right things. Its not easy….. I'm appreciative that (they are) working to help (their children) grow up in the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

This week was really good and we've been working hard but still have a lot more to do. Next week is the transfer but I think that my companion and I will be staying. I'll let you know what happens next week. So I read a talk this week that refered to a talk by President Hinckley. It was one of the last talks he gave before he died. It was in the woman's session of General Conference in October of 2006. I loved this story so much and I know that you will also. Please use 19 minutes of your day to watch and ponder about the message of this talk. I know the Spirit will teach you and guide you to help someone through its message. I love you and trust that Heavenly Father will guide you to bless hundreds of other lives. You've already done an incredible miracle in teaching me and helping me to become who I am today. The Lord will bless you for the sacrifices that you make. The story of a mother with 7 children in this story inspired me and touched my heart. I know it will as well with yours. I'm always so happy to hear about your success with spreading the gospel and talking with our friends and family. Search for more opportunities! Theres always more for us to do! I've learned this week about 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Its a great chapter but especially the beginning. I could be rich, successful and with a big family and great job. I could be healthy and happy and a good guy. I could have tons of friends and be famous. I could visit every corner of the earth and speak 30 languages. I could do all this but if I dont have charity and pure love for others, my other successes are nothing. The Lord can do anything because He gives everything He has for us. The happiest day of your life is the day you get home exhausted and the Spirit whispers that you did your best and gave your all. I also studied and learned a little about Enos. I've read, studied, pondered and prayed about this one chapter so many times. I learn more each time. He says in verse 11 that after these experiences his faith became "unshaken in the Lord". But why? Enos had faith like unto the faith of the Brother of Jared. His unshaken faith was accompanied by action. He prayed with "many strugglings" and he "wrestled before God" and "cried unto the Lord in mighty prayer and supplication for [his] soul" all day and all night. The Lord granted unto him his desires because of his faith (v12). There is so much to learn here. The last thing I would like to share with you is something I learned from Pres. Lima and the Spirit. He taught me about Peter when he walked on the water. Matthew 14: 24-31. I think thats the right scripture. Peter WALKED ON WATER because of his faith. He did it. He actually walked because of His faith because he was walking towards Christ. Think about where he was going. He was walking towards Christ to meet Him out on the water. But what happened? He fell. But why did he fall? He took a couple steps and then he looked away from Christ. He saw the waves and the tempests and the rain. He was scared and fell. How often does this happen in our lives. Everyone has problems. Members and non-members and less actives and prophets and missionaries and everyone! We all have waves and tempests and rain and dangers in our lives but we can walk on water when we look past these problems and see our goal. Who are we walking towards? Jesus Christ. The Author of our Salvation. Our Redeemer. We can walk on water and use our faith to do miracles! Just dont lose focus. Dont take your eye off of Christ. Just keep walking and you can do it. I know that miracles can happen and do happen in our lives. God loves each of us. He doesnt make miracles happen just with some of His children. God loves you! Why would He hold back your blessings? I know He wouldnt and doesnt when we do what He asks us to do. I love my Heavenly Father. I am so imperfect and weak. I am sinful and prideful and forgetful of God's eternal love and mercy. But I know that I can repent and become clean. Think of the inspired words of the primary song, "When I Am Baptized"
I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again.http://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/when-i-am-baptized?lang=eng 

this next link is to the story that was referenced above:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/in-the-arms-of-his-love?lang=eng

5 Aug 2013

I gave a talk in church a couple weeks ago about how the Savior has so much compassion for us. He loves us and blesses us. We need His help. Just as we are dependent on His mercy and strength, we must seek for opportunities to succor the weak and fulfill our baptismal promise in Mosiah 18:9. We had a training this past week from President Lima and he always ask us to take notes about what we learned and talked about. Then at the end he asks us not what we learned from what he said but what we learned from the Spirit. I would like to just briefly share what I learned from the Spirit in the training. As President talked about service, I started to think about ways to serve. Service projects like cleaning or fixing a house and other things physical, as well as service spiritually and emotionally. I believe that the Savior is perfect in His examples of Savior because He goes the extra mile. The scripture that came to mind was the first thing that I looked up when I got home that night. There are a couple references but this is the best. D and C 81:5 (also Hebrews 12:12 and Isaiah 35:3) asuccor the bweak, lift up the hands which hang down, and cstrengthen the dfeeble knees.
Weither you imagine this literally or spiritually, members or non-members of the church are suffering. Maybe suffering seems like a really strong word to use but when you think about it, we are rescuing this people from spiritual death. They need our help and they need the Savior's Atonement. Run to their rescue! A great quote from Pres. Eyring says, “When you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.”
I know this is true. …..Search to help and bless their lives.

A great talk I read this morning by Elder Holland has a quote from him that I really liked and hope you like it too.

“however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”

29 July 2013

...... I'm so glad to hear that you're going to the temple and reading the scriptures and working with the missionaries. This is what the Lord wants us to do. He never asks for "too much". He just asks us to do the basics that we should be doing anyway. We need to grow in our desires to work and be more like Heavenly Father. .....

We had a baptism yesterday and I'll send you more pics next week. Everything is great and we're gonna baptize a lot more next month. I really like my companion and we're working well together. I know this work is true. We all need to realize that other people really need our help, whether they know it or not. Also, it is our personal responsibility to help and rescue other people. The moment that you think, "thats not MY job." or "they dont need MY help" or "someone else will do it" or "I've already done a lot" etc, we stop to understand why we serve others and why this church exists in the first place. I love this work and know that it is true. We can never stop. Press forward, saints with steadfast faith in Christ.

22 July 2013

I got a great email from Valeri! It was awesome to hear from her. I did get to sing at church. A member and I sang two songs. "Abide with me tis eventide" and "Lord, I would Follow Thee". It went really well and a member asked me to sing at her sons baptism next week. It was a good experience. My companion and I are doing really well. We taught a family yesterday and committed them to get baptized! Now we just gotta help and visit them a bunch and hopefully they'll be baptized next month. The dad of this family, has a brother that is a recent convert in a different ward and thats how we met him and his wife. It was a great experience teaching and getting to know them. We have had a couple set backs with people being sick in the ward and not going to church but we're trying to make goals to use our time wisely and do as much good as we can. Today, we cleaned our house and we're gonna visit some missionaries in our zone, eat lunch with them and help clean their house. We taught a couple of new families this week about the restoration and the Book of Mormon and it went really well. I seek to teach with the spirit and testify that Joseph Smith truly saw God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I wasnt there that day almost 200 years ago, but I know that it happened and that the Lord guides His church today with a living prophet. I'm really trying to strengthen my testimony of these truths every day. Just the power to believe is so powerful. Faith is a principle of power. We've been working a lot with the missionary in our zones. We've got a lot of new missionaries and new leaders but I love them all. We had a division this week which is 24 hours that you do a split with another missionary companionship. It was really good and we got to meet some new people and teach some new families. I read a great talk this week that was from this past conference about being accepted of the Lord. The talk gave a great lesson that said,

"When I was a boy, I remember my father sometimes taking me with him to work on projects. We had a little garden a few kilometers from where we lived, and there was always so much to do to prepare the garden each season. We worked on the gazebo or built or repaired fences. In my memory this work always occurred in the freezing cold, heavy snow, or pouring rain. But I loved it. My father would teach me how to do things with patience and acceptance.

One day he invited me to tighten a screw and warned, “Remember, if you put it in too tight, it will break.” Proudly, I wanted to show him what I could do. I tightened with all my might, and, of course, I broke the screw. He made a funny comment, and we started over. Even when I “messed up,” I always felt his love and confidence in me. He passed away more than 10 years ago, but I can still hear his voice, sense his love, enjoy his encouragement, and feel his acceptance."

I feel a profound sense of gratitude and love for my Heavenly Father that accepts and forgives me even when I "mess up". Despite my desire to always do the "right thing", my imperfections and human nature cause me to deviate from God's perfect plan. This is not an excuse to continue doing things wrong but helps me to realize and recognize my dependency and need of God's help. I'm thankful that He loves me enough to break me down and then build me up; "for he maketh sore and bindeth up; he woundeth and his hands make whole." (Job 5:18) I hope you're able to see this occur in your life. I see in constantly in mine. I love you and pray for you often. I know this church is true and that God, the Father lives. He loves and knows us. 

15 July 2013

"Great to see the temple progression!! Dan Parker's beard has never been bigger or better! Thats great to hear about your missionary experiences at home. .......This week was pretty exciting! It wasnt perfect but we had some really cool stuff happen. First off, I really like my new companion. Hes from the south part of Brazil where Jonathan Solomon served his mission. Hes got about 8 months on the mission and we're getting along really well so thats great. Also, we met some new families this week. There were 2 kids at church yesterday that are Americans and there mom is Brazilian. Theyre visiting family here and it was cool to talk to them in english. They're from North Carolina. Last week, we went to a ladys house who is gonna have surgery today. I got to bless the sacrament for the first time in Portuguese. I didnt sing in church yesterday but I think it'll be next week. I'm gonna sing with a member of my ward. I'm doing well and feeling good. Its not too hot here this part of the year. We are gonna do just a small service project with a member who is doing some work on his house. Ive been reading the talks from General Conference and have read so many good talks. I especially liked the talk by Elder L Whitney Clayton about marriage. One principle that he spoke of really hit me and can be applied in any relation.

Humility is the essence of repentance. Humility is selfless, not selfish. It doesn’t demand its own way or speak with moral superiority. Instead, humility answers softly ² and listens kindly for understanding, not vindication. Humility recognizes that no one can change someone else, but with faith, effort, and the help of God, we can undergo our own mighty change of heart. ³  Experiencing the mighty change of heart causes us to treat others, especially our spouses, with meekness. ⁴ Humility means that both husbands and wives seek to bless, help, and lift each other, putting the other first in every decision.   

I love that he said that its basically impossible to change other people but we can and should change and improve ourselves. I love this idea of truly having a "change of heart". There were several other things that I read and liked but unfortunately dont have a bunch of time to share it all together. I really hope you're doing well. I miss you. I love you. Continue to look and pray for opportunities to share the gospel and to bless and serve others. There are hundreds of people that need your help. You have special gifts and talents. Use these gifts from God to bless His children. I know that as you strive and desire to serve others, God will inspire others to serve and bless you. God's love is infinite and powerful. "

These are the pictures that he was referring to:

8 July 2013

So many things going on so I'll be brief and clear. Tomorrow is the transfer and my current companion, Elder Motta will be returning home. Hes a great guy and I'm excited to hear about his adventures back at home. I'll get my new companion at the Rodoviaria tomorrow. The Rodoviaria is a huge, central bus station where we meet to get our new companions and then return to our areas. My new companion is a Brazilian and his name is Elder Maciel. I'm excited to be staying in Sulacap and working with the Madureira Stake. We will have 2 baptisms next Sunday in my ward for two young men. Matheus (Matthew) who is 10 and Daniel that is 13. They're excited for baptism and I'm glad that I'll be staying here to help them. We have several missionaries in my zone (stake) that are going home or to other areas but I'm excited to train and help these new missionaries and leaders that will be arriving tomorrow. ...... I might be singing with a member of our ward, Fabiano, at church this Sunday. Its great when I get to sing but I dont have all that many opportunities to do so. Its funny that simple things make such big differences. I'm doing well. I bought new shoe inserts so that helped a bunch! We're walking a lot but thats nothing new. You get used to walking really quickly. I thought that walking 10+ miles would be a TON but its really not all that bad haha. 

I told some sisters at church that you made 10 cakes and they thought that was sooo much food! Must have taken forever. I ate this soup yesterday that is called dobradinho. I think thats how you spell it. They use white beans, carrots, potatoes, sausage, other vegetables and.... cow stomach. Its pretty good. I've eaten it a couple times. I also ate pig tail a couple weeks ago. It was pretty good but just had a lot of fat on the meat but its good when you just cut off most of the fat. 

Well for a spiritual part real quick, I read an amazing talk by Pres Uchtdorf this morning from this past conference. Its from the priesthood session but you can apply it to any person or member of the church. Its called "Four Titles" and I encourage you to read it and ponder on the amazing things that Pres Uchtdorf says. I loved when he said, 

"It can be discouraging at times to know what it means to be a son of God and yet come up short. The adversary likes to take advantage of these feelings. Satan would rather that you define yourself by your sins instead of your divine potential. Brethren, don’t listen to him.

We have all seen a toddler learn to walk. He takes a small step and totters. He falls. Do we scold such an attempt? Of course not. What father would punish a toddler for stumbling? We encourage, we applaud, and we praise because with every small step, the child is becoming more like his parents.

Now, brethren, compared to the perfection of God, we mortals are scarcely more than awkward, faltering toddlers. But our loving Heavenly Father wants us to become more like Him, and, dear brethren, that should be our eternal goal too. God understands that we get there not in an instant but by taking one step at a time.

I do not believe in a God who would set up rules and commandments only to wait for us to fail so He could punish us. I believe in a Heavenly Father who is loving and caring and who rejoices in our every effort to stand tall and walk toward Him. Even when we stumble, He urges us not to be discouraged—never to give up or flee our allotted field of service—but to take courage, find our faith, and keep trying.   

I loved this part and know that it can be frustrating sometimes but just as a child falls and gets back up again, we must also. Heavenly Father will always lift us up. I love you and will talk to you soon!

1 July 2013

I got Jordan's email and responded already. His senior pics were great. I almost cant believe that Eric's birthday was this week. Seems like such a long time ago that he passed away. I miss him and love him. I love everyone in our family and miss you all. I'm so excited about your experiences with school and Aunt Jill and FCCLA and the temple! I'm so glad that youre keeping busy and doing so many great things! The Lord is richly blessing you and that makes me very happy. You truly deserve the Lord's blessings. It is incredible how fast Jordan is growing up. Hes not a kid anymore. I dont like it haha! I'm glad hes doing well. It was great to hear from him. I really hope Adam is doing alright. I havent heard from him in a long time........ 

I just wish I could help more. I have so much desire but sometimes you just cant get everything done. Just gotta be patient and do your best. The Lord will do the rest if we obey and work to do His will. I'm growing so much. My priorities and desires and understanding are growing and being enhanced by the spritual truths I'm learning. I'm impressed by my own personal growth and am excited for the future. I just need to focus while I'm here and do everything I can to use my last 10 months the best I can. The time has gone by so so fast. Did you enjoy the letters that I sent last week? Its been  a while since I've sent pics so I sent a ton when I could. Well I dont think this email will be quite as inspiring as others but I'll share a little thought. I've been thinking and studying recently about what we should pray and ask the Lord to help us with and what is our responsibility and should use our own common sense and free agency to choose. The first line in Alma 37:37 says to counsel with the Lord in all things. But then there are other scriptures and references like D and C 9:8 that says that we must think it out first in our minds and then after, ask the Lord if it be right. Its an interesting concept and principle to think about. The Lord has blessed us with the capacity to choose and make our own decisions but He also wants us to counsel with Him. I'll do some more studying about this. I gotta go soon. Next week is the transfer and my companion is going home. I'll probly be staying here and I'll get a new companion. I'll let you know how it goes. I'll get my new companion next Tuesday. Well I love you Mom. I think of you often and hope that you're well. I'm thankful that the Lord is blessing us. Always remember to be grateful. Thank the Lord for everyone we have. Elder Bednar gave a talk called "Pray Always". He talks about 3 points of prayer. Theyre all great but read the second point. There is a little story that is great! you'll love it. Well have a great week and have a good 4th of July!......