Hello
everyone!!! Another week down and everything about it was good! Last week was
really slow. We had lots of things happen but not very many lessons or discussions
taught. But sill lots of cool things that happened! Before we get to that,
there were some questions asked that I want to answer! I think that Tanner
Galloway is going to go to California somewhere. And I think that Trevor
Bursach is going to Argentina or somewhere in Europe. Things are really
changing back home aren't they. I have been told by a lot of people that
missionaries come home and are super disappointed because they are expecting
things to be pretty much the same but it is not at all. People move, friends
get married, unfortunately even some people pass away. I knew things were going
to be different when the family moved to the new house but I didn't quite know
how much different it would be. I still don't know I guess but it good to know
that most things are changing for the better!
It is always
sad to hear about people leaving the church and getting divorced. Even in the
church, there are people who are actively going to church that still have lots
of problems. I think that is because satan knows that we are on the right path
and has to spend that much more time on us instead of those that aren't on the
path. An example of this is in Lehi's dream in 1st Nephi chapter 8. There are a
few different people mentioned. There are those that never grab onto the rod,
those who grab on but let go halfway on the path to the Tree of Life, those who
make it to the tree and taste of the fruit but fall away, and those that taste
of the fruit and keep eating of it! Notice how it says that the people that were
holding onto the rod and that made it to the Tree of Life were mocked. It
doesn't say those who never grabbed onto the rod were made fun of or laughed
at. The tree can be taken as the Church of Jesus Christ. There are many many
people that are on their way to make sacred convenants such as baptism and
there are many people that make it into the church! But it is these people that
were mocked. After people fell away, they weren't mocked anymore, it was so
much "easier" than staying on the path or staying at the Tree of
Life. That is because satan knows this church is true and doesn't want anyone
else to come to that same knowledge. And it tells us why those people that were
at the Tree of Life fell away. It says "after they had partaken of the
fruit". They stopped eating it! They stopped coming to church and reading
their scriptures and praying. Whereas the other people were pressing
"forward continually" toward the Tree and were mocked for continually
"partaking" of the fruit. The only way that we can remain true to our
covenants and to the church is by continually doing the things we know we must
do.
There is my
Spiritual thought for the letter. :) My clothes are fitting great!
I have torn 2 of my pants though because my legs are getting so big (not from
fat, muscle all the way!!). I have plenty of shirts and socks and garments. My
shoes are holding up and I have more than enough ties! Elder Gilsons birthday
was this last week!
On Thursday I
learned something pretty interesting. Our church is not the only church to
believe that we can become God's someday! To other churches, it is known as
"Deification". I found a talk thing all about it from Keith E. Norton
online. It was really interesting to find out that not all the truths were
lost, but they were just scattered among all the other churches in the world.
But it was the Priesthood that was lost/taken from the earth. Also, I found out
that the Earth was in a "terrestrial" state when Adam was in the
Garden of Eden. This also means that Adam and Eve had "terrestrial
bodies" which is why they couldn't have children. After the Fall, the Earth
"fell" too making it turn from a "terrestrial" state to
"telestial" state. When Christ comes again, it will again be turned
to a "terrestrial" state and then after the Resurrection and Final
Judgement, it will become a "Celestial" state, even the Celestial
Kingdom where the righteous will go to become Gods! Just some cool information
to know! Later that night we got to attend a missionary setting apart for
Calleigh Summers. She is going to Georgia. I would have loved to go down that
way but I love it here even more so that's okay. :)
Friday we
were asked by one of the missionaries out here, Elder Charles, to go visit a
family he used to teach. Their name is the Boswell's. They weird thing to me
was brother Boswell is the young mens president and all of him family is very
active! So we stop by and his wife greets us warmly and quickly invites us
inside to have strawberries with cool-whip. She told us that has been meaning
to call us so that we can teach her daughter. Tori is 10 years old and not
really their kid. Well, yet anyway. For the past 2 years, the Boswell family
has been trying to adopt her. She has been coming to church for those 2 years
and has begged her real parents to let her get baptized. But for whatever
reason, her real parents have told her no. So she has just been reading her
scriptures and praying and coming to church just like she knows she needs to
because she knows it's the right thing to do. The cool thing is, the Boswell's
should finalize the adoption papers by the 19th or 20th of September! That
means Tori can get baptized! So we talked with her and set a baptism date for
the 20th of September so she can get baptized right after the adoption which is
what both she and her parents want. She is such an inspiration to me! How often
do we want something really really bad but are told no and so we just give up.
She knew what she wanted and it was a righteous desire and the Lord is most
definitely going to bless her and her family for their continual diligence to
the right, even though it was a hard and long process.
Saturday we
did some service for one of our investigators, Edward Seale. Ed is in his late
60's and lost his wife about a year ago. But it is still hurting very much and
he is still down on himself for that loss. He has good reason to be sad but I
am so so thankful to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation! It really
lightens the burden and sting of death. Anyway, because of this loss, he has
lost all desire to get work done around his house, especially his yard. So we
came over with the sister missionaries and attacked his front yard with
weed-eaters and rakes. It took us about 2 hours to get his yard done, that's
how big it was. We didn't even rake it all cause we ran out of time. The weeds
were easily over 4 feet tall throughout his yard! The ones against his house
were over 6 feet tall! I couldn't see over them!! But we got it all down and
mostly cleaned up and he couldn't help but cry. He is a very emotional
gentleman and he definitely had a softening of his heart from this act of
service! Keep him in your prayers that he will continue to feel of the Lord's
Spirit and accept the message that we have. :) Something very sad happened on
Saturday though... I lost my CTR ring... I was putting get in my hair after
helping some members move and I remember taking it off to wash my hands and
then we left right afterward. Somewhere either at their house or on the way to
our house, it got lost. I can't find it in the truck and they've looked all
over their house. It is sad but I've learned to let little things go that I
have no control over. Like when I got my long board stolen, I was upset but I
was able to let it go cause it is just a material thing, both that and my CTR
ring can be replaced. I hope I find it someday but if not, life will go on!
Sunday was
kinda awkward. We went to a farewell out in Fort Thomas ward. The whole meeting
was off... The first speaker didn't look up from her paper for her entire talk.
She kept the same dull tone the whole way through and took up 35 minutes of the
meeting. That left Kody McNair with 10 minutes to speak. He started off by
pulling out his phone and said, "Bare with me for just one second. I have
to record this talk for those people that aren't here today." I'm pretty
sure that isn't allowed... But the Fort Thomas ward is just kinda weird like
that. Everyone is super close so you will hear people from the audience yell up
from the congregation to the speaker in the middle of his talk! It is super
weird... But then Kody said, "Bishop asked me to speak on how I
prepared myself for a mission. But instead, I want to talk on friends." I
can see how you can tie friends into preparing yourself for a mission but he
didn't even do that! He just blew off the topic Bishop had asked him to speak
on. It was a very weird sacrament meeting.
But the
highlight of my week was of course our Zone Conference with Elder Malm of the
Seventy! Oh, he was AMAZING!! He didn't just stand up there and give some
speech about what he thought our mission could do to improve. He stepped down
from the pulpit, came in front of us missionaries, and talked with us like we
were having just a normal discussion! He asked us what we thought we could work
on to improve our mission. We talked about desires and obedience and
perseverance when things look bleak. These are a few notes I wrote down from
the meeting.
- Matthew
14:16-21 is the feast with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Christ took what
they had, blessed them, and then gave it back to the apostles to give out to
the people. It makes me think of Ether 12:27 where is says that the Lord will
take our weaknesses and make them strengths. This is not for our benefit, it is
for the benefit of those were are serving. The catch is, the apostles gave Him
all they had for him to work with. We can't hold back anything from the Lord if
we want to become the missionary (or member) we want to be someday.
- Matthew
14:25-31 is when Christ and Peter walk on water. We know that Peter took his
eyes off of Christ and started to sink. Christ of course caught him and saved
him. But then what? It doesn't say but we know it was stormy and the boat
couldn't have traveled to where they were that quickly. So did they get back to
the boat? This means (it is not doctrine but an opinion) that Peter walked back
to the boat with Christ holding him up. Christ won't just catch us when we
fall, but will walk with us when we need Him.
- STUDY
HELAMAN 5!!! It is all about Nephi and how amazing of a missionary he was.
There is something to be learned in EVERY verse in that chapter.
- A General
Authority asked to people to come up to the stand as he was giving his talk. He
handed them each an end to a piece of string that extended the entire length of
the stage they were standing on. He walked to the middle of the string and tied
another string into a knot around the long string. He then said, "This
long string represents time and eternity. This knot is our life compared to the
rest of it." Our life is so miniscule compared to the expanses of
eternity! What am I going to do now to make this life actually mean something
afterwards. Thinking about my mission, compared to the rest of my earthly life,
this time is so small! And yet there is part of my mission that I can
unfortunately say I was degressing or not learning anything at all instead of
progressing and becoming the missionary I want to be. How will I look at my
earthly life in a million years? Will I say I have lived it well or will I look
back with regret? Then make those changed now.
- Never Run
Faster Than The Holy Ghost!!! The Holy Ghost is the teacher and we are just the
tools to help it come into their hearts. If we rush through a lesson, if we
don't follow the promptings, or if we cut it off by talking, it will leave.
Silence is the greatest tool the Spirit can use to teach people. That is one
reason why the Celestial room is so amazing and why we can learn so much.
Notice how there is little noise and that takes away most of the things that
would distract us from listening to the Spirit.
- Ask ward
council these 4 questions:
1) What is
the goal for this ward?
2) Where do
we want it to be in 2 years compared to now?
3) What goals
do you want to accomplish?
4) What do we
need to do to get this ward where the Lord wants it to be?
All of it was
amazing but these are the major points that hit me and are helping me want to
change the way I think about things and the way I do things. I got pictures
with him afterward! I also got pictures with Elder Hickenlooper and our
descendants! I forgot my card reader by accident so I will send them to you
soon! I have just about filled up my card by the way. I think I have like 200
pictures left is all. I will send it home soon!
I love you
guys so much! Thank you for your emails and helping me become the person the
Lord wants me to be! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!
~Elder Kyle
Harris
