Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Life is more better!

20 January 2014 

This last week was crazy and great at the same time. When do I not start a letter saying that "this last week was crazy!?" Life as a missionary. It's always going forward.

We were able to take To. and the L. family to the Temple Visitors Center last week. It was an amazing experience. I could really tell that all of them were feeling the Spirit strongly there because of the kinds of questions that they would ask. All of us, including me, got something out of our visit that day. I can't really describe how the lesson was, it was just centered around the plan of salvation and the temple. It was simple, yet powerful. As a result of it we got a text later that night from the L. family truly thanking us for taking them to the temple and To. started to read the Book of Mormon for the first time on his own free will. His wife was really excited about that. 

I was also able to give To. an old suit jacket that I ripped the pants to (don't worry mom, it was one of the suits I bought after I could no longer fit into the ones I came out in. I got it from Goodwill for $20) and also a shirt that had shrunk in the sleeves and a tie. He looked so good at church. It looked like he was built for that suit coat. He was just happy to have something to go to church in other than his jeans and sweat shirt. Now he's styling!

The thing that I've been studying a lot lately is the difference between obedience and consecration. A lot of the difference is merely our desires. God doesn't want blind obedience to spiritual laws. He doesn't want the bare minimum requirements so that we can get into heaven. He wants us to know Him. He wants a true relationship with his kids. He wants to "hang out" with us for lack of better phraseology. But he can't be with us if we don't WANT to be with HIM.  He put it simply in John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments." The only way that we can truly get to know him is through obedience.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson is coming to our mission this Saturday. My mission president called me and asked me personally to lead the special music number in a "dignified manner." It'll be cool to be up there close to an Apostle. I am truly curious as to what he's going to say to us, especially considering that we're going to be getting iPads within the first week of February.

I love you all. I hope you have taken the time this week to try and "hang out" with our Heavenly Father by reading the scriptures, or praying, or going to the Temple and church. In the end, that is the most important relationship that you can ever develop.

No comments:

Post a Comment