So many great things happening! First of all, the thing i'm most excited for. SLC south is splitting :) We found out about that beCAUSE, they are the only mission in the english speaking world who baptises more people per missionary per year than us, and that's only by .1 percent. .1! We're so close! but after they split we'll be the highest baptizing mission :) :) Not that it's a competition, and not that i'm trying to be prideful but i'm ecited! There's so much hard work that goes into it!
Anywyas, gosh, so many good things. Our baptism this past week was great. It was another navaho dorm student and she asked me to baptize her. It was a fantastic service. I loved it because it was only a small group of her closest friends, 3 of which we baptized. And to see them give talks and stand up and bear their testimonies and talk about their future missions and experiences they've had with the spirit and so on.. I shed a few tears. I'm just so so grateful to be able to see such fruits of our labors. You don't usually get to see things like that. It's awesome. Our baptism for this week is still on target also.
I'm pretty excited about your utah trip, i'm not going to lie. I'm so so jealous that you get to see the prophet! That's my dream also.. Don't ask me how, but somehow i've found time to read and am almost done with his new biography and he is an amzing. Man. I would give just about anything just to see him..
I'm beyond excited for Christy too. I pray for her every single day and i can't wait to see what her life brings in the near future. As i was thinkin about her gettin married i realized how much i love her and how protective i feel over her ha I'll have to make sure my gun is cean and oiled as soon as i get home ^_^
There's not really anyone i can think of you should come see while you're here. It wouldn't make me homesick or distracted or anything but i really can't think of anyone or anything. I know there's alot of people who would love to meet you but that can probly wait until after the mission :) So you're probly good.
So how much longer do you reckon you have as the stake relief society president? I was thinking about that yesterday. You've been in there a long time! While you're here, if you get to meet sister oaks, ask her if i can come meet her husband after my mission :-) That's another one of my dreams. Elder Oaks is my favorite apostle.
I don't think there's anything i need either. I'm doin pretty good. That's exciting about the carpet. What color?
Quick thought:
I've been reading 3 or so books at once lately and one of them is a book called "the continuous atonement" by brad wilcox. It's one of the very best books on the atonement i've ever read. (i'm gonna have quite the book collection to get when i get home :p) In the book he points out something i've never thought about.
He explains how there is a difference between Christ being our "savior" and "redeemer". I never noticed but we seem to think those are the same thing when in reality they're not. Christ is our savior because he makes it possible to overcome our sins. Alot of people say that that's all that matters, that Christ makes it possible to start over, to become as we were before we ever sinned, perfectly clean. While that cleansing is absolutely necessary, it's so much more than that. Why would Christ want to just make us the way we were? He is our "redeemer" beause he makes it possible for us to change. He can change our hearts to become holy.
In moroni 10 moroni expresses this. In verse 30 he exhorts us to, "come unto Christ" and in verse 33 he explains why. "Unto the remission of sins (savior), that ye become holy (redeemer). A remission of sins is one thing, but to become holy is something else. Neither of these things can be forced on us and both come from recognizing Christ is our Lord but without the redeeming, we would never be changed. Our heavenly father didn't send us here to live and to be made how we were through the atinement, The power of the atonement is the power and grace of Christ to change us to make us as he is. To change our very hearts, not just forgive us our sins. That's how we can use the atonement as the "steering wheel" rather than the "spare tire", And i know that to be true.
For example satan tries to use our thoughts against us alot. As a missionary if i see a girl walking down the street and i allow my mind to wander i lose the spirit and lose blessings. I promise Heavenly father everyday that i will do my best to controll what i can, my mind, etc. things in MY control, if he will influence and change the things that i can't. Like my heart. It's a neat thing to witness and one i'll forever stand in awe and grattitude of.
I could go on and on and explain it alot more in depth that would probly make more sense cause i just butchered that ha But maybe i'll do that next week, we gotta go to the dry cleaners.
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