Hey, Family!!
It's
been an awesome week!! Conference was GREAT!!! People were definitely
jealous of our shirts :) I'll try to send a picture later.
It's been a little wet here, but it really hasn't
been bad. We got poured on last week, but we had a good time about it.
We're good at having good attitudes :) We figure you can't change it,
so enjoy it. So we biked through all the giant puddles and stuff haha!
It's great. I'm expecting it to get worse here, though. It's been
warming up... It's been like 70's and I think it hit the 80's this week.
Super hot. No fun haha I am going to DIE out here!! Elder Bentley
has told me horror stories about having a temperature of 117 and 100%
humidity. The elders actually got quarantined that day :) But still,
that's HOT!! We'll see how I hold up :)
Ok, so recently we've been
teaching this excommunicated member of the church here in Jacksonville.
This guy LOVES LOVES LOVES us. Absolutely loves us. He's is the nicest
guy, and he really respects the church. But he has TONS of hang ups over
the church. So whenever we go over to his house, all three of us go
into the discussion knowing that it's basically going to be a sugar
coated bashing session. It's actually really interesting. I feel like
I'm debating with my 15 year old self. A lot of what he brings up and
points out is something I thought of when I was 15. And this guy is like
50 years old. haha It kind of shows what a high level of spirituality
our youth are being raised in :) Unfortunately, today will probably be
our last visit, unless he is able to move past some of his issues.
That's awesome about Devin
Criddle's mission call. West Virginia! When does he enter the MTC?
He'll find out, the Lord knows exactly where we need to be. We don't
get to choose where we serve. haha I wish more people understood that,
though. Since I've been out I've seen how good and bad elders are
called to EVERY mission.
So, to answer Dad's question, what is the source for "Hurrah
for Israel"? I know there's a story about how Brigham Young and Heber
C. Kimball were like SUPER sick and were called on missions. After a
couple months they were strong enough to leave their beds and depart on
the mission. They both got into a carriage, and when they were at like
the edge of hearing, they stopped the wagon and yelled three times
"Hurrah Hurrah Hurrah for Israel!!" I read that story in a talk given by
Tad. R. Calliste called "Being a Consecrated Missionary". This is an
excellent talk. It really sets a standard for missionaries.
Your
scripture this week... Ok. So I remember a long time ago reading a
talk by Elder Holland called "Place No More for the Enemy of my Soul." I
remember reading it, and I don't think I got anything out of it. haha.
Sorry :) I would probably get more out of it if I read it again now...
But, like all of Elder Holland's talks, that is a scripture. So, happy
hunting :) I found that scripture like a week or two ago. And I love it.
Absolutely love it. That scripture, in combination with a few others
that I've found, have really helped me lose my desire to sin. Another
one that has helped me is Helaman 7:16? I can't remember the scripture,
but I'm pretty sure it's Helaman 7. In any case, the scripture says
something like "why should you give way to the enticing of him who
desires your destruction?" Again, not exact phrasing. That's a
paraphrase. But when I read it, it hit me. Why do I give way to
disobedience, or sin, or anything else? It takes me back to something
Elder Pieper told us when he came in January-- "What doctrine don't I
understand?" I like the difference between what doctrine don't I know,
and what I don't understand. I can know that I shouldn't do something,
or that I SHOULD do something. But until I actually do it, or my
behavior changes, I haven't actually understood :) It's like that quote
by Boyd K. Packer, "True doctrine understood changes attitudes and
behaviors." I absolutely believe that!! But yeah, happy hunting on the
scripture :)
I love you! I hope you've had a wonderful week!! I hope Dad
has found friends to do things with while Mom, Kaiti, and Parker have
been out of commission! haha But yeah, Have a great week :) !!
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!
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