CHRISTMAS IN URUGUAY

Christmas Day was really special. It really inspired me to hear all of your voices. I love you all so very much.
We have been loving the Christmas season, and Elder Carlock and I have gotten really close. I should hope so, especially because we are going to be together another change! Well, 3 changes with the same comp. It will surely be fun and very interesting. I’m grateful for it and count it as a blessing. He’s a great guy, and we work well together.

We had a miracle last Sunday at church! This woman who we had met on the street came to church! She just came in and sat down and enjoyed all of the meetings. My companion talked to her in the chapel after church and invited her to be baptized. She has had some difficulties in her life and accepted the invitation. We are going to visit her tonight. Well see what happens!

Attached are some pictures of the adventures of the past few weeks.The first is that baptism of Alisia. She is the little woman with wet hair and glasses and a tan sweater. The big family is the family that shared the gospel with her and invited her to their house to listen to us. The second picture is the navidad blanca activity. There were 5 baptisms, and two more Saturday. We had 15 baptisms in the zone this month! IT was a MIRACLE! We hope to keep improving. The changes have brought some interesting and excited missionaries to the zone. Well just have to keep positive and have faith!
The third is Miguel, who was baptized at the activity. The fourth, our Christmas Eve dinner. It wasn’t finished before we had to go, but they were able to give us some that was cooked as we headed out. The fourth is a picture of the family’s farm house that is just barely inside our area.
Well, I gotta go!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your support! I know this is where I need to be, and we keep moving forward. Hopefully I’ll be telling you about even more miracles next week. I know the Lord works along side us. KEEP THE FAITH!
Love your son and missionary
Elder Boyce
K.C.

Making room in our hearts

I got the package. I opened it today because our pday is today. Christmas will be just a normal day of work, except the phone calls of course! The phone calls are to last for 40 minutes, so I won’t get to talk as much as in the past. Anyways, since Christmas is a normal day, I opened my packages and stuff. I’m waiting to open my birthday one till my birthday comes. THANK YOU so much for everything. All of the wonderful thoughtful pictures, and the ties and shirts. My companion Elder Carlock was really grateful for the tie you sent him. He’s wearing it now. Needless to say, it’s been pretty busy down here! There were four baptisms in the zone this past weekend, and WE HAD ONE! Alisia was baptized last Saturday. Its amazing how much her life changed and how much her heart opened to the Lord. After the baptism, she had the opportunity to share her testimony. She stood in front, held out her arms and said. ¨I feel like a little baby. I’m a new Alisia.¨ She expressed her love for Heavenly Father, and the wonderful experience she has had in the changes she’s seen in herself. It made me feel so happy and excited to keep moving forward. I love this work! She was confirmed at church yesterday, and just beamed and radiated happiness. The ward was amazed by how much she had changed. Everyone was touched. One of the ward missionaries German, was able to baptize her.

Last week, we had our mission Christmas Conference. The whole mission gathered in the church like last year. We all got there, and President Da Silva talked to us as a whole mission about the things we have been learning about the past months in the council meetings. It was great to have the opportunity to talk to everyone. Afterwards, we talked about the verse in Luke where it says that Christ was born in a manger ¨because there was no room for them in the inn...¨ We talked about making room for Christ in our hearts and souls and letting him enter in. It was a very powerful meeting. We took a giant picture of the whole mission. We also got to meet his son William, who just got back from his mission in the other half of Uruguay. He bore his testimony of the work and how we need to just love the people. His daughter also shared her testimony. The missionaries heading home also shared their testimonies. Two of them are the sisters that came with us. IT’S SO CRAZY! We all came together in the airport. We took a big picture of our group too. I’m going to miss them. It gets harder to say goodby each time a group goes because I got to know them longer. It was a very special meeting.Well, we continue to march forward. We have 7 baptisms planned this seek for the 23rd. We are going to have them all together in one church as a stake activity. We have been getting everything together. It’s going to be sooooooooooo special! I CANT WAIT!!! We have a guy getting baptized. Raul´s nephew Miguel. We’re excited for him.

Trust

Dear Mom, Dad, and the rest of the family, and the NEW PARENTS!!!!! Well, needless to say I was just stunned by the amazing pictures you sent. Dianna and Nate sent me some, and I can just tell that Nate will be photographing every second of his new son’s experiences. They truly are amazing and I felt like I was there and I could reach out to touch him. Congratulations Nathan and Dianna! I’m sooooo happy for you! This is truly as Mom said an answer to lots of prayer. Give him a little hug and kiss from his uncle K.C.! I love the name as well. Noah. It’s a very awesome name! I knew you guys would know just what to name him. I love you guys so much! Thanks for the pictures. I hope all is going well and that you are enjoying the new life as parents.Things are just fine here on the mission front. We had a busy week, lots of lessons, and even the ward Christmas party! It was really fun, but it ended up starting really late and we could only stay for a few minutes. I took some pictures of the members and some of our investigators that came. They all enjoyed themselves. The members made sure to give us a few sandwiches and saved us a couple of pieces of cake! It was GOOD! This ward really takes good care of us, and I really love working here. Of course, when we have more potential for success, el diablo se mete la cola en la puerta, but we are just keeping positive and praying for success. We have a miracle baptism this weekend. This amazing humble woman named Alisia. I told you about her a couple of weeks ago. She is just overcoming smoking, and has begun to make LOTS of changes in her life. We came to her house the other day, and she was busy in her front yard cleaning like crazy and washing everything. She even came to church in the cold rain yesterday, and was one of the first people there! It’s amazing to see the dedication that the people have when they feel the true power of conversion. It’s been a real humbling experience to be able to teach her. Teresa hit a bump and has decided not to listen for a while. Needless to say that left us with a big shock, but we encouraged her to pray and think. I was a little upset, well really upset, but we prayed and asked the Lord if we had done something wrong. We both felt the comforting spirit of the Lord and one night as I was sleeping, this thought just popped into my head. ¨Teresa will be baptized.¨ I don’t know when, but we continue to pray for her and fast for everyone. We have met lots of amazing people, we just have to trust in the Lord and trust in ourselves. I love this work. I love this time of year. I am so happy to be here teaching the gospel. I really am surprised how fast it’s going by, and the wonderful blessings it has brought. I would not trade this time out here for ANYTHING else. I love you. I am so thankful to the Lord for all He has given me. I sometimes feel that this is what keeps me going. I have to share these blessings with others. Have a great Christmas Season and may it be filled with happiness and the spirit of Christ. KEEP THE FAITH! Love your son and missionary, Elder Boyce (K.C.) P.S. That little boy has HUGE cheeks! I just wanna squish them!

Navidad Blanca !

The Christmas season is here, and we are pushing for it to be a very white one. Last week, we had some really interesting meetings. We had a leadership conference, and also we had a Zone Leader Council with the Area President Elder Arnold. He is a very amazing man, and has a very powerful way of conveying the vision of the work moving forward. It was quite an intense experience. He got us fired up for Navidad Blanca. We are trying to convert ourselves to the doctrine of baptism and the need to invite EVERYONE or rather challenge everyone, to be baptized. The more we have invited this past week, I have felt an interesting spirit that has helped my love grow for the people and a desire to help them know what their Heavenly Father would have them receive. Whenever I think about what my life would be like without the gospel, it just hits me hard how blessed we are to have this knowledge. I could never thank my Heavenly Father enough for ALL He’s given me.
Elder Carlock and I are getting to be really close. He’s such a funny kid and has a sense of humor that’s easy going. We both take the work seriously but at the same time, we have fun doing it and know when to laugh at ourselves a little bit. We have passed through a couple of trials together and in the recent days, we have found a few awesome people to teach. All of them have accepted the invitation to be baptized, or at least said they would think about it. It’s amazing how many people don’t know they need baptism or that they CAN get baptized! It has really helped people open up and find what they have been looking for. I’ll have to tell you about how some of them are doing next week.
But, we have two set baptisms for the 18th. Teresa and Alisia, two people I have told you about. Teresa finally accepted the invitation after we kept inviting her to make the decision. She feels more firm than ever and is inviting all her family and friends. It’s going to be a great baptism! Alisia as well has been coming to church every week and has a little problem learning, but her faith is really strong and she has changed a whole lot.
It’s remarkable how fast these people change when they make the connection to Gospel truths. I am so happy that I have the opportunity to be sharing these things all day every day!
I love you all! Things are going great, and we are excited for NAVIDAD BLANCA!

Thanksgiving Popsicles

November 30, 2010

Thanksgiving for us consisted of eating a few popsicles that were orange flavored and.... well…. I guess that’s it! Just doing what we usually do! It was a nice day, and we’ve been working hard. This area and the zone have been progressing nicely and the missionaries are focused, working hard, and having fun! Its fun being a zone leader, although you know how I can be sometimes. I can get a little frozen up when there is a lot to do or lots of pressure, but such it is. I feel like I’ve grown a whole lot. I feel like I really love the people I work with. When I remember whose work it is, it just makes it even more special. Sometimes getting all wrapped up in mission stuff, we can forget why we are doing what we are doing. As I was thinking about this the other day, I felt prompted to read in John 21 I believe when the apostles eat with the Savior on the shores. Christ asks three times to Simon Peter if he loves Him. Peter answers three times, the last being the most powerful, that yes he loves Him. Then said Christ, ¨Feed my sheep.¨ It just hit me really hard. I felt a very strong love for the work and my testimony grew of the importance of this work. We gotta just go out and BAPTIZE so everyone can receive the blessings the Lord has prepared for them! Peter’s love for Christ is reflected in the life long service he rendered. I hope I can develop that same capacity of love for Him.

It’s been a great week. We continue to help our investigators progress and learn from the gospel. Many people are coming to church, but it just gets frustrating that so many people aren’t married! However, we’ve found some people who will be able to get baptized this month. Hopefully I will be telling you more about them in my next email.

Hoping for a White Christmas

November 23, 2010

Well, it seems like all of the new missionaries in the zone have gotten settled into their new areas, and it has brought NO shortage of miracles! The work has been progressing so well, and we are looking to having a VERY white Christmas, even though we won’t be seeing a single snowflake.
We have been working as Zone leaders a lot closer with the stake leaders. We have a representative from the High Council who is the Mission Leader. He has been helping us out a whole lot making sure that we all have communication. We hope to have a stake baptism activity with Christmas. It will be very beautiful to see so much white! I think we will plan some sort of other things after the services that have to do with Christmas. We are planning on doing it on the 23rd, Joseph Smith’s birthday. Just to make it even more special!
Last week was quite a challenge, but the Lord blessed us with some really amazing people to teach and guide. There is a family who is part member. The wife, well partner, is waiting for her husband’s divorce papers so she can marry him, and get baptized. She has a super strong testimony, and has been waiting patiently for months and comes to church every Sunday, with her daughter and husband, who is a member. But anyways, they gave us a reference. A woman who has gone through a whole bunch of trials in her life. She recently lost her second wooden house to a fire, but her children were alright. But that’s not the half of what she told us. It’s a story too sad to relate, but she came to the family’s house for the lesson. We just listened, and through her tears, she just related all. I couldn’t understand at all what she must have been feeling, but the husband shared the scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 121. We talked about Jesus Christ and how he suffered all pains and sins and that through Him, we can be healed. After the prayer, there was a huge calm that came over the whole room. There were a few families participating. I felt so humbled by the experience. I thought ¨How did He do it?¨ Its just SOOO MUCH weight to carry! But, as He said, ¨Glory be to the Father, I partook of my preparations...¨ The next day, we talked about the Gospel. She has a lot of faith in God and Jesus Christ. She accepted the invitation to be baptized. She said she felt like something entered into her heart and broke the chains binding her. She slept better that night than she had in years, and felt an overwhelming peace. She felt as though it were God saying ¨Enough!¨ It was a remarkable miracle, and she came to church yesterday, with a leg cast, and her son, who also wants to get baptized.
We also found another family who is part member. The wife had just been thinking of her children and the world they were going to grow up in. She was a little worried. We knocked on her door. Her husband answered. We went in and shared about how the gospel blesses families. They were really happy, and excited to receive us. After the discussion, she expressed feelings that now was the time for her to return and for them to build their family on the principles of the Gospel she had heard years before. It was really touching.
The Lord has been blessing us so very much. Just when we think we can’t go any further, we turn the corner and find that the Lord was there all along. Like it says ¨Be still, and know that I am God.¨

Time is Flying

November 16, 2010

It’s hard to believe that it’s been six weeks since I arrived in Montevideo! Time is just flying. Every time I look, there is another month flown by. The best part is that more and more I really feel like I’m trying to take advantage of this time, though I still have so very much to learn. Well, I guess that’s the purpose of life huh?The work continues to progress very well here. We have a few investigators that have been coming to church very regularly. They have overcome quite a few trials of testimony, and we continue to PUSH forward. As President Da Silva quoted from a scripture, ¨If the Lord is with me, then who can be against me? ¨ I continue to try to adopt that motto as we continue in the work.The mission has seen amazing progress these past few weeks and months. The Area Presidency sent a letter to all missions pushing for a Navidad Blanca, White Christmas. They are inviting us to work super hard so that this holiday season, we can share the gift of the Restored Gospel and invite MANY people to be baptized. We are of course hoping that this fire will continue on into the next year and that we lose whatever fear we might have of inviting people to be baptized. That’s something we have been trying to get over as a mission. Recognize and have a HUNGER for baptizing. It’s starting to work. We are seeing many miracles. IN our area too!

I Know This Church is True

November 8, 2010

This last Sunday was super awesome! There were a few new investigators that came to church, and they were all brought by members that visited them with us this past week. That one woman who lived in New Jersey, Teresa, as well as that other woman I told you about with her sons Grisel and Richard. That was really exciting and to make it even better, Adrian, the boy who got baptized last week, was ordained to the Priesthood, and passed the sacrament! AND to make it even cooler, he bore his testimony in fast and testimony meeting! He said something like ¨I know this church is true, and what I need to do to gain exaltation.¨ Something like that. It was crazy cool, and there were many powerful testimonies shared yesterday. We actually have a lot of investigators that come to church every week, but they can't get baptized because they live together and aren’t married. They are either waiting on divorces or it just takes SUPER long to get married here. Only judges can do it. You have to wait months. Plus the judges are going on vacation until February so they won’t be able to any time soon. But, some continue very faithfully and have made huge changes in their lives. We’ll see what happens. So that’s pretty much what happened last week. I’m so tired. Things move at a whole different pace here, but I’m enjoying it. Next week already begins a new change. I’m almost positive I’ll be staying here in Barrio 13. It’s super great.Oh yeah, funny story real quick. In our ward we have a returned mission president and his wife Hno. and Hna. Perez. Their mission had 10,000 baptisms his time there. Their new calling in the ward.........................................Ward Missionaries......

Conference Sunday

October 5, 2010

What an amazing week we have just had. This was the last week of the change, so as you might have guessed, I’m now out of Florida. But before I tell you where I am headed off to, I just wanted to talk a little bit about our experiences last week. Last Monday, we had a fun zone activity. We went and played football or soccer, in the church. It was a whole lot of fun, but we were a little sore and tired. Church basketball has nothing on soccer in South America. We had hamburgers for lunch, and we had a nice time bonding and spending time together. After pday, we started getting to work inviting people to General Conference. As I told you last week, we have been focusing on finding and teaching whole families, with miraculous results. It really motivated us to keep working hard. The members in the branch were more willing to help us work, and we had many spiritual experiences teaching by the power of the spirit. The more time I have in the mission, the more I realize that we really are just instruments in the hands of the Lord. I feel so happy and blessed and thankful to have this opportunity the more that time passes. That investigator named Robert is doing amazing! He has been finding lots of answers to his questions and has felt his testimony grow. We visited his family, his wife Veronica, and his two children Matias and Estefanie. We visited them with The Rodriguez family, who is our ward mission leader, and his wife, the Relief Society President. IT was a miracle. Robert had accepted a baptismal date for the 16th of October, but his wife was still unsure. We had a very spiritual lesson with them and she revealed her doubt. We talked about it, and the spirit testified. The whole family came to General Conference, which just blew them away. Afterward, she accepted a date for the 16th as well with her husband. She felt something during the conference. The whole family will be baptized on the 16th. We had a Family home evening with them in the Branch President’s home last night. They are REALLY good friends with them, and there was a very nice spirit. We had tacos and guacamole (thanks to a care package sent to Elder Vargas). It was one of the most special experiences I’ve had. Seeing two families coming together and sharing the gospel. That is the great blessing. How much do we have to be grateful for? The fullness of the gospel has been restored, to bless and guard our families forever. It was one of those moments where I felt... well... just happy. Really happy. Anyways, General Conference was very special, and I really feel spiritually fed, as you must all feel too. I really enjoyed each message, and felt the spirit in every carefully prepared message. I felt their humility and love for us, and the love of the Lord that was conveyed through them. Conference is really special, especially as a missionary.

Well, you are probably wondering where I’m headed off to. Well, back to the city. I’m going back to Montevideo. I’m in a division called Colon (Columbus in Spanish) in the northern tip of the city. I’m going with Elder Carlock who came with me to the mission. I’m super excited and from what I hear, they are having loads of success as well. As always, I’m sad to leave, but as you said Mom, change is good. It helps us grow. I love you all. I’m happy you are all safe and that the Lord continues to bless you.

Happy and working hard

September 20, 2010

We’ve been having lots of success and lots of people have been coming to church. This past week, my companion and I and the District Mission Leader met with all of the Branch Presidents, their branch mission leaders, and their missionaries. We did it all in one day, and also had to work in between. There were four meetings. It was pretty crazy. Plus riding everywhere on bikes made it all the more interesting and crazy. I feel like I’m finally able to keep with my companion. He goes crazy on a bike!
We have found some really interested investigators this past week, but of course there is always opposition. But I’m trying to change my outlook on opposition. I’m trying to see it more as an opportunity to work even harder. I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder on my mission than right now, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. We are trying everything we can think of to encourage the missionaries, our investigators, and the members. We have seen great progress, but still haven’t seen great fruits of baptism. San Ramon, a small town, had a baptism last week. A really great woman that I got to interview. She was so humble, but so pleased to join the Lord’s church and accept the gospel. It was a reminder of the great effect our work has on the lives of others and how much we truly can connect and rejoice with them and with the Lord. This really is a great and marvelous work.
We are teaching this guy named Robert. He has gone to a number of other churches and has doubts, but we are helping him to read the Book of Mormon. He is SUPER intelligent. He came to church on Sunday with his whole family. Wife and two kids! It turns out that he is good friends with Branch President Leal. He was pretty excited. The members are too. They have seen us up the ante as it were and have been more willing to help us out and support us. It’s been really fun and I hope we can really continue this. Everyone is so great when a new family comes. They get really excited. I love the church. It helps us so much to follow the example of Christ and apply His teachings. We are also teaching a number of other families. One guy who is a less active and his wife, who has intention of getting baptized. They came to church last week, but they couldn’t this week. Oh well, just gotta keep working and moving forward!
Also the woman we were going to baptize this week Silvia got super sick. We aren’t sure what is going to happen, but we pray and continue to do what we can. I’ll let you know what happens next week!
Anyways, so we keep working hard and trying new things. The District seems really excited. All the branch presidents are stoked and the missionaries are working super hard. This zone really has transformed.

An Amazing Zone Conference

August 24, 2010

This week has probably been one of the most amazing and craziest of the entire mission. My mind has been fried by all the stuff we’ve had to prepare, and all the preparations for the baptism and zone conference. I really don’t know where to begin. I guess I’ll just go for it as usual!
So, we had to get food ready for all the zones, and for a general authority. It was fine, and we got a restaurant to deliver for us. It all went really smooth and everyone was fed on time, and quickly. We had to move tables from other churches to have enough, and everything was set up, thanks to the help of our zone Elders. It was an amazing experience! Elder Arnold talked to all of the leaders first, and inspired us for the changes he wants to see in the coming weeks, months, and years. He said that after his interview with the quorum of the twelve, his perspective of this area of South America (Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay) grew much larger. He said that one day we will see temples all over, and that the work was going to progress in ways never imagined. All of the missions have been neither progressing nor regressing. We’ve been flat. We had an amazing conference in which we talked about how to change this. We have already seen changes in one week! We had 51 baptisms in the mission this last week alone! We continue with great excitement and we all felt a powerful spirit. Especially when he shared his deep and moving testimony of the Savior and this work. He loves this work, and I do too! The leaders had a personal interview with him, I was a little nervous, but he is such a powerful guy. It’s amazing to see how the spirit can invigorate people and inspire them to stretch their limits. Our zone has substantially progressed and the members are more and more desiring to help us and give us references.
The baptism of Selva was great. It was a little difficult due to her difficulty to walk. Our ward mission leader baptized her, but I was in the water to help and support her. Her whole family was there. Her husband and her son and daughter. Furthermore, many others not of our faith. At first the water seemed cold. She wasn’t shocked and didn’t complain. I was praying pretty hard. She had to be baptized twice because her foot came up. She didn’t complain. She just seemed so content. So happy. It was such a spiritual experience. All of the members know her, and they all extended their arms of friendship and love. It was AMAZING. There were tears.

Just so you know, Elder Bennett got called as the new assistant, and I am in Florida again with my third companion here! It was quite an experience. Elder Vargas is my new companion. He’s from Honduras. It’s going to be a great change!

So Stoaked !

August 16, 2010

We have a baptism planed for this coming weekend. That woman named Selva is getting baptized. We have seen lots of miracles with her as she continues to progress and learn. The members are so excited for her, and she has connected so well with the Relief Society. So she will be baptized on Saturday at 5. We are SO STOAKED!!! We are planning on making it a very special service. Her family and husband said that they neither support her, nor impede her. It’s her decision. However, we have seen her husband open up a lot. He is a very famous doctor, and he has shown lots of respect for religion. He personally doesn’t believe, but he said just for now. Selva told him she had hopes that her family would follow her. Her husband said ¨I can’t promise you anything.¨ She said, ¨It doesn’t matter I have hope that one day it will happen.¨ It was amazing. He has taken her to church sometimes, and has told us how much it impresses him to see so many people and how happy they all are to see each other. I know he felt the spirit. One day, maybe very soon, he will come to know for himself. Most of the members have children or grandchildren whom he has delivered. It’s pretty cool. Lots of her friends are starting to open up as well. She said there was another relation of hers that wants to read the Book of Mormon! Man, I REALLY DON¨T WANT TO LEAVE. I know this area is just going to keep growing. We have also been teaching Susanna. I’ve already told you about her I think. She is an English teacher, so we teach her in English. We have had some very powerful discussions with her. We have had to speak very slowly and clearly, but with these simple phrases, the spirit has come so powerfully. She has prayed, and has felt something unexplainable. Hard to put into words. As all you returned missionaries know, this is music to every missionary’s ears. We have explained that these simple yet profound feelings are the Holy Ghost. She continues to read and pray, and loves talking to us. Especially because we help her with English. But we have seen a great change in her. I’m excited to see what happens. Winter continues to freeze us. It started off really nice last week, but then it plummeted. It got really cold. Thankfully we were inside teaching most of the time. We have found lots of new people and families to teach this past week. We were blessed as we just continued to look and find people to teach. You always gotta be looking. You never know who the Lord has prepared! I was reading a little bit in 2 Nephi 9 this past week again. I love Jacob. He talks so directly and with such love. Verses 50 and 51 really caught my attention. I apologize if I have already shared these with you, but it was just a nice reminder of the importance of the things we have, and the blessings of the gospel. I am so thankful that the Lord has revealed to me the importance of these things and that through His plan, I can live with you all forever. I hope we can keep having success and find those lost sheep.

Love the people

July 6, 2010
Things have been a little tough, and we had to push back a few baptismal dates and such, but things continue to go well here in our zone. It’s hard to believe that another change is coming to a close. I’ve already been in Florida 3 months! It doesn’t feel like it. I hope I get to stay another change. I’ve learned a lot here. I’ve finally started to get used to the area and know the people, but as you know when this happens the Lord usually takes you to another area. Oh well... Even with the distractions of all the World Cup affairs, which have been quite a sight to see, the work continues to move forward. That woman named Selva still continues to read and progress. We also have another man named Edgardo. He is getting married to a member. He is an elderly man in his 60s I think. He is reading the Book of Mormon and absorbing everything like a sponge. He has come to church with his fiancé for a couple of weeks now and wants to get baptized. He is a really neat guy. He is sort of deaf. We have to almost yell to teach him, but he learns very fast. His fiancé helps him a lot. Probably more than we do. We have also started talking to the owners of the house we rent. They live above us. The missionaries have taught them before, but they never took action. We shared a video with them and shared our testimonies with them. They are so nice, and love to talk with us. However, they still aren’t sure. I think it’s just a matter of time and patience. It was kind of fun. I feel like I’m an ordinary member talking with my neighbors! It was a really neat lesson, and I think I have learned so much more to just love the people and just be natural.

Actions speak louder than words

Sorry I have not updated in awhile. Thanks to a friend who reminded me today and thanks for reading.

June 7, 2010

This past week in church was really nice. Lots of the members came, and lots of people shared their testimonies. I just felt this wonderful peace and simple joy. In priesthood, they were working on reorganizing their home teaching efforts. It was great to remember all the times I went out with Dad. It made me think of how grateful I was for those experiences and how great it was for the youth to be able to do that. Even though I really wanted to sleep on Sunday, I am so grateful that Dad always made time to go visit and always motivated me to go with him. I am so thankful for that. It was nice to see their excitement and I pray that all goes well for their program. It will really help lots of the less active members return to the church. I wanted to thank you as well for all your prayers and support. I have really felt them supporting me and uplifting me. As Dad told me months ago, Angels fly because they take themselves lightly. I’m trying to apply this more and not take myself too seriously. As you know, in certain circumstances and situations, this can be difficult for me. But I’m learning. I suppose this is why the Lord chooses young men and women to serve missions. I read a scripture the other night that has inspired me to give it all I’ve got. I have heard it before, but it kind of rang true in particular to me in this occasion. D&C 58:26-29 We are who we chose to be. Our actions speak so much louder than our words. We need to be working hard with our own initiative to bring about good things. I am so thankful for you all, and the huge examples you have played in my life!