Happy Monday sweetie! I've missed you so much this week! Seems like it was a long week to me... I hope it wasn't for you:) I just couldn't wait for Monday to get here so I could hear from you and know how you're doing.
How is everything? Did Axel end up coming to church? How are the others doing? How is training and your new comp coming along? And most importantly... how was your birthday? I hope you got a little bit of special treatment. We all thought about you all day and hoped you had a great day.
We had a good week. It was homecoming this weekend so Abby went with Cater and a group. I think they had fun. She looked so gorgeous She said she is sending you pictures so I wont duplicate that. I have attached some pics with me and dad with Abby:) We watched the byu game (until 1:30am because of double overtime) and got to see Gray in the stands at the very end... going nuts after the win. It was awesome. Also, i'm sure dad and gray will tell you about it but I'll send you the pic:)
So a few things going on here. I think I told you Karlee Winters is getting married at the Draper temple in December. I'll be there for the wedding. We are bring ol steady betty out to provo one more time! Since Gray will be there another semester, and since we are going to Utah for Christmas, we thought we'd bring it out. Hopefully it will make it another time!
The election is .... ugh... There is a Mormon guy out of Utah that is a really interesting guy. I think he is super solid but it would be tough for him to gain enough ground to do anything meaningful. Trump is down about 11 points in the polls now. No one likes Hillary but his trashing women constantly (lots of recordings that I'm sure he never thought would make daylight) are just devastating. I want to throw up everytime I think I might have to vote for him. I haven't decided what to do yet. Never voting for Hillary... but might consider a third party candidate. He is just disgusting and I get so mad when I hear evangelical Christians supporting him and asking us to overlook his moral flaws... the same Christians that were blasting Romney because he was too rich... or he put his dog ontop of the car when they went on vacation... or he was "too straight." I actually read a rolling stone article where the guy was apologizing to Romney since now we are stuck with the two crappiest candidates EVER! The funniest meme I saw this week was "Remember when Sarah Palin was the craziest thing in politics? Good times..."
We had the elders over for dinner last night. They are great missionaries. I listened to them talk about how in each area there are people that pretend to be interested in the gospel only to target the missionaries and their "goal" is to send the missionaries home with doubts and shake their testimonies. I never thought about that. I just can't believe how hard Satan is working on people right now. Can't imagine spending that much time trying to tear someone's faith apart. It goes along with a talk I listened to this week from Elder Holland. You may have heard it. It was given to missionaries in the MTC and I think they replay it for new missionaries when they arrive at the MTC. I'm putting some of the text here and also attaching a youtube file. I'm not sure if you can watch it but if you can, its really great. The longer I teach seminary, the more I realize that everything in the gospel points to the Atonement. Missionary work is no exception and Elder Holland makes the connection so beautifully. (see the text at the bottom of my letter).
I've wondered if you had a tough week. You have been on my mind so much ... I really hope I'm wrong. But either way, the words from Elder Holland are perfect for you.
I LOVE studying the New Testament this year. The early part of teaching seminary is rough... but I love how I am so entrenched in the scriptures. Something I thought about this week is how every time Heavenly Father introduces Christ, he always calls him his "beloved son." I know how he feels. You are my beloved son. I want you to know how much I love you! You are my hero and I am constantly thinking of this amazing thing you are doing and how you put your own desires aside in order to put the Lord's will first. It's something that I teach but don't see it always in life. You are such an example to me and our family. You are our beloved son, brother, grandson, cousin. You are precious to me. I love you so much my son. Have a wonderful week and know that you are in my prayers EVERY day many times. I did go out on your birthday and look up at the moon. We're under the same moon. Not so far away. I love you Sam.
xoxoxoxo
mom
p.s. This week is Ama's birthday.
Elder Holland
"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?
You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation neverwas easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.
Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.
For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.
If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” 16 then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.
The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
Here is the link if you can watch. It's about 10 mins.
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