July 16, 2012

229 Days left. Hei siella! Everything is going very good. I got my package from the smith's this last week. Things have been so great lately!!! I can't even tell you how happy I was to recieve those gifts from home! I wasn't expecting the gifts from Disneyland. Yes I made sure to capitalize the D in the word out of reverence. When I received it I thought of all of our old memories! This is where dad is rolling his eyes, but you just wait buddy!! I am going to buy you a goofy t shirt, while we're sitting on small world for the tenth time! Man I miss you all! But I still don't want to be with you yet haha!! We have had a very good week. Elder Anderton and I had to part. It was kind of sad to see him go, but I know that He will do great things down in Helsinki. I am so grateful that I was able to serve with him. He taught me so much about who I am, and what I need to become. Whatastud! I took him to the train station and sent him off. My new Companion Elder Van Geenen is way cool!! We get along very well. We have seen a lot of miracles just in the last week we've been together. He is from Holland, however he speaks english like a black american guy haha. It is soooo funny. We got a new elder in our district fresh out of the MTC. When He came to our apartment. I pretended to be from Holland with my dutch accent. IT was soooo good!!!!! I made it 35 minutes before the new elders companion said, okay come on stop it!! I could have kept going! But ya know, being a missionary is all about being mature. Maturity and body building... uh I mean... yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa this is my life haha!!!! In my personal study I have really kind of been focusing on the difference between being valiant, and being obedient. I have come to the conclusion that the difference is: being valiant is loving god with all your heart, and keeping his commandments out of love, with trust that His ways are higher than our ways. Obedience is good, however just being obedient is not enough in god's eyes. He want's us to use the atonement to want what He wants for us. Sometimes we want to kick against the pricks, and we wonder why it causes so much discomfort!!! UHHHH why can't I watch this TV show, uh...... it's only a little bad....... UHHH it's not bad to miss church some day's uhhh I'm not perfect....... UHH mom, it's not that big of a deal to take the van out illegally,,,,, I'm like 15......... Surely there was teenager like that out there somewhere in the world. But seriously... We need to have clean hands and a pure heart. Clean hands means that we repent when we sin. A pure heart means we use the atonement to turn away from the mistake we do. We change to conform to what the Lord wants for us. We so often ask ourselves these questions.......... why am I not happy?? hmm.......... maybe we should follow the plan. of . happiness. haha We had a great experience. Last sunday we found an investigator who has been so prepared by the Lord! We were going into a building, and he walked up at the same time. We contacted him, and he said come in to my place. We taught him, and he loved it. A few days later I called him just to thank him for letting us come over. He told me, "As soon as you all left, I felt this warm feeling for like two days that what you were saying is true." Elder Perry, "woooow!" (side note, plan your responses so you don't sound like a goober) HAha just kidding. But then throughout the week we have met with him a lot, and He is doing great! He has read all of 1 Nephi, and has a testimony of the Book of Mormon. He really wants to come to church and "become a mormon!" (his words, not mine.) These people are out there, we just need to use the atonement to change ourselves and repent to follow Christ. As we do so we will let Him do His work in His way! The reason being because we will be clean. He is already talking about how he needs to start doing missionary work in his family haha! I love missionary work! It is so amazing to see the hand of the Lord in my life, and the lives of others. I wouldn't trade this time for anything! Although I miss my family and guitar, and my saab (..........................ehkä ei) I really love it here! Miracles are happening! As we are pure in heart, as we trust in His hands to help and heal us, He will. John Bytheway quoted someone by putting it this way. "Whatever Jesus lays his hands on lives. Whether it's a marriage or a family, or a life that simply seems to grow darker, whatever Jesus can lay His hands on, it lives, and heals. We just need to come unto Him and let him do it." I've noticed in my study of the New Testament that the people typically had to go to Christ to be healed. I testify that this is true. He lives, and loves us. Well........ cool. I love you all, Will