4th missionary letter

L K J I H G F Sunday, 6/4/17 Dear Wonderful 6 missionaries! Welcome to June.

Our stake did the “Trek” this week! I asked Greg Walker why his forehead was so sunburned? He was in Pinto for 2 hours welcoming them back yesterday. Will Walker still looks like a Jedi knight but his forehead is fried.

10 Things:

1- On the trek they do a Women's Pull. No boys allowed. Those carts are difficult at times. Especially up rocky slopes. Both Sister Jodi Gardner and Taylor Black insisted it was the most incredible feeling to be so exhausted pulling and then have the boys come out of the forest and help. They couldn't keep from crying. I have never heard the word “brothers” used so lovingly so many times as they bore witness of their gratitude for men and priesthood holders and partners. Man it feels good to be loved and wanted doesn't it brothers!

2- Mark Jensen is conducting and first to testify this month. He could hardly talk to start with because his emotions were so strong.

3- There are certain words I say without thinking and they just leave my mouth easily. I listened to a General Conference CD as I drove 2 hours to Ottercreek Reservoir and 2 hours back yesterday. (I have issues with wasting time.) I can stop and pray anytime I want, I can sing with the choir anytime I want, it turns out to be a wonderful spiritually nourishing experience. Anyway, if I say Jesus Christ or Savior while thinking of what it means the tears just start and I can't hardly speak. Yesterday I discovered that Elijah is a name that has a similar effect for me. Why would Elijah bring such strong feelings? I index everyday. Surprise.

4- In SS Shannon J quoted Sterling W Sill: One of the most important events on the divine timetable of the world's future is the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ. This will probably be the most momentous happening ever to take place in the history of the world. The most often mentioned event in the entire Bible is that wonderful, yet awful experience that we will have when Jesus Christ shall come to judge our world. There are many important gospel doctrines mentioned in the Bible only briefly, and some not at all. The new birth is mentioned in the Bible nine times; baptism is mentioned 52 times, repentance is mentioned 89, but the second coming of Christ is mentioned over 1,500 times in the Old Testament and 300 times in the New Testament. If God thought this subject that important, he must have wanted us to do something about it. The Holy Bible forecasts events before they happen, and much of our history has actually been written down before it occurred. [The Second Coming\Elder Sterling W. Sill\Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles\Sterling W. Sill, Conference Report, April 1966, pp. 18-21] v- the world plan never appears in the Bible. There is no Plan of Salvation/ Redemption/ Mercy/ Happiness in the Bible! There is no baptism in the Old Testament. I get a kick out of the holes in the Swiss cheese of the bible. But, but 2^nd Coming? Woah! What does that tell you! Pretty exciting actually.. .

5- I took 9 lbs of lead fishing weights to my BoM class Thursday night. No I am not the teacher but I have to show someone my teaching aides. I passed around the Bible and the box about the size of the BoM. My classmates were not expecting the box to be so heavy! That is like the purity of the Book of Mormon. It is truly pure, Elders!

6- Taylor Black teased the Bishop about never having born her testimony in sacrament meeting and never would! But she was so touched by the Trek experience she shared today. Man can she talk!

7- We say that the Book of Mormon has the fulness of the gospel. I was shocked to find so does the Bible! We make a big deal about all the things missing from the bible but it has the fulness of the gospel. Jack Taylor thought maybe the Nephites knew down to the day when the Savior would be born because they did not have the fulness. Since we do, we don't. Since we do have the fulness we don't know the day he will return. Personally I don't think that has anything to do with it. I borrowed Cameron Tolman's scriptures so I could show Jack the first three lines of the BoM Intro: “The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel.” 

When I first read that intro carefully I was shocked. The Bible does?

Today, I tried to look it up online. Those 4 words have been removed from the intro as of 2009 edition. That surprises me.

8- Sister Diana Larson was in ICU last Sunday. We had no program today.

9- I wrote her an inviting email last week offering 25 ways of serving her. The last one was, take her husband out to dinner!

10-I felt wasted Friday evening. As I prayed about it and relived my day I realized that my frustration at not being able to get in my Chartway Credit Union bank account had left me feeling a failure. Does technology ever do that to you? Do other things ever do that to you? Saturday morning I listened to RMN tell me the opposite: True disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to stand out, speak up, and be different from the people of the world. They are undaunted, devoted, and courageous. 

I felt like that was an answer to my prayer. HF didn't need wimps! He needed wumps! {That is the sound a courageous saint's footsteps make!}

11- In December I asked Darrin Salmon how long he was going to grow his hair. He said until February. A couple of weeks ago I sat by him in priesthood and told him February was long gone. He said he could sell it online for $300. Last time he was going to donate it to cancer victim. I was surprised at his change of heart. Perhaps he was just feeling grumpy. Today it was all gone! I announced it as he came in to priesthood. He has a hard time smiling.

12- Last Sunday Pres Charlie complained of a deaf ear. This week he could hear again. He says it came unplugged somehow.

13- Todd May asked if he could buy some lead fishing weights. I have 248 left. Of course he can. He said he will drop by this week. I like to tease. I wrote his name on a gold paper, cut it in half and taped one half on his door this afternoon. “The other half is on my front porch.” I taped it on the box of Pb/lead wts.

14- JS was one of the weak things of the world. Isn't it cool how the weak things are made God's tools!