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Monday, August 4, 2014

Mission Letter Week 55 - 04 Aug 2014

HOWDY! So first note is that I sent a snail mail!!.....on Saturday..... :P Sorry it took so long, but it will get there!!

Emily! That’s great that you got to go to the temple! :D And it sounds like you had  blast at the Bishopric Bash too! I still remember going to mutual and all the fun I had and the things I learned. I definitely have a testimony of the youth program in the church and of how much good it can do for the youth if they let it...sounds like you are letting it. :) It’s good to hear that you are making good friendships too! Some of them will last a very long time. Picking good friends is really really important. We are teaching a guy named L, and he picked a bad friend and when his friend sold him something, he didn’t tell L that he had stolen it and it got L in BIG trouble. Not saying that that will happen to you but it makes a huge difference in your life if you have friends that help you be better instead of worse. :D Keep being awesome! <3

Braky, glad you had a good time at the temple! When I get back that’s one thing I want to do more. It feels good and it helps a lot of people that want the gospel. Yes, I am nuts, but only in pictures. I don’t like taking normal pictures. Very boring. :) Just keepin’ it real! I get it from you ya know! ;)

Mama, I'll start by saying Elder Harper is most certainly not just putting up with us… often he instigates the silliness! XD But Elder Ray is a trying to survive the tide a little bit. XD We LOVE the W's. When I found out Sister W served in Plano I FLIPPED! :D We've talked a lot about her mission, and his mission too, and all sorts of other crazy things haha. They are great and are helping to teach L, T and J... L and T, I think, I mentioned last week and how they showed up to church, as well as E, the grandson of one of our members. There is also J, T’s brother, that we are teaching.

GO ANSON!!! That is fantastic! :D I’m so excited for him! He's gonna be a great missionary and do swell. :)

So the questions.

I’ve listened to most of the music. I LOVE the classical!! (Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Essential Chopin, In A Classical Mood: Nights in Vienna, & The Reflections: Classical Music for Reading). I might listen to it so much the CDs will wear out! XD hahaha. I also love the EFY CDs, and the Timeless Hymns of Faith (by Amazing Grace) and Hymns of Worship (by by Fernando Ortega) CDs (I think that's what they are called) and EVERYTHING!! I can’t remember all the CD names off the top of my head but they are much awesomeness! :D THANK YOU!!!!!

The work here is phenomenal! ( I spelled that right the first time! :D) This ward has some of the greatest potential I’ve ever seen before! The members are pumped already, the Bishop is all about missionary work and actually GETS THE JOB DONE. Seriously, I have not seen a member this involved in missionary work. Personally involved, and as a leader! He is a champ. We go on splits every Tuesday, our number of lessons has been going up, we are having investigators thrown at us practically and absolutely NONE of it is even our doing! L, T and J are good examples of this, as well as E. :D We are very excited for these next couple of weeks.

I have learned in the last couple of months more than ever that attitude really is everything as far our levels of productivity go. If we want to be ABLE to have faith and see success we have to believe it, by having hope and happiness. Without that there is no hope, and without hope you can’t have faith because hope is an integral part of faith. SO BE HAPPY!! That's always kind of been my motto in life. "Be Happy". I didn't realize how vital it is to do so until recently. :) It’s actually necessary for eternal HAPPINESS... Derp. Whodda thunk? :D I guess I finally got it haha.

Through this happiness and understanding of how important it is in our lives, I have also come to realize that building our relationship with our Savior is vital to that positive attitude in life. There are many different kinds of "faith".  Faith in my own abilities. Faith in money. Faith in family. Many others... but the most important is Faith in JESUS CHRIST. When we faith in Jesus Christ, the greatest of all, we can have the greatest HAPPINESS of all too. So that's what I am working towards and that's what I invite people to do.  How? Faith in Christ. Repentance and a "mighty change of heart". Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, by someone holding the Priesthood authority of God.  Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, also by someone with that same authority, for the guidance and SANCTIFICATION of the Spirit. And then keep living through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Repent, Obey, Repent, Obey. Its easy to understand. It can be hard to do though many times. I have found it very difficult to simply get over my own pride at times. But I can do it.

I am glad to be here to learn of these things and to share them with others. I love you all! have a great week :)


~ Elder 9



PHOTOS shared by awesome, thoughtful members in the Bakersfield Mission (Thank you!):

Elder Nine with Elders Harper, Ray, and Hjorth
(do you see the two peas in a pod?) ;) lol!



On the way to a discussion Friday night.
SO thankful for local folks who care for our Missionaries!
Like a family away from home!



Sunday night dinner!





That was yummy!


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