Well Hello there everyone...did i say hello? haha, anyway. How in the world are you all doing? How is life going for you all? I sure do love reading your emails. You guys make me laugh. It sounds like you are all staying busy and having a fun time. please let me know when Logan Horrocks gets his mission call. I am so excited for him. =)
The bulk of my email this week will be about things that I have learned as i have been studying. I recently finished the Book of Mormon again and started it over. Right now i am reading in Nephi, about his brothers and things that he teaches to them that apply to us. Chapter 15 is pretty awesome, i had never really noticed it before but Nephi gives his brothers (and us) some great council about how they can be clean and enter in to the kingdom of God. He simply starts with a question "have ye inquired of the Lord?" Which is a powerful thing to ask, not only does it explain that they would understand the things Lehi saw in his vision, but that if they were to council with the Lord in all thy doings, "he would direct their paths for good" if we do everything we can to ask for the Lords advice and help i can only imagine the heights we could reach and the peoples lives that would be changed.
He then tells them to "give heed to the word of the Lord" (notice he is basically telling them the simple basic things we should be doing daily) He promises them that if they do give heed to teh word fo the lord they would never perish, niether could the temptations of the adversary over power them,. What a powrful promise. HE then exhorts them to not pay attention to the wickedness that is around them. Imagine how different the world or our lives would be if we tried our hardest to avoid the things of the world and the wickedness therein. We could focus only on the happy things, man. that would be awesome. I just thought this was really cool. THat had never stood out to me before.
THen Laman and Lemuel teach us a bit of truth too in chapter 17. In verses 20 and 21 they teach us about happiness, and "false happiness". so they kinda start complaining about how if they would have stayed in jerusalem they "might have been happy". It made me think about two things. first of all, no matter where we are in life...happiness is a choice. We choose whether or not we want to be happy, yes they were wandering in the wilderness, yes it was probably ridiculously hard, but they were doing what the Lord commanded them to and had they just kept in mind the blessings in store, they could have been happy beyond measure. Happiness is found in doing hard things. =) also it made me think again about the false advertising the world gives us of happiness. The world makes things look like they will make us happy, "if i chew this gum...i will be happy" haha (ok bad example) If i have money i will be happy, if i have this fancy car...i will be happy. Yeah you can be happy, but how long does it last? Til the flavor of the fgum is gone? til the money is gone? till the first payment of the car is due? or in Laman and Lemuels case, til Jerusalem is destroyed? "oh that cunning plan of the evil one" I am so so so grateful that i have the spirit and a prophet and love ing parents and a family to help me like laman and lemuel did to know that i can have true happiness in the restored gospel of jesus christ.
Sorry that was all kinda random stuff but i liked it. Emily was baptized this last saturday, it was such an awesome baptism, The spirit was super strong. I heard someone say that there is a special spirit at baptisms, and i was so glad i got to take part in that baptism. We have seen a lot of miracles with emily and she has definitely been through a lot for a 15 year old. Having to be taken out of her home would not be ideal. then have to go back in and be taken out again? man...she is a trooper. I know for sure she was one of the peple i cam to oregon to meet. after the baptism we went to the fellowshippers house that she lives at and ate dinner, and she brought a non member firend to the baptism, (who wants to be baptized as well!) and we were talkignto them about why they liked the church so much, and emily simply said "i dont know how to explain it, it is overwhelming, but it feels good." such a simple and powerful testimony. Her friend said something similar, she said that after going to other churches this one just feels, the other ones dont.
What a miracle it is to be able to know without a doubt that our savior lives. and that he loves us. OUr heavenly father plaaces us in ever situation we are in for a reason. Our job is just to figure out why. It was cool to see emily figure out what she needed to do. it is such a blessing to know that the simple little daily things will be of eternal significance. and we get to choose to be happy about it all. I love this gospel so much.
I hope you all have a fantasmatic week. be safe, be smart. have fun. know i love you all with all of my heart. =)
love,
Elder Haydn Nelson
also here is a sweet quote:
"...come to realize that most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance,-and if it is, the Lord will help us. But we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction"
-Carl B. Cook.
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