Family!
I would like to thank the Lewis family for their e-mails this week! Both long e-mails too! Yall are the best!
Brady, I was really touched by your story man! I know that's such a cleche saying, but your story about what Tessa said about feeling really special in the temple really touched me alot. Thanks for that man.
Jamie!! First long e-mail from you that I've got in a while! Man I loved it! I love hearing from you so much! I know you literally have your hands full and that's so ok don't even worry about it. But I just want you to know that your e-mail made my day/week/month/everything up until December 18th.
I want to start off my e-mail by sharing an experience...2 experiences!
First one is with a guy named Andrew. He is the classic drunk guy talking to missionaries story! haha. He walks up to us as we're going to see someone and he starts giving us a motivational speech, throwing in a bunch of random stuff with it. He said ,"You guys, I'm not ever going to forget your faces." "Don't ever give up! You never know when you're going to touch someone's life, like you've touched mine tonight, just by seeing you guys I feel God's love." "When I look at you guys, I see Angels" haha he was very passionate haha. He said some cool stuff, and for the returned missionaries reading this, you know about those drunk guys you run into. He was one of those cases.
Second.
We had a 9 week follow up training meeting on friday that Elder Sumsion and I taught at. It's basically where the trainers and their trainee companions who are in their 9th week of training come and recieve instruction from President Bowen and The AP's. We had a meeting all together and President and Sister Bowen instructed us. Then we took the trainers into a room and instructed them while President talked to their companions and then we switched, at the end we all came back together againl.
I want to share something that touched my heart from that meeting. Something Sister Bowen said. She was talking about the Lord taking care of our families while we're here. She read from the book of 2nd Nephi chapter 27:20-21. The Lord is talking about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It reads:
" 20 Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.
21 Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work."
She talked so lovingly about the support of the Lord and how that's all that we need. She related an experience about her family background, how her mom's kidneys failed just before she came to the mission and her mom needs another kidney and her innactive brothers and sisters aren't there to support her mom and how she really wanted to be there and help her mom, but she knew that the Lord would take care of it. She explained,"How could we let ourselves think that we can do a better job at taking care of our loved ones than God? He is their Father too. He loves them just as much as we do. And he is just as willing to bless them temporally and spiritually while we are here serving him."
I know with all of my heart that that is true. That we need not put our faith in any other source than the Creator of all. He is our best resource of support. He will be there to right any wrongs, and the praise needs to be to Him. Look at the example of Nephi and his brothers. The classic illustration. The murmuring and decieving Laman and Lemuel, had so many opporunities to look at the good in the world and to appreciate the blessings that they recieve, but instead they look at faults, they pointed the finger at their brother, they looked to who they could place blame, they didn't rely on the Lord at all after all the blessings that they received! Their younger brother Nephi was a shining example to them and they couldn't even see that blessing of having a prophet in their own family! We are blessed to live in a time where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is restored! The Priesthood is on the earth! We have chosen servants of God that live in our own state! We have a knowledge of the Plan of Salvation! The Lord has allowed us, His children, to be apart of the work in His Kingdom! We have testimonies of His truth! We are members of His true gospel! We can't get any more blessed than that! One of my new quotes on the mission is "I'm too blessed to be stressed." Not only is it a hilarious quote, but it's the truth! No matter what we're going through, we are too stinking blessed to be stressed! Because the God os Salvation is on our side! I know that as we apply these things in our lives that we will find continually, everlasting happiness. Our joy will be full, and our obedience, faith, and gratitude to God will provide the key to unlock the stresses and temptations of life and set us free. We are the Lord's children, apart of His kingdom. He is able to do His work.
Soap box session 56: check
I'm so sorry to ask for this, but if you remember I got a speeding ticket clear back in like April, the office has already paid for it, but I need to reemburse (<incorrect spelling) the office for it. If it's ok I just need a little help in paying for that. I have some money from people that have sent me money throughout my mission and I can definitely use all of that to pay, but I'm a little short :/ so if I could get some help with that I would really appreciate. Sorry about that.
Elder Sumsion and I are having a ball!! Everyday is a blast! It doesn't matter if we knock doors all day and have 0 success or if we are too busy to even handle everything we have on our plate, we do it with joy and love every minute of it! Attitude is everything. We are having such an amazing transfer! It's awesome you guys!
We have 2 people getting baptized later this month!
Michael who I told yall about, from Morrocco. We're meeting with him again tomorrow and he's excited about the church! He's becoming a really great friend to us! We love him!
And we still Edward, the 12 year old! He's excited to get baptized! It will be on the 22nd of this month. He's a great kid! We're teaching him about the Plan of Salvation and relating it all to a football game cuz he plays football for his school. It's going to be pretty awesome.
I went on exchanges to New Port on saturday! it was soo awesome! I found an awesome sandwhich place that we have to go to again! And we went and got some Balboa bars with the rest of our dinner time. We did some proselyting around the coast and all over newport! It was soo awesome you guys. I absolutely loved being a missionary. Walking the same streets that we walk with all the fam, I was walking them and proclaiming the Restored Gospel! People for the most part were actually really nice, just not interested. Set in their ways you know? But it was incredible you guys! I took some pics! Which reminds me! I finally got a good box to send home my SD card so expect it soon!
Aight you guys, I gotta let the other missionaries get on the computer.
I love you so much! I miss you!
Keep hanging in there Dad! I love you! I hope everything is going well and I hope to hear from you mom or chad by next week!
Love
Elder Keyes
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