Our thoughts dictate our actions

January 19, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

 Thank you for all the inspired words you sent me this week. Those talks and quotes you've sent, especially the one dad sent by Elder Scott, I read this week and It had a huge influence on me. That article about prayer He talks about is amazing and It's helped me. It was so great to see this new addition to the family this last week! I love hearing that the boys remember me.  I treasure memories spent in our family home evenings, holiday traditions, going to church, reading and watching spiritually uplifting things on Sundays... the list goes on! I love you very much and thank YOU for your example to me.  I feel like my testimony is growing at such an incredible rate that my vocabulary and my ability to express myself is lacking far behind as to my spiritual growth. I love to read the scriptures and I have so much to read and learn, so much to do and work on, it sometimes becomes overwhelming being surrounded by so much good! I wish I could spend all day reading and studying, but that would be selfish of me and to not share the gospel is not going to help me progress, or anyone! We need to bear our testimonies, convert ourselves, and bring others to the same beautiful knowledge that we have of our loving, Redeeming Savior and His restored gospel on the earth today! Here is an excerpt of my letter to the Mission President of some things I've learned this week in my studies...

This week was a rough week. The beginning of the week was full of cancellations and no shows. We found a family who's been searching for the gospel for a long time and have been doing research into different churches and told us that this is the church they chose. I was so happy to see their little family excited when we taught them the restoration! It was an amazing feeling. We set up a return appointment this week and they weren't home. I was sad but knew that we would see them again soon. Elder Cook got a throat sickness and has been having a rough time these past few days. We've been able to organize a few splits so I can go teach but we had a tough time getting two members to help us with that. Elder Cook has been getting rest and we've been using our time as wisely as we can, organizing and studying, doing service for others. Since I've been able to recognize my feelings and realize how they affect me, I am much more able to remain positive amidst trials. I've also been doing a lot of reading on setting goals based on my heart's desires, and learning how through faith, prayer, and obedience, those desires can come to be. I've been reading and pondering what brother Bayer spoke to us the other day, and connecting my studies on faith, obedience and fulfilling ones' hearts innermost desires to our thoughts and how they influence us for good and for bad. Every thought, even the idle or passing thoughts, leave and imprint on our souls. I read in Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." and to add to that I placed this verse in Luke 12;34 right after it, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  My thoughts reflect the desires of my heart. My thoughts also reflect what I treasure most. So I've taken much thought as to what I am thinking about. I realized how easily it is to become distracted and aloof to many things in life. Idleness is far away from Godliness. I've done some reading and have adopted a way to become more in control of my thoughts, which affect so much else in my life. 1) I need to train myself to be conscious of my thoughts, 2) learn to scrutinize my thoughts to determine if they add to or detract from my faith, 3) If a thought detracts from my faith, replace it with a thought that is based on faith, such as reminding myself of the Lord's goodness, thinking of His willingness to help me, recalling His numerous promises in the scriptures that if I ask in faith He will bless me, or recalling the countless times He has answered me and blessed me in the past.

I also realized how important our righteous and faithful thoughts can improve our outcome and hope for a brighter future. I read Ether 12 again today and got much insight out of it. Now when I set goals I will try to create a mental picture of the thing for which I am striving and repeatedly bring that picture to mind. Before I can with my physical eyes see my desires accomplished I must first see my goals and desires with an "eye of faith." (Ether 12:19) In a very literal sense, desired ends must be created spiritually in the mind before they can be realized. I've always been told that I would serve a mission, not if, but when. I know if I want to get as much out of my mission as I can, I will replace doubt with faith and picture the man God sees me as becoming. If I want to bless the lives of many people here as a full-time missionary, I will see them as for who they are and what they will become if I put my faith in God, for I am here to bless other's lives with the testimony, gifts and talents our Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I again do not want to attribute my thought process to limiting myself of always setting myself up for perfection, because I know I can't yet hit that, I won't for a long time, but I know if I do my best to have a positive, faithful outlook on life both on and off a mission, then God will bless me and those placed in my path. 

I also received a Christmas Gift form one of the awesome guys we are teaching named Paul. It was a book called, It's Better To Look Up! life experiences told from the pulpit. Its a bunch of awesome stories from the recent years of General Conference and I was able to read that and study many things this week due to us being stranded in our apartment again. I loved it! If you can get a copy at the church book store you should. 

 I love you all and hope you get better! GET BETTER NOW!!! OKAY!?!? I can't be worrying about you here so just stop being sick. There now here are some pictures of our Pday activity at the stake center.