February 23, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

This week went by fast and yes it is already February 23, Crazy Eh?!?! I am loving my new area, my new companion (who was here in this area before me so he is the senior companion) and I'm loving the people I am working with and teaching as well. I am going to use my new found baking skills to befriend our ward mission leader's son and help encourage him to go on a mission. He seems to be a lot like me, and is going through almost the exact same situations that I did before my mission.

I am in the Hunter Copper Hills stake and I cover the 5th and 7th wards. I went from the poorest area in the mission to the richest area in the mission. It feels really weird walking down the street and having million dollar homes on either side of you. These people are a little less humble than the other area but hey I love them already! It’s fun to work with such a variety of people. I am in the highest part of the mission so I can see the whole valley and even see down town Salt Lake City. It has been really weird weather wise here. It’s been super hot, and super cold, Mother Nature just can't make up her mind! Let’s see I gave a talk this Sunday in the 5th ward on service, but just before I spake these two sisters did a musical number on piano and violin of a medley of "if you could hie to kolob," and "come thou fount" which was so beautiful. It was a tender mercy from the Lord because it calmed my nervousness down a lot and I was able to give a decent talk! We then went and taught the 12-14 year olds about the Doctrine of Christ. We teach this stuff everyday so it wasn't too hard to make up a lesson on the spot. 

Okay so I'm going to back track and tell you some funny stories that happened this week. So story number 1: So I miss working back home with my brother in the machines and coming home with dirt everywhere; I like dirt and rocks okay. And I keep telling that to Elder Hernandez, my new companion. So Elder Hernandez remembers that there is this nice looking boulder in front of someone’s house and we walk and we walk till we finally reach it. He says "go jump on top of it!" And I'm like "No this is in someone’s yard! and I'm not wearing boulder climbing clothes!" so he gives me his iPad to take a picture of him on top of it. He goes over, gives a little hop and raises his leg to climb the boulder and he stops, looks back at me and says "I think I ripped my pants!" And as he turned around I saw his pants that had just burst, from the crotch to his calf. I almost cried laughing. So it was cold out but he still had to take off his jacket to tie around his waist so no one could see his crazy ripped pants. We walked to our dinner appointment and I had to do everything to cover up his leg. I walked in front of him, and distracted the people to me so they wouldn’t look too much at him. Boy was that funny. 

Story number 2: So we went on exchanges and I was actually with a missionary that just came out from Cardston Alberta. He's really loud and obnoxious but he's a cool guy. We were walking down the street and this lady pulls over to the side of the road and we both thought, "alright, someone to talk to!" but no this was no ordinary lady. She pulls up and demanded to see our authorization to preach the gospel. We laughed and smiled and was like oh yeah, sure. She didn't crack a smile. She again said, "show me your authorization!!" so we're like " are you serious?!" and we showed her our ministerial certificates, and she was somewhat pleased. She proceeded to tell us her whole life story and then some. She saw us and thought she'd check that we weren't giving candy to little kids and luring them because we were missionaries. She basically called us creeps, demanded to see our authorization (which comes from God) and then gave us her life story and really creeped us out. We walked away from that one in silence, because there was absolutely nothing to talk about, it was so weird. 

Here is my talk I gave in Sacrament meeting...

Sacrament Talk (5th Ward) - Service

(Introduce myself) (youngest out of 6 children, from Alberta Canada, love music and sports of all kinds, worked heavy machinery at a tree farm to earn money for my mission, love being a missionary and am blessed to be here and serve with such wonderful people)

Service: Physical and Spiritual

These two aspects of service are very closely intertwined, which I will illustrate with a short story. 

< A while back when I was about 12-14 years old I remember going to the church building on a lovely fall day in September for mutual activity night, and at the time I did not know what we had planned to do at the activity. 

With such amazing weather I supposed that we would play football or something fun outside. As I reached the front door our leader came outside with a bunch of rakes and plastic bags. I had never before heard of a game using lawn equipment so naturally I got excited, for a second, till he told us that we would be spending that lovely day providing service by cleaning up the church property and some member's houses in the neighborhood. 

My excitement quickly depleted as I was handed one of those rakes. I spent the next two hours grudgingly slaving away. I can remember that my day at school was not the most positive experience that day so I was looking forward to activity night, which had quickly turned into work night. 

I had the worst attitude about me but slowly I noticed near the end as we were finishing up that my attitude miraculously changed. As I raked leaves up for families who otherwise physically couldn't do it, I began to feel a little happier, I started to smile, I even laughed a few times! 

I learned that day of the spiritual uplift a little physical service can have, to the giver and the receiver. I went into the service with the worst attitude which isn't the best thing to do but It showed me the power that service can have in our lives for good. >

I personally love service because it can have such a profound effect on people. It can soften our hearts and open our lives to the love of God. I love to see how physical service can bring such spiritual relief and edification; remove stress and fear, and bring happiness; We can also see as well that service of a more spiritual nature can indeed, lighten our burdens, lift our spirits, and remove the influence of the adversary from our lives.

You never know how much the effect of even the smallest deed can influence and bless someone's life. We as members must "...be not weary in well-doing, for [we] are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

I once heard from a speaker in a devotional who referred to these "small and simple" acts of kindness as "Lollipop Moments." Now let me explain to you what a lollipop moment is. 

So this man was promoting a fundraiser at BYU one year, just as the new school year was starting. He was wearing a ridiculous costume with a crazily colored shirt and quirky pants. He also had a bucket full of lollipops that he was handing out as he was promoting this fundraiser he was a part of. 

He noticed a girl in line to get her books who looked a little sad; he noticed her head was down and was keeping to herself, So he walked over to over to the man who was in line behind her and said "give this lollipop to the beautiful girl in front of you." She smiled as the man who stood behind her held out his hand sheepishly and gave her the lollipop as his face turned bright red. 

This man who was handing the lollipops out left and kept going about his business and handed out more lollipops. Years down the road this man got a phone call from a certain lady who was once a student at BYU. 

She began to explain to him how that very simple thing he did that day changed her life. She graduated BYU and had an amazing time there, she was welcomed to her new student life with many wonderful friends, and that man who stood behind her in line and was told to give her a lollipop, was now her loving husband. 

The crazy part was that this speaker who was giving out the lollipops, didn't even remember doing that. He had no idea he had such an impact on this woman's life.

The point of this story is that we all have lollipop moments in our lives; small simple opportunities that can change the course of someone's life. We must never underestimate the power that our actions, our examples, can have in others' lives. We must act on promptings from the Holy Ghost, who will inspire us as to how to serve others to bless them in their time of need.

The Lord knows us. He knows we have our challenges. He knows when we are having a bad day, when stress or doubt overtakes our soul. The adversary can sometimes so effortlessly fill our minds and hearts with such depression and self loathing as to cripple our ability to serve our brothers and sisters. 

We must realize where those thoughts come from and turn straight away from them. I realize that some of you may feel heavy laden, even now in our lives, but I pray that none of you would ever feel that reaching out in normal, pleasant ways to share the gospel would ever be a burden. Rather, it is a privilege! There is no greater joy in life than being anxiously engaged in the service of the Lord.

The key is that you be inspired of God, that you ask Him for direction and then go and do as the Spirit prompts you. When we as members view the work of salvation as our  responsibility alone, it can be intimidating. When we view it as an invitation to follow the Lord in bringing souls unto Him to be taught by the full-time elders and sisters, it is inspiring, invigorating, and uplifting.

Brothers and sisters, the covenant we made with the Lord when we were baptized, “to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in” (Mosiah 18:9), is a lifelong commitment. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf counseled, “Those who have entered the waters of baptism and received the gift of the Holy Ghost have set their feet on the path of discipleship and are charged to follow steadily and fully in the footsteps of our Savior”

The Savior was and still is our ultimate example of selfless service. We can see through His earthly ministry and his atoning sacrifice for all of mankind, of the pure love He has for each and every one of us. Our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, have laid the foundation, prepared the way, and given us every good thing we can and ever will have in this life and the life to come. Now how can we show our love for God and all the blessings He has given us? We can serve our fellow brothers and sisters, because we read in Mosiah 2:17...

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

The Savior only emphasized that principle of service in a parable that he shared to teach the importance of service. In the parable, He returns to the earth in His glory and separates the righteous from the wicked. To the righteous He says: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me”

The righteous, who are puzzled by this declaration, ask: “Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?” 

Then the Lord answers, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”

The Savior invites us to give of ourselves in the service of others. Our opportunities to do so are limitless. Each day, look for ways to gladden hearts, to say kind words, to perform labors for others that they cannot do for themselves, and to share the gospel. Be receptive to the whisperings of the Spirit, prompting you to serve. You will find that the true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Matthew 16:25

Fill your life with service to others. As you lose your life in the service of Father in Heaven’s children, Satan’s temptations lose power in your life.

(Bear Testimony)

Thank you so much for your letters and emails this week! I love reading them! Please keep sending them!

36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma 37)

It makes me realize how much more I need to pray, even when I think everything is going alright, because I need to learn to counsel with Him, to ask Him, to say please and thank you more often, and abide in Him when all hope seems to be lost. We went to the Jordan River Temple today and it seemed normal, although I had really missed going to the temple because we don't go as often here. like I said it was a normal session until I got to the Celestial Room, where I sat down and said a quick prayer, and before I even finished saying, "dear Heavenly Father..." my eyes welled up with tears and immediately my whole soul seemed to be filled with the Spirit, and I felt the love that God had for me, and I knew that what I was doing was right. It was the most joyful, peaceful feeling that I had rarely before felt. I loved it! I love all of you back home! Have a great week! 

Love Elder Patterson