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
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