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Showing posts from May, 2018

May 16th

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Hello everybody! Time is really getting weird. I feel like I've been in Ohio for an age. Not that it's dragging out at all--I'm enjoying it. Time is just weird, you know? Apparently I am getting my first baptism! Sort of. An elderly woman I met with Elder Smith in Las Vegas, Cheryl, is getting baptized this Saturday, so I'm told! She was a very nice, funny, and quirky woman who lived about two doors down from us. I wish I could be there, but I'll just have to settle for some pictures. I didn't guide her all the way to baptism but I was there at the initial contact and several lessons afterward, so I suppose it counts. We have spent a lot of time here in Westerville helping some members build a fence for their garden. It might not sound that involved but it's a rather big garden by backyard-garden standards and it has taken, combined, probably upwards of ten or more hours to get most of it done. We are very nearly there! (For healt...

May 9th

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Hey guys. This week I read the great "Beware of Pride" talk by Ezra Taft Benson. It's something everybody should read. He lays out the universal sin quite well. I especially like this section: We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (See D&C 38:24; D&C 81:5; D&C 84:106.) We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. (See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3; D&C 63:55; D&C 101:4–5; D&C 108:1; D&C 124:61, 84; D&C 136:31; Prov. 9:8.) We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. (See 3 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C 64:10.) We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. (See Mosiah 2:16–17.) We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. (See Alma 4:19; Alma 31:5; Alma 48:20.)...

May 2nd

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Hello everybody, We are meeting people and teaching people, yet I'm finding myself with less and less to say. Maybe it's something only other missionaries will get. It's just hard to condense everything we do as missionaries in one week into an email. The good news is I have a crud ton of pictures this week. I'm definitely learning a lot every week. This area did not have a lot of work going on when we got here, and we've had to pick it up. But good things are coming. Elder Penny is great. We get along very well. Even me, who is naturally poor at getting along with people. Even though he and I may somewhat disagree on what North American country is the best (heh), we handle everything that comes up. It's something I definitely need to improve at, and slowly I am improving. Ohio is a really nice place. We are in a completely flat part of it, but it's green and getting warm. I am enjoying it. One thing I want to do again is invite you ...

4/25/2018

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Hey everyone, This week has been pretty interesting. After realizing that the area is really way too big to be a bike area--it takes over an hour to bike from one end to the other--we petitioned our leaders and now we get a car every other week, which will really help the work here. In class on Sunday we talked about a couple of things that I want to share. The prophet Abinadi's story is a testament to how we don't always see the point of preaching God's word, nor do we always see the results of our efforts. As far as Abinadi knew when he died, nobody has listened to him and he died pointlessly. But without his testimony Alma wouldn't have been converted and the rest of the good things in the Book of Mormon wouldn't have happened. Then there's something from Moses that they talked about in the MTC that I forgot to share-- Moses 6:31-32 31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, s...