Easter Week

Hi everybody!

My letter will be short this week!

We had some pretty good things happen this week! We got a new investigator on exchanges with Elder Tolman. His name is Jamie. The lesson was really good. It was awesome how much we used the scriptures to address his needs. He is very willing to read from the book of mormon. Also, he said the closing prayer! In his prayer he said "thanks for sending me these two guys. i'm sorry I didnt' think that meeting with them would really work, but I was wrong." He is a cool guy. about 30 years old. has 2 kids. not sure if they are interested yet. 

this week we also had a rescue activity with the teachers and priests. we visited their inactive quorum members. Brother Inostroza, the young men's president,  is so cool. He is in his 20s and is from Chile. He is such a good guy. The activity was really successful. We went on splits in taylorville, but unforunately didn't get in with anybody. But the other group of kids got in with Tommy, a 15 year old who we have been teaching the last 2 weeks. Our lesson with him went pretty good on Thursday. On saturday, they visited him and gave he and his grandma a blessing. They both showed up to church yesterday!! Tommy hasn't been to church in a long, long time! The quorum rallied around him this week! Great activity well worth it! If you are reading this back home Dad, that would be an excellent mutual activity!! i'd even do it monthly, or bi-montly. As of right now, we are getting more missionary work done through our youngmen than our ward council for crying out loud!

Easter was pretty good yesterday! We spent it at the G.C.s. We got to do an egg hunt with them. We also had lamb for dinner which suited me well. We also had Brother West bring a person from his sober living home, named Casey. It was good exposure for him. He also came to church yesterday! He has questions and wants to meet with us some time. We have a lot of good potentials, we just haven't been able to make them investigators!!

Well my letter is short! It's because I was terrible at writing in my journal this week! 

I learned this week though that The Savior is the only source wherewith we can obtain peace. I felt a little dispair this week even yesterday on Easter, but being obedient to the savior can really bring peace. It is a night and day difference! I love the Savior, and I am trying my best to serve him for all of the right reasons and trying to understand his role in my life more rather than just giving him lip service. It's easy to know a lot of things about the savior rather than actually to come to know him. But I am trying to figure that out, and i'm growing quite a lot from my mission I think. It is great experience. I am 10 months out on my mission today! Oh goodness. 

love you all.

Elder Soutas 

HEY MOMMA!

HAD a pretty good week and Easter!  We had easter at the Giraud-Carrier's home (a bilingual family from New Caledonia).They speak French and english fluently. They are so awesome! We combined our dinner and lunch hours so we could do a egg hunt with them. They hide tiny choclate eggs so it was really fun! Also we had lamb and she talked about the passover! Sister Magali G.C. is in to a lot of things that you are! you would be really good friends with her. You should check her out on facebook or something. She loves old testament stuff. We also had Bro West over who kind of invited himself and a guy named Casey from his sober living home called the Liahona Home. Casey is a potential investigator for us. I felt bad we didn't really teach him anything while he was there since it would have been a great opportunity, but it was good exposure to mormon culture and living for him. 

I did get your easter package! I love the parable of the prodigal son(s). i need to read it over again. I never realized how understanding Jewish culture/customs could brings a whole new meaning to the parables. You should also check out a commentary of the parable of the good samaritan by Todd B. Parker, a professor at BYU. I learned from and Elder's quorum lesson  yesterday that it too is a "distilation of the plan of salvation."  Check it out. 

I did get the holy tabbs. it was actually the wrong size, haha so I spent time making my own that would fit. It's okay though, If I ever train or something like that I will give it as a parting gift. I definitely reccomend it!! Also, there is a sweet method for marking ISAIAH in the ensign. i'm not sure which ensign it's in though. i"m sure you could find it if you looked hard enough though.

Thanks for sending the holy tabs to me anywys This week I also recieved student manuals that I ordered on MOnday for the old testament, new testament, book of mormon, and doctrine and covenants. I am still trying to figure out how to be able to balance my studies without trying to do too much and still making time to study preach my gospel. The last month or so I am just super hungry and thirsty to know everything in the scriptures. There are just so many things to learn. like today I learned that in Genesis 49, it talks about Joseph being a fruitful bough and that his land of inheritance would be the americas, because it talks about how Jacob the patriarch blessed each of his sons with areas of land in Canaan. Joseph's seed, however, would be so fruitful that it's branches would overrun the land of canaan and would go to a distant land of 'everlasting hills' which refers to the rocky mountains and andes mountains probably. And of course, we know that Lehi was a descendent of Joseph who would fulfill this prophecy. I also learned that they arrived in the promised land via the pacific ocean. I always imagined them crossing the atlantic for some reason. 

It can be pretty easy to get all caught up with all of the cool interesting facts in the scriputres, but I learned from all of this that we should read our patriarchal blessing more frequently and use the blessings contained in there to achieve our maximum potential. I seriously need to read it more. I don't get so many of the phrases in there. It seems like I will have a pretty good life though.

Well, i'm glad that you are excited for conference. I am too! Also, I am going to the temple on Wednesday!!!!! So excited for that! 

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

Elder Soutas

Is God increasing in Glory? Yes.     He is not increasing in knowledge - No

In the sense that His dominions increase.      You relate it to being a parent.  As my children grow, in knowledge and glory  it adds to me and to my happiness

Raising each child brings a unique happiness.  And just when you think you are done with your children - what will add to your happiness?  Grandchildren :)

Your Joy increases.  Your glory increases with each generation.     That is what the Plan is all about. An Eternity of never ending, increasing happiness.

Every single time God saves another child his happiness increases, his glory grows       The same is for our own children.

Every time one of his  Worlds become a Celestial Kingdom, His kingdom increases in glory.  

That is how He increases in Glory