This letter will be short as I am running low on time, but I will still try to make it worth reading.
This week we had a cool guy named Than Hrang come to church. He is a recent convert from Burma and more recently from Idaho--a refugee. He speaks little English. He made some good friends from the ward, particuarly from another recent convert from Brasil, Andre. Putting those two together is really hysterical. We also helped some people move--The Renshaws. They are living together and both members of the church, but they have a desire to start coming back. We should be teaching them more as well as her sister-in-law's little girl who hasn't been baptized.
Isaiah is doing pretty good. He is still unsure about baptism, but we had a great lesson with him about applying the scriptures to himself.
Jeff we have not been able to get ahold of.
Other than that there are some other neat experiences. Yesterday was fast sunday. I got up and bore my testimony at the last minute which was good. It is not easy to do for me, even as a missionary just so you know. But I highly reccomend doing it if you haven't lately.
Also there was a black lady who asked us for money yesterday. I didn't have any cash on me and Elder howlett had a little..i know he had more in his wallet but he only gave her a dollar. She was hungry and looking food for her family. She asked us if we could help her more. I was at first hesitant but then said sure. And so we walked with her for about a half a mile the opposite direction to take her to a place to buy food for her (it being Sunday which we don't really do but the ox is in the mire I guess. It was too far to get to a food place, but luckily we found an atm and so I got her a little money to go buy some food. It was a good learning experience to put into practice the words of king benjamin:
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought uponhimself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and willnot give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of mysubstance that he may not suffer, for his punishments arejust—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this thesame hath great cause to repent; and except he repentethof that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hathno interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not alldepend upon the same Being, even God, for all thesubstance which we have, for both food and raiment, andfor gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which wehave of every kind?
And I don't include this to boast for any reason whatsoever, just to demonstrate how wonderful it is to help others.
As you may remember, this month is dedicated to being "not easily provoked." I hope you are all getting along with one another, and I'm sure you are. Already i have had to learn by experience from this. I have been listening everyday practicaly from Gordon B. Hinckley's talk in 2007, "Slow to Anger." I got angry at my companion this week after he got angry at me! I even swore at him! Can you believe that? I won't tell you which swear word it was. We have been trying to learn how to get along with each other and become more unified. It is not easy, and that is one thing that I am trying to learn on my mission since most of my companions I have really had a hard time learning this, and I suppose until I get it right it will remain that way. But luckily those principles I've learned from Gordon B. Hinckley have helped me a great deal this week and right now all is forgiven in my companionship. I have actually gotten upset at each of my companions at least once.
School thy feelings, O my brother;
Train thy warm, impulsive soul.
Do not its emotions smother,
But let wisdom’s voice control.
School thy feelings; there is power
In the cool, collected mind.
Passion shatters reason’s tower,
Makes the clearest vision blind. …
School thy feelings; condemnation
Never pass on friend or foe,
Though the tide of accusation
Like a flood of truth may flow.
Hear defense before deciding,
And a ray of light may gleam,
Showing thee what filth is hiding
Underneath the shallow stream.
School thy feelings, O my brother;
Train thy warm, impulsive soul.
Do not its emotions smother,
But let wisdom’s voice control.
I have learned that anger, resentment, grudges truly do "make the clearest vision blind." The savior said in Matt 7 "4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out themote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye."
If we are to ever try to correct the flaw of another, we must first look at ourselves. A 'mote' is a very small speck. A "beam" is like a long piece of wood or metal. It is so easy to get offended by something so small like a "mote." For instance, Elder Howlett got offended because since he doesn't like riding bikes, I told him in a tone which I meant no offense to "deal with it." Something I should say of course. Elder Howlett said something mean to me while tracting and I chose to get really upset. Of course, it is not just those things that were said alone which cause us to lash out, but it is the accumulation of things we choose to become offended of that cause such anger. Said President Hinckley: "So many of us make a great fuss of matters of small consequence. Weare so easily offended. Happy is the man who can brush aside the offending remarks of another and go on his way.
Grudges, if left to fester, can become serious maladies"
It is so much easier to forgive as the savior has taught us. I know from experience that the Savior is quick to forgive us, and likewise we should do the same with those around us. Charity is hard, but if we pray for it with all of our heart we may slowly by each and every thought, word, and deed like little drops of water in a great sea become more and more like the Savior.
Well i said this letter would be short, but I lied.
I hope you all have a good week. The gospel is simply true.
Love ya,
Elder Soutas
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