E-mail received 11/15/2010 - Happy Birthday Kyle!

WOA! I can't believe that Mike and Fawn are getting married. It took me a while to remember who Fawn was but now that I think of it that would be such an awesome couple. That would really help Fawn with her situation too. I really hope that they are happy together!

My birthday was actually really great! This great family had us over for a great dinner and they even got me a cake and sang happy birthday to me. We had a real fun time. The Whites are super cool. Also my companion and roommates decided to have a little candle blowing out ceremony during personal study so that was fun. It feels really weird being 20. It's one of those ages that you never think you reach until you're there I guess.

That is really not good about Dad burning his hands. He really needs those. Really good that there won't be any permanent damage though. He's always trying new things. Dad would be proud to know that there's a Filipino Bakery and grocery right on our block and that I've converted the whole apartment to asado rolls and pandesal. Elder Yates and I are trying to work ourselves into buying balut but we've decided it's a process we're going to have to continue to work towards.

Bleh, Katelyn going on a date with Caleb. Not that I don't think he's a good kid, because he is, I'm just an over protective older brother and I think my sisters dating anyone is gross.

I haven't talked with President Bahr about it explicitly but I have been working a lot on it (his desire to do the second half of his mission Spanish speaking). Elder Yates gave me some Spanish Grammar flash cards to learn more things and I'm working with Elder Calderoni on my teaching skills in a lesson. It's really quite fun and I really like every opportunity that I get to speak and teach in Spanish. It's cool to see how the Spirit can touch hearts outside of our own immediate understanding. I am going to talk with him before the end of this transfer though and see what he says. Ultimately it's really not up to him or me but it's all in the Lord's hands and I am more than content to do what he asks.

This week was really a landmark week for me. With my birthday coming up I was really reflecting on how much I had changed and how much more I need to change over the next year so that I can do everything the Lord expects of me. I was given a talk to read from Elder Yates entitled "The 4th Missionary." It's a 30 page discourse on the kinds of missionaries who are out there and the kind of missionaries we should be. It really captures and teaches how to grow and develop something that I've found vitally important to life and to my mission: the Spirit of the Law.

For most of my mission I've been a letter-of-the-law missionary. I've kept the rules exactly and I've chosen to never come down from that standard but I feel now that I was really lacking in the, more important, spirit of that law I've striven to keep. One thing that I've really learned was a greater understanding of one of the things that Christ came here to do, which was to set up the higher law. These commands are to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy strength, with all thy mind, with all thy might, and with all thy soul. The second, like unto it, is to love thy neighbor as thy self. "The 4th Missionary" really helps missionaries understand what those commandments mean in great detail & intricacy. There are missionaries who go and come home because they did not have the right heart. There are missionaries who go, stay for two years but don't accomplish much by way of success in the lives of others or spiritual growth because they do not have the right heart. There are missionaries who stay for the two years, are valiantly obedient, reap wonderful fruit but do not grow, spiritually, as much as they could have because they withhold their good heart. And then there are the great missionaries who go on their mission and give their hearts wholly to God and accomplish wondrous things among God's children and let God cultivate in their own hearts something they could have never made themselves.

The central feature behind the change of heart that must occur in order to reach the full potential of your mission is essentially humility. Humility towards God, towards others and to yourself. Elder Kearon talked of the little rebellion within each of us which tells us to seek our own, to go a little shy or to do a little thing and God will beat us with a few stripes and at last we shall be saved. Our job is to stamp out that rebellion, while there are many ways to accomplish this there is one way in which we will grow from it. One way to stamp out the little seeds of our rebellion from ever taking root and growing into sin is to bury it deep, ignore the problem and the issue and forget about it. This solution is only temporary and does not give room for new seed to be planted or new love cultivated. Another path is to dig up the seed and throw it in another place. This solution, while lasting a little longer and giving place for fruit, is also only temporary. When we cast out the seed, again forgetting about it, we must see where that seed is cast: into a brother's garden. Often times we strive to put ourselves above others in our struggle for perfection and when we see others who do not strive to uphold the same straining Mosaic standard we battle to retain we belittle them or even, in our hearts, cast a burden on them and do not grow, but stay the same as we are fenced in by the law.

There is but one way. This way comes from realizing one simple, yet profound and deep doctrine. We are NOT good gardeners. We never have been and we probably won't be for some while. No matter how we toil and suffer we cannot, of ourselves, cultivate the work we desire. There is but one who can: the Lord. The answer then is obvious. We must sell the field. Sell it! Whatever the price we must stop kicking so hard against the spiritual pricks of our pride and sell our vanity, our desires (even our righteous desires), EVERYTHING that we have to the God of miracles and put our lives, our liberties, our very souls in the hands of the Father whose work this is. In short we must trust in Him.

Love is the key. Love towards all men and to the household of faith (Jesus Christ). If we capture that perfect love then we have the ability to, as Gordon B. Hinckley's father wisely stated, "Forget yourself and go to work."

This doctrine, understood, has changed my mission. I've only just read the talk a few days ago, but they've been the best few days of my life. I no longer feel unfulfilled and hopeless but I feel the redeeming and infinite love of a truly Celestial Father in accomplishing the work he's sent me to do as a servant, not as a man or a worker, a master or a gardener, but as a servant. My will now is to do the will of Him that sent me and there is greater peace in that then all the wealth this finite world could ever provide. Where there was once anger and frustration there is love. Where there was once fear and justification there is peace. Where there was once a battle to stamp out all ungodliness in an ever growing infection which could not be stopped, only hindered for a moment, now rests a long wearied soul whose joy it is to endure all things and HOPE to be able to endure all things.

I am the happiest I've ever been in my entire life. Period. I'm so filled with joy in my Savior and my King and my only joy is to do his work.

-Elder Guinto

E-mail received 11/8/2010

That's good that you got the package. That's actually one interesting skill I've acquired on my mission is clever ways of folding clothes. My least favorite chore but now I can do it pretty well. I actually am pretty good about treating my collars, it's just with those shirts, which are HUGE, I got to a point where I just didn't put it the effort with them anymore with the idea that I was wearing other shirts anyway. So that's why they're pretty bad.

 

That's so cool that Mishmashsoggyrottenickynickypotatohead is married! So much is happening in so little time. I kind of wonder how Uncle Danny's testimony is doing. I mean, knowing what goes on in the temple and not being able to go and see your daughter get married has got to make you a little homesick. I really hope that the Lord finds a way to bring him back into the fold and wrap His loving arms around him.

 

I'm glad Maleah is not planning on getting married till after college...or dating until she's out of college...yepp.  (Maleah caught the bouquet at my niece's reception and she wanted to make sure Kyle knew she wasn't planning on getting married until after she graduated from college.  She didn't say anything about dating though since she is already counting the days until she's sixteen.  Wishful thinking on Kyle's part!)  That's amazing that she got her patriarchal blessing! I remember mine so clearly. I also remember what kinds of things were going through my mind too. Oddly enough, to think about it now, it really bore little to no significance for me when I received it. It's amazing that a little old man, who didn't know me or who I would become, can say just the right words in the private spaces of his home that bear such powerful and meaningful significance to me over five years later. I've heard several times that the words of the patriarchal blessing will long hold sway, even into the eternities and it's application found as we faithfully live the Gospel. It's really amazing that God remains, as He will forever, a God of miracles.

 

That's awesome about Jaron! I knew he'd serve as an assistant. That's my bro! It's crazy that time's flown by so quickly. Everything goes by so fast when you're out here in the mission field. Could you get his address? Or the best place to send him letters for me so that I can write him? It's been a long time since I've been able to talk to my best friend. It'll be interesting to see how we've changed and what we've kept. 

 

Thank Grandma for me! She's always been so good to me in being supportive and loving. Also apologize to her for me that I haven't gotten back to writing her yet. I ran out of stamps and really just hadn't had time to buy more or to even write letters lately. It's been crazy. If you could tell me how much is in my account after you deposit stuff that would be great. Also I bought some sweatpants and a sweatshirt at walmart today. Winter is upon us, it's getting cold, and the mission has mandated that we must be outside for morning exercise. BURRR!!

 

We had a great week this week! We had meetings coming out our ears so we didn't get much time to work in our area but we've really been able to lay the foundation for the great work to go on in this mission!

 

We had our zone leader council, which this time involved the district leaders as well. The mission is moving forth with a huge push for the month. We're calling it Thanks. Giving Month TM. (It actually is trademarked strangely enough) It's going to involve every missionary rigorously sanctifying themselves to the work and we're expecting to see a lot of success from it. I've also taken the opportunity to set a lot of really intense personal goals which will help me in my spiritual progression. It originally started out as the next phase in my diet and exercise plan but I decided to give it a spiritual twist which then turned into a big move on reforming everything that I do. I'm excited to change what the Lord wants me to change so that I can be the missionary and man that He needs me to be.

 

We also had the great opportunity of participating in what the Caldwell Stake calls the Ammon Academy. Some of the missionaries in the stake are asked to participate in a three day activity which involves the youth being assigned to a real full-time missionary and they get to take part in many real parts of missionary service. Including: teaching, planning, street contacting and personal and companionship study. It was a really cool experience.

 

On one of the times where I had my youth we also went with a member of the ward. We were able to really be led by the Spirit to the home of a less-active member. We had been blessed to go there because we felt impressed to be in a certain place where we bumped into a member and, upon asking here if she knew anyone who needed to see us right away, told us that she knew this lady. We went there and we were able to really talk  with her and bear testimony of what we knew. She committed right there to coming to church and going once again in the path that she knew was true. It was kind of different though because the youth I went with spoke very little Spanish and she was a pure Spanish member so he really only had the opportunity to bear a small testimony but it was powerful.

 

I really have a testimony of how the Lord prepares his children and I hope you all take an opportunity to see his hand in yours and others lives, remembering the words of Pres. Uchtdorf: "We are His Hands."

 

-Elder Guinto

E-mail received 11/1/2010 - Year mark this week!

WOA!! KYLEE IS GETTING MARRIED?! That's crazay! I never would've expected her to get married that soon. She's only 18! That's a super big surprise. So I guess this means that her and Cameron aren't together anymore. I worry about them getting married so soon. It seems like he's just gotten off of his mission and she's really just gotten out of high school. I don't know if things have really changed much since I've been gone but Kylee is very young and inexperienced with responsibility. It'll be really interesting to see how everything works out for them. Give them my congratulations!

 

I did send the clothes and should be sending the sd card this week. Everything's been pretty crazy around here. A billion and a half things have changed and gone on this week.

 

I hope everything goes well with your interview and you're able to get a job that you can manage.

 

So it's a new transfer and there are so many things that this new era will bring. It is really hard to believe that this Thursday I will have been a missionary for a year! It's really going to be an odd feeling to say that this time last year I was a missionary. I'm thankful that I've kept a journal so that I can even go in depth and reflect on the particular day last year and how much I've changed. Elder Yates and I were talking about it a few nights ago about how the mission really sets you up for the man that you need to become for the rest of your life. It really is true.

 

The fearbuster in Newark was amazing. I actually had the opportunity to take out Elder Hicks for his first time as a missionary talking to real people on the streets of downtown Newark. He seemed scared and a little nervous but he's a really hard worker and he's excited to serve. He's actually a friend of Miranda's from school and now he's being trained by Elder Yates and lives with us. He's an example to all of us.

 

So my new/old companion is actually Elder Calderoni! We're companions again! It was such an unexpected delight in transfer conference to find out that we were going to be serving again together. This time as zone leaders! We've already had great experiences together and we already know how to work together so we've already hit the ground running hard here in Jersey City.

 

We've experienced a great share of miracles here, just in the past couple days. We talk to people all on the street and each is prepared to receive us in a little and sometimes subtle way. Each contact we focus on moving them up wherever we can. Sometimes God put us in their path, not necessarily to convert them right then and there, but, to brighten their day and to feel the love that their Savior has for them. 

 

We did get the wonderful opportunity to set a baptismal date this week with the friend of a recent convert. He's really seen the change in the family and wants to follow the example of Jesus Christ. It's really cool to see the Gospel alive! 

 

I hope you all make a choice to represent the Savior where you are. Remember the convenants you made at baptism to take upon yourselves His name and to always remember Him. We are His hands to save, to uplift, to inspire and bless. If we don't do it who will. I know that we can be a force for impacting lives for good. 

 

-Elder Guinto

E-mail received 10/25/2010

Alright first off, the girls were only in the car with me one time when I was going fast, second off that was the summer when I was 17, two years ago! I'm the safest driver there is. Let it go! I never go over the speed limit, especially out here where the mission cars make it impossible to go over the speed limit. I've long grown out of the phase where I thought going fast was fun or even indulging in such childish pleasures as unnecessary risks or feats that simply satisfy the adolescent need for adrenaline. If you ever attend a funeral for one of your children who dies in an accident due to carelessness it won't be me. Of that you can be sure.  (This was in response to my telling him about a North Thurston senior that was killed in a car accident last week.  He was attempting to get up to 100 mph but lost control of the car at about 60 mph and hit a telephone pole and a iron and concrete fence.  The girls told me about times when Kyle would try to reach a 100mph on a stretch of road just around the corner from where the accident occurred.)

 

I do know who Cody Hachtel is and I must admit I'm pretty surprised that they're dating. If he's who I think he is he's more of a country type, gruff, hunting kind of guy and Kim's, let's be honest here, pretty girly and high maintenance. But whatever. He's a pretty cool guy. I do remember he can be pretty worldly and go with the crowd sometimes but he seemed cool. Good lineman.

 

That's crazy that Maleah is driving. I can't imagine riding in the car with her and her driving me somewhere. That's just an odd thought. So much will have changed once I get back.

 

It's pretty weird looking back on how different I used to be. Sister Black and I were looking at some old pictures of my first transfer and second transfer and she said, "Man do you remember when you were a chunk?" I said yes... it was pretty weird looking at old pictures. I'm going to send you the memory card probably today with a bunch of stuff on it. It's full this time! There's also a video of a musical number we did this last Sunday. Sister Black and Sister Cope sang and I accompanied them so you can enjoy that.

 

So we had probably our best week ever to end the transfer off. We had 3 baptisms! It was an amazing service and it was my first time getting to perform the ordinance. Pres. Bahr and his wife were able to attend which always makes the service that much more meaningful. I also played the piano for the sisters in a special musical number, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives." It was a very nice arrangement. 

 

Thankfully the church had pants that I could use. I need to see if I can get my baptismal pants altered. I'm still losing weight, by the way, but much slower. I'm at 194.2 right now. 11.4% body fat. I'm all skin & bones! Not really, I'm actually really healthy. Eating a good balanced diet and doing a lot of exercise pays off.

 

We had a lot of cool finding miracles this week. We worked really hard at preparing our candidates for baptism but the Lord really led us to those who were really prepared. One case was we were trying to get in contact with this one girl that we'd set with a baptismal date several times but she would all of a sudden drop off the map when her baptismal date would come up. We were talking with her aunt who had answered the door to their apartment building but we weren't going to go in because it was just her that was home. Another couple walks in with stuff from the store and the guy stops and tells her to invite us in. She, not speaking much English, didn't really understand and looked puzzled to him. He, in response to her puzzled looks, told her that we were servants of God and that she should never reject us because when God sends angels it's up to us to receive them. She walked away, probably because she couldn't understand a word he was saying, but we asked him how he knew that we were servants of God. He recognized us as missionaries from the church because he'd met with the missionaries in his home island in the Caribbean. He told us that he had heard of the message of Joseph Smith and that he loved to read and understand the scriptures. We asked him how he felt about Joseph Smith and he said that he had really thought and prayed about what he heard. He didn't know the reference but he knew that somewhere in the Bible, the Lord said to Peter that the fulness of the Gospel was not on the earth yet but that it would be revealed by the mouth of His prophet. He then told us that he believed that Joseph Smith was that prophet and he knew that what Joseph said was true because he was a prophet of God. Elder Roper and I just about fainted when he said that but the Spirit was so strong when he really bore his testimony to us about the things that he had come to know through prayerful study of the Bible. He gave us his information and we set up a time to visit with him again. We gave him a pamphlet with the church information and the Plan of Salvation and he committed to coming to church next week. After we'd prayed with him and as we were about to go, he said that he knew that our meeting there at that time and in that place and talking about and feeling the Spirit there had been appointed by God and His angels long ago. It was amazing!

 

We're seeing many miracles here in Jersey City. Transfers are this week. Almost the whole zone is undergoing some big changes. My companion Elder Roper is leaving and president Bahr told him that he will be going to help out a struggling area. Elder Yates and Elder De La Cruz will both be training new missionaries and Elder De La Cruz will be opening a new area in our zone! So many new and exciting things are happening in the New Jersey Morristown Mission. We'll be receiving 18 new missionaries and our whole apartment will have the opportunity of participating in the Fear Buster. The experience where, within hours of getting off the plane, the new missionaries go with one of the experienced missionaries, in the middle of downtown Newark, and go street contacting. It's going to be so much fun.

 

I'm looking forward to this new transfer and whatever God will bless me with. Hope you all have a great week!

 

-Elder Guinto

E-mail received 10/18/2010

Business first, as usual. If you could send me what my balance is next week that would be great. I don't like spending money when I don't know what I've got. I'll definitely send the stuff this week. We have to go and get our car looked at so I'll try and get it done during that time. I'm excited to get new shoes. Mine are pretty bad.

 

I did get the package and thank you so much! The cookies were super good, obviously they were pretty stale and crumbled but still the best cookies the East Coast's ever seen! I'm going to try and get the other card to you today. I should warn you though there isn't as many pictures. I haven't taken a lot in Jersey City because we have like no down time at all here. Being in a super urban populated area, on top of being a zone leader limits time pretty effectively. There's some funny videos from Emerson though and I'll probably take one today as well just to say hi. It was really great to see videos of everyone! I won't lie, it made me a little homesick but I got over it fast. Not much seems to have changed as far as people and personalities go.

 

There hasn't been an Elder Petersen in this mission for several years. It must have been in the former Cherryhill mission.

 

That was weird to hear that Sister Odell got married. Not weird that she's married but weird that it seemed just out of the blue. I definitely don't think that I could get married to someone I've known for little over a month, or even a year! That's super fast. But everyone goes at their own speed I guess. When you've found the right one what's the sense in waiting. I hope that they're happy.

 

Ah our musical family. I actually performed two musical numbers this week and got to help coach another missionary for his. Sister Bahr called me on Tuesday and asked if I would sing with another missionary for a zone conference. I knew that the missionary had been preparing a long time for this number and I also knew that he wasn't the most gifted singer and I told her that I wouldn't sing with him because I wouldn't want to step on his toes but that we were actually going on an exchange that day and that I could coach him. It was pretty fun teaching someone how to form their vowels and sing using the right parts of their throat in order to support better. It was definitely an experience and I now know I need to learn how to teach better to be a music teacher! He actually improved a lot and he sang it 110% better than when he started. I also sang with two other elders at that same conference "Our Savior's Love." We found out that we were doing it the night before and gerry rigged a nice musical arrangement the morning of! It sounded pretty good. Also the day before, Sister Black asked me to sing at one of her baptisms that took place yesterday. Lot's of singing. But it all ended really well.

 

We've had a lot of success this week. We're having three baptisms this Sunday! I'm so excited! We've been working with all of them really hard this transfer and now their all finally getting into the water and I'm performing the ordinance for two of them! It's going to be my first time getting in the water. I had originally wanted to make it so that I got to the end of my mission dry but now that they asked me to do it I'm so excited! Luckily the church has a pair of white pants that I can borrow, because my baptismal pants are now HUGE! It's going to be cool. The sisters are also having a baptism that day so it's going to be quite the event. We're all super stoked!

 

Man I wonder how Jaron is doing. He's winding down to his last six months! That'll be really weird once I'm a missionary and he isn't. Say hi to his parents for me! I miss the good ol' family.

 

Well I hope that you guys have a great week! I've really come to understand the power of the Atonement this week. Partaking of the Sacrament is such a blessing. To be cleansed from sin is such a privilege that came at the greatest cost and it's our duty and honor to take advantage of it. I hope that you all show the Lord your love and keep the commandments that you and all whom you share your testimony with might be saved.

 

-Elder Guinto

E-mail received 10/12/2010 - Grasshoppers...Ewwwww!

Oh man the dishwasher doesn't sound fun. Alright a couple things first. So I know last time I mentioned that I might want new scriptures for my birthday. I want that option completely off the table. One, because new scriptures are super expensive and, two, because I'm planning on talking with President Bahr about going Spanish speaking once I hit my year mark so new English scriptures wouldn't do me much good. So nix on that one. The issue of shoes still remains in force. I had to buy a couple of things yesterday using personal funds. 21.98 at walmart and it'll be about 19.74 at a payless which probably end up being just 20 dollars because the deal necessitated one person buys the thing so I just have to pay back my companion. My watch broke, super sad! So I needed a new one. It's not mickey mouse like I like but it'll have to do for the rest of my mission. Also I needed a few other supplies. The payless is I bought some shoes but not exercise ones because the ones at payless just weren't of a durable quality. I could see them falling apart in a few months.

It's super crazy that Jamie Klumker is having a baby and that Brittany Larson is getting married!  I'm super happy for both of them. I've only met Chris once and he seemed like a solid guy. She sure likes him so I hope that everything works out well. It's going to be a big change of scenery for both of them going to BYU. I know it's definitely hard balancing school and living life. A lot of the members who are in Jersey City are in that phase and it's a real struggle on time.

It's super weird that Katelyn went to her senior homecoming dance! My little girl's all grown up! Just as a reference where has Katelyn been applying to? Obviously admissions aren't due till like December or January but she's probably definitely thought about it.

Well it's been a pretty crazy week here in Jersey City. We had exchanges in Union City that we did this week and it was amazing. I love working in the Spanish areas. The people are so humble and full of love. I also love teaching in Spanish. It really makes you rely on the Lord and not in your own confidence or abilities.

I definitely had a cool experience where I had to eat grasshoppers! Apparently a Mexican delicacy. They weren't half bad. Once you squeezed down the legs and the eyes and they stopped jumping around they added a nice texture to tacos. Yum!

Elder Roper and I also had a really cool experience with a guy who was no longer a member of the church. We had gotten a referral from the ward to go and visit this guy. The ward needed information on another member because they couldn't find him so they told us to go to the home of this person, who was his brother. We got there and he opened the door to us. We asked him a couple questions and he invited us in to show us his artwork. He is a very talented artist and we talked with him for a little bit on it, as well as getting a little information on his brother. We then got on to how he wasn't a member anymore and what he thought about the Book of Mormon. He had the book but hadn't read it in a long time. We both bore powerful testimony of the impact that it has had in both of our lives and that if he read it he could regain a testimony of it's truthfulness and it would really help him in his pursuits in life. He began to tear up and he told us that he really felt the Spirit. He told us later that he's had several contacts from the church in the past and that just at the door he would shut it off and never let anyone in but when we came he said that he felt something different about us. He specifically said that he felt that we had "God in you." It was a really cool experience. We're planning on meeting with him later and helping him to return to activity in the church.

Some of our baptismal goals have been set back but we're excited about many of the new ones that we've been able to set. We're expecting a family to get baptized two weeks from now. They're really cool people from Sierra Leone. Her father actually is the Branch president in their branch back home but she ran away and never got baptized and now she and her son want to be members of the church. Their amazing and we're planning on seeing them today.

I gave a talk this last Sunday in church that was all about obedience and duty. I taught the principle by relating it to the story of King David. When he was righteous he prospered, when he was unrighteous he suffered. I learned a lot about how important obedience is while I was writing the talk and I loved the talk because the topic is so dear to my heart. I reflect again and again about how much the mission has changed me and how bright the future I have because of it.

I love the Lord and I love doing his work. I hope you are all well and seek for opportunities where you are to serve the Lord with all your heart, might, mind and strength.

-Elder Guinto

E-mail received 10/4/2010 - 11 Month Mark

Wow a 31 on the ACT. She can qualify for a lot of scholarships with a score like that! She'll probably end up getting offered the same one that I did and then a whole lot more! That'll be really cool. It's hard to believe that Katelyn's already thinking about college and things like that.

 

Woa Maleah's driving?! That's crazy. I can't even remember Katelyn really driving that much. It does make me feel super old hearing about them doing all kinds of things that I used to do.

 

I did get Brittany's letter. It was at the other apartment so it took some doing to get but I got it. I had a feeling though that I knew what it was about before I even got it though. That's awesome that she's getting married! I totally called it when she started dating him that she was going to marry him. It was actually really funny because I suspected that's what it was about and I got given it be one of the zone leaders at zone leader council. He stood at the front of the room right before the meeting and announced that he had a letter for an Elder Guinto from a Brittany Larson and held it up. I don't know if Brittany described the letter to you at all but it is quite decorated with stickers and hearts and drawings. It was pretty funny. Not only that it was in front of all the zone leaders, the assistants, and the mission president and his wife. Awesome. I am excited about it though, if not surprised it didn't happen sooner. This'll be the first friend that I have from seminary so far to get married! It'll be exciting to see how everybody else fares before I get home!

 

I'm super excited to get the sd card. I can't wait to see everybody. As far as sending my clothes home I still haven't gotten around to it obviously. Everything's been super hectic and we really don't have a lot of time. I only have about half of the stuff that I need to send boxed up and I want to send it all in one shipment. Plus I'm still just hesitant just because it's still a little daunting about how much it's going to cost too but I'm going to have to do it sometime. I'll see if we have time today to box up the rest of it and then hopefully send it next week.

 

Woa, I didn't even realize that today was my eleven months mark until you said it. That's really kind of a weird thought. My birthday is coming up and soon I'll have to suffer through Thanksgiving again! As to my birthday I did have a few thoughts. One thing that I absolutely do need is new athletic shoes. I've been holding off because I want the ones I have to last till then but my shoes are devastated. I'll probably take some pictures of them with the sd card I send so you can see what I mean. A nice pair of running or training shoes would be an awesome present or also I was looking in that new thing the church sent out with this months ensign that is basically the lds store catalog at scriptures. What would be really cool would be to get a new pair of scriptures. Mine still work really well but they're getting beat up from the elements. It's not a need, it's a want. I really like the scriptures dad has that are the compact kind with the closure tab. But those are also really expensive so that's just an up in the air type thing. What I really would need are the shoes. Other than that I can't think of much else. God takes care of everything else.  Just throwing it out there, one thing I DO NOT need is journals. Everybody and their mother gave me enough journals last year to last me the rest of my life so I'm good in that aspect. I also always like ties. I really like brightly colored ties. Paisley and plaid are my favorites. Just some ideas. If you need others I'm sure I can produce. 

 

Anyways, this week was great in Jersey City! General Conference was a special treat. It was particularly cool because I had met, personally, two of the seventies who spoke, recently out here on my mission! Elder Juan Uceda who spoke so passionately about humility and love in the priesthood session I actually met about three months ago when he came to an all mission conference that we had and then also Elder Jensen of the Seventy who's our area authority seventy. It was really cool to say, "Hey, I know that man! I saw him a few months ago!" On top of that, they both gave excellent talks. Once again, I think priesthood session took the cake. It was all about humility and the effect of our choices. It really helped me to see how important humility is. How it really seems to be the mother of all virtues. If we have humility we will know that we must follow God in all things and then all else will fall into place. It was really easy to see the things that I would need to change in my missionary service and how it really begins with the heart. What are our desires? Are they God's desires? These are the questions that give effect and purpose to the things that we do here in this life and when we devote ourselves to that righteous purpose we can be sure we are on the straight and narrow path back to our Father. Elder Roper and I both felt that the overall theme this conference was that there are things that we as a church must do to cleanse ourselves of all unrighteousness but an overwhelming sense of possibility. That we can do the things necessary to perfect the man of God seemed to permeate the air in the churches and homes round the world and the mission of the church established of first perfecting the saints, preaching the Gospel, and redeeming the dead. 

 

This week Elder Roper and I will be addressing the zone so that we can establish the goals and vision that we have for our missionary service. There are a lot of things that we hope to accomplish, not only in the work of the missionaries, but in the hearts of the missionaries. That is where satisfactory and even exemplary service begins, in the heart. In our hearts are cultivated our desires and that is where begins the long process of thoughts and actions which reaps the results we attain in this life. If our goals reflect the desires in our hearts then in order to serve God with all our might, mind and strength our hearts must be in tune with God's. If our desires are pure then our actions will be pure. True and lasting conversion occurs when a heart is touched and changed by the Spirit and that individual signifies before God that such change is permanent by entering into sacred covenants before God. This is the change our mission president wants us to achieve in the mission. We're going to really focus on finishing this year strong by realligning ourselves to our Father's will. In this we know that we can achieve much good among His children.

 

Elder Uchtdorf said that "if pride can fell Lucifer, that great "son of the morning" and one beloved by God, should we not look within ourselves?" I know that if we are to do God's will we must have His heart be our own. We must know that His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man is ours too and we must take action to assess ourselves so that we can do the work to the greatest measure of our ability.

 

-Elder Guinto