Hi Josh,
Hoping I'm not to late to send you a quick word on the latest happenings!
Biggest news is the fantastic weather! It feels like summer out here and we love it!
The girls can't get enough of playing outside which is what we always wanted of course!
We can finally park in the yard again and are making arrangements to have the driveway put in and the garage materials delivered.
Don't worry though, there will still be plenty of projects left for you to help me with when you get home :)
This week my ponderize scripture is the one below. I love the idea that the Lord can turn anything towards the welfare of my soul if I do my part.
Yesterday we had the chance to go into see the Edmonton Youth Symphony composed and conducted by Michael Massey, Ben's super mentor in Edmonton for piano. It was quite impressive and "enriching" vs. just entertaining like a movie might be.
I've been recently listening to a podcast about WW 1 and it is crazy to think how horrific and life altering that war was. Kids younger than you marching as to war full of adventure and excitement only to be mown down by the 100's of thousands and eventually millions over desire for power and nationalistic pride. Makes me more grateful for the free countries we live in. It's that freedom that allows us to have and share this gospel.
I've been thinking how I can be a better sharer of the gospel and though I'm not as bold as I should be, having you on a mission and Sam preparing for a mission provides some pretty good conversations with people at work. I've been trying hard to open the door for them to ask more and sometimes they do!
Sam wrote his SAT (he probably wrote about that already) and thinks he did ok. Math of course was a challenge. Makes me wish I had done a better job with you guys growing up introducing you to math in better way. Hoping I can make restitution at least a little with the girls!
Have you had a chance to read your Patriarchal blessing lately? I was thinking a couple of days ago that its been a little too long since I read mine. Take some time to review it if you haven't and I will to!
Abby won an award at festival along with Ben. Attached a pic.
All and all, life is pretty great. So glad to belong to a gospel of progression and agency. Have a great week of choices and experiences!
Love,
Dad
From Josh:
I am continually trying to be a better missionary.
Recently we have had a few changes in the mission, there was a music rule initiated and we need presidents permission for service and a few other things, at first I really struggled with feeling like we are descending into the Law of Moses for this mission where we apparently don't know how to govern ourselves so more and more rules are being set in place. But I have been seeking to humble myself and accept the will of God, if it is his will that we should live more strict then I will follow, so that is one ways I am trying to be better at.
We had this lesson with one of our investigators who is really smart, she is in a magnet which is pretty much advanced learning for the super smart over here. So her intellectual mind at times over complicates things, she asked a lot of things about truth and prophets then we talked about how repentance is only possible through the atonement and she posed the question. Why? Why do we need the atonement to repent. and I have been wondering about that, when we left the lesson I left with the determination to learn more of the atonement.
We knocked into one lady who started yelling at us that we were brainwashed, and that we needed to study all religions so that we would know which one was true, we tried explaining but she wouldn't let us continually telling us that we were brainwashed, and my encouragement to all of you is to make sure that you don't "Brainwash" yourselves in the sense that we don't ask questions that we don't strive to learn more about what we do believe, but also having faith in what we already know and be excited to grow. There was this woman we talked to that we taught about the restoration and the spirit was so strong and I was for sure that she would want to learn more, but instead she turned away saying she was comfortable where she was at. Do we feel like we are comfortable where we are at in our testimony? in our conversion? in our dedication to the Lord? are we comfortable in what we know and not willing to learn more? In this church we believe in all truth wherever it is found, if another person discovers something we don't know then we will take that and build upon it and be better for it, so continually discover the scriptures, learn from our leaders, ask questions that will build your testimony and never be comfortable where you are at. But take caution as well and remember before you doubt your faith, doubt your doubts, Questions are wonderful doubts are debilitating, and over all things pray about everything, because all truth comes from God.
From Dad:
Did you accidentally send before the letter was done :)
Look like it ended abruptly :)
You gotta love how many different view points are out there. The diversity and power of agency are everywhere evident and the patience you show will both respect their agency and win their hearts as much as their minds, Josh.
Love you tons!
Dad.
From Josh:
Haha sorry, that was an accident.
Life has been good to me, Though at times i feel as if I am in a balancing act where I wrestle with my own natural man being impatient and lonely and prideful, all these things make it hard for the spirit to communicate and feel the spirit, so I am working continually to master myself in these aspects and have been going to a lot of prayer and scripture study to accomplish it. I love seeing the continual blessing the Lord pours on my head though I often feel undeserving.
Next week is mothers day. We should be able to Skype around 1:30-2 would that work for you? I don't know what time that is your time.
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