Lindsey: Letter 46

Hello Hello one and all! Thank you for your emails this week. Oh how I love hearing from you. I wont lie.. I feel like we've been air boxed (no mail) a little long then I'm used to but I keep telling myself that you really do love me and that your lives are just busy busy. That had better be the case! If I hear that Ryan wastes another hour in watching Rapunzel before getting a letter out to me he's going to be in big T-rouble. I hope that he knows how much I love and miss him. What a special boy he his. I say bag football this year and next and all the years after and focus on what he really loves doing. I think that would be getting amazing grades. Excelling on the piano and becoming all he can be in Basketball. But.... I haven't been around for quite awhile and his passions may have changed. Tell him to take a photography class and maybe a cooking class. There are so many things that he can do now that will benefit him in the future. Things that will make him and others so happy! Tell him to dive into the scriptures and study the life of Jesus Christ and make those necessary changes to try to become more like him each day. Tell him how much I love and treasure him and know that if he councils with the lord in all of his doings he will never go wrong. He will be led aright and will have no need to worry about thing. Tell him that Lance and I are 100% behind him in all that he does and he will not be letting one person down by deciding not to go out for football. Do you hear that Ryan?! You will not be letting anyone down by doing what you want and feel is right to do. You can do and be anything you want to be and if that means investing your time in developing another talent then do it! No, that doesn't mean more time on the Nintendo... In fact throw that thing away and weigh your options. Cross country... Piano..... Cooking...... Photography....... Developing greater basketball skills..... Whatever. Now, if you do decide to go out for football then that is just great and I will look forward to cheering you on during the season. Now, once you have made that decision, go for it! Don't look back and wish you had done something else, move forward and give it your all and know that Lance and I will cheer you on in whatever you choose and may even ask you to teach us:) I love you sweet boy and just think that you are the very greatest!
I was so thrilled to hear about Lance and his bold invitation to come and listen to the prophets voice! I can imagine it perfectly and it brings the biggest smile to my face. How thankful I am for the example of my Brothers. I look up to them both so much and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for not sending me here alone to figure out how to make it back. I'm thankful for the living example of both you and dad, I'm thankful that the reason you know the gospel is because you live it every day. It is a part of you and who you are. Everything points to our success here on the earth. It is all in our favor to succeed. Everything has been set up perfectly for our ability to make it back to our Heavenly Father. But not only make it back as Elder Christofferson said but to become what he would have us be. We have been sent here to the earth to over come the Natural man, to kill it, to give up our will and turn it over to the lords, his divine power can then flow into our hearts and we begin to incorporate the divine Characteristics of our perfect example, our Savior Jesus Christ. We have the commandments to follow. The saving ordinances right there for us to make. To realize that there is something greater that we are working towards than anything the world has or could ever have to offer. We are working for eternal progression! Eternal Families! A fullness of Joy! Who in the world would want anything less than that?! The sad fact is that there are indeed people that would opt for something less, they don't want the responsibilities that come in obtaining these precious gifts, they don't want to make the necessary "sacrifices". Its not that they can't or that its too hard, they just don't understand what they are ultimately sacrificing by serving the natural man. How sad. Besides it being the only way, in all reality it is the easier way. I wish people understood the scriptures when the Savior says Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. That is truth. That is why we are here! That is why the lord has a grand army going forth and declaring to the world that there is something greater, a better way to live. A happier, easier, and sweeter way of life.
Ah! I'm sorry! I get passionate about this! I get frustrated when we get rejected over and over again! Especially when they don't even know what they're rejecting! I just want to grab them by the face and say you're going to sit and listen to us for 10 min and when we're done you can then tell us if you're going to reject our message.
We were a Laundry Mat on Saturday just contacting people, I made my way over to a women sitting on a seat, she held up her hand and said No thank you, I'm fine. I laughed as I sat down next to her I said "that's great, I'm fine too!" She laughed and for the following 15 min we had the sweetest conversation about her story and what brought her to the United States. She was from the Philipeans and was absolutely darling. By the end she wanted to know more about our message and promised she would go to mormon.org the second she returned home. If people would let us just sit and visit with them for 10 min, they could then feel the spirit working in them and leave them desiring more.
Damian is getting Baptized on May 1!! Damian the Agnostic, that had no belief in God and knew nothing of his Savior Jesus Christ. Yesterday after church we had a lesson about the gospel and invited him boldly to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the proper authority. He was nervous but couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't stop smiling! What an amazing person he is.
I'm so sorry this is getting a bit long but I love you all and I testify of the living reality of our Savior Jesus Christ, that he is the way, the truth and the light and no one will be entering back into our heavenly fathers presence without following his son. Without taking the necessary steps, keeping his commandments, and enduring to the end. I love you! Write me!