SERVICE: A Moving Translator & Tree Pruning with Perks! Sorry no email last Monday, they switched our P-DAY. We were able to help a lot of people Saturday because of the switch, including helping a new family move in with 4 little kids under 12 and the Mom speaks fluent Spanish and is willing to translate in Relief Society every week! (Such a blessing because we have so many meetings we have to spread to to translate!) and we were also able to help our Ward Mission Leader cut some hanging tree branches over his house (so he could keep his insurance) and meet several inactive members in the process. It was super fun and our main man, Jose Torres (who is ALWAYS taking care of us, going on splits with us, giving us rides, etc) grilled carne asade and chicken for us all afterward! He is a PROFESSIONAL when it comes to grilling! Hispanics know how to make food! I'm already convinced that Mexican restaurants are where they sell their leftovers that they don't like because these people know how to do food! Anyway, important things, Eduardo's being baptized on Saturday! They are probably the coolest of cool families. They are all so on top of it and growing in the gospel and supporting each other so much! That is going to be an amazing experience for all of them! RANDOM ACCIDENT: "The sky is falling" Also, Jazmin came to church again and this time brought her friend and her friend's son, Zamarion (pronounced Zuh-mar-ee-on). Church was going great and I was sitting two rows behind the pews with a new member who had just moved in by himself when, in the middle of one of the talks a piece of the ceiling landed on the empty chair in front of me folowed by about a three second long waterfall and then just a consistent drip. drip. drip. as the whole congregation froze trying to figure out what happened. I just smiled and said "everyone's okay" and waved as everyone gradually got refocused and Bro Golden (also crazy helpful and awesome and the ward secretary) and Bro. Clark (Building manager or whatever you call it, he makes sure the building's taken care of) came over and the three of us cleaned up the pieces of the tile that fell and wiped up water. We found out that the AC was broken...which sort of made us panic because the next day, Monday, we were supposed to host 105 missionaries in there, all the Elders in suits the whole time, for the 8 hour long half-mission conference! Thank the heavens the repairman was able to fix the AC that night, Jazmin informed us that the building just couldn't hold all the spirit that it was just "bringin' down the roof!" Haha! She's fantastic! Preaching: The Doctrine of Christ In short, the work is cruising forward. In the mission conference, I learned a lot about the doctrine of Christ! Honestly, I thought I understood it before, and I did to some degree, but I came to realize just how important it is that we continually seek to understand the Doctrine of Christ more because everything we do, all we believe, everything for which the world and everything in it was created is dependent on our understanding and application of the Doctrine of Christ in our lives and helping others to do the same. Whatever we study in the gospel, our questions either fit in this process or God hasn't given us the answer to them because He doesn't want us distracted. That's how all-encompassing it is. Whenever you don't know what to learn next, go to the basics (found largely in 2 Nephi 31 and 3 Nephi 11 just btw...). Learn more about "The Doctrine of Christ" in this talk by D. Todd Christofferson: Watch or read more about the Doctrine of Christ in this link to "The Power of Teaching Doctrine" by Henry B. Eyring: | In short, the work is cruising forward. In the mission conference, I learned a lot about the doctrine of Christ! Honestly, I thought I understood it before, and I did to some degree, but I came to realize just how important it is that we continually seek to understand the Doctrine of Christ more because everything we do, all we believe, everything for which the world and everything in it was created is dependent on our understanding and application of the Doctrine of Christ in our lives and helping others to do the same. Whatever we study in the gospel, our questions either fit in this process or God hasn't given us the answer to them because He doesn't want us distracted. That's how all-encompassing it is. Whenever you don't know what to learn next, go to the basics (found largely in 2 Nephi 31 and 3 Nephi 11 just btw...). Anyway, it's awesome to talk about how important Christ's teachings are, but more important is doing something about it. I'm finally making and writing down goals that I'm working toward consistently, I'm pretty sure for the first time in my life. Despite everyone's best efforts back home, I managed to accomplish less than my potential most of my life. I'm starting to figure out how to change that so look out world! I'm getting productive! :D Haha! Thanks everyone who's sent me mail! It's always exciting to hear what's going on in your lives and how you're feeling, struggling, and improving in your various stages of life and situations! If I haven't written you back, it's not that I don't plan to, but it sometimes will take me the good part of a month to get the letter finished in the mail. Life is busy here, free-time isn't something I have to be to concerned about! :) Speaking of which, I keep meaning to make time to come up with a list of activities and lessons that go together for Family Home Evenings, but then I realized that would be a great homework assignment for my family and friends! So next Monday, I'd be THRILLED if you could all send me one idea (or more) of an activity you've done/seen/read about for a Family Home Evening activity that teaches a simple gospel principle (Like a blindfolded person navigating a maze with the help of the "Holy Spirit [another person]" while everyone else is giving unhelpful instructions teaching us that we have to make an effort to recognize promptings from the spirit in order to navigate safely through life, etc.). I can't wait to hear all your ideas! Also, I have a challenge for Marshall and Mason (and anyone else planning on serving a mission or considering the possibility of doing such): Get a copy of Preach My Gospel. Each week, read 1 whole subsection (The first chapter is "My Purpose" so the first subsection would be "Your Commission to Teach the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ") and look up and read every scripture in that section as you go, do any activity it suggests, etc. then write down in a notebook, journal, or the notes areas on the side of your PMG one thing that you learned that you can do. Then make that into a goal for that week. One thing like "I'm going to invite one person this week to "partake of the fruit of the tree of life" by coming to our scout activity next weekend" or "I'm going to stick a note by my bed to remind me to pray for so-and-so each night tonight". Something simple, doable, and specific. Then while you're working on that goal, you can read the next segment (or even just read and make your goals each Sunday or whatever). Just do one segment a week, no over-the-top goals, just something you aren't doing that you could do. I promise that if you do this, you will have more spiritual guidance in your day to day lives, a more eternal perspective through sorrow and joy, more confidence in your decisions, a much greater understanding of how you can apply the gospel and atonement of Jesus Christ, and that you will feel prepared to serve the Lord wholeheartedly when He calls on you. I love you all so much and am so happy to know that you are all growing each day! Keep me posted with what's up, what's down, what's your latest thoughts on life, questions about everything from the purpose of life (which actually does have a specific answer, we can help you find it ;) just btw), to whether or not Black is a color or a shade (Elder Black is struggling with this currently, so please share your thoughts; Your insights might help us resolve his concerns). I'd love to hear it, whatever you have to share! Love and Prayers for everyone! Elder Smith P.S. If what you want to share is a picture, if you can send the "full-sized" images. I know you can't fit as many pictures per email, but if you could do that then I could see enough detail to see faces and such, so that'd be sweet :) Thanks again! |
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AuthorI am Elder Mathew Ross Smith serving a spanish speaking mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Florida, Tallahassee Mission! Archives
January 2016
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