Well I have made it through my first transfer in the Oregon Portland Mission. It has been one crazy six weeks out here. The people in Oregon are...weird. And thats putting it mildly. Also do you know what today marks? This day, the 14th of November marks my 2 month mark. I have been out for two months, and it seems like I left forever ago. Time flies, but seems to drag on as well. At least I enjoy it.
I have been accumulating more ties since I've been here. You may say I'm obsessed, or sick, but there is only one way for us to express personality with our clothes, and that is through our ties, so I will continue to collect. I'm thinking a good Christmas gift would be another tie-rack and more ties.
Its great to see how the Lord works in everything we do out here. I have recently been studying my patriachal blessing, and I came across the part that said I will have great faith. Later in the week I read in Alma 58:10-11 that great faith comes through prayer. It was incredible to see that the Lord is teaching me how to acheive the promised blessings.
Elder Tingey in our district is being transferred today. He was a really great guy and I will miss him a lot. But, on the other hand his companion Elder Manwill will be training a new missionary, so I won't be the youngest one out here anymore.
I've been thinking a lot on agency this week. That is the one thing that truly is the deciding factor in teaching out here. We can be the best teachers on the earth, speak by the Spirit and prove these things are true, but if the investigator doesn't want to know, they won't. Agency is the most pivitol part of everything we do. It is involved in everything. It's no wonder it is always called God's greatest gift to man.
An Elder this week posed a question to me: in Alma 5:40 it says whatsoever is good is from God, and whatsoever is bad is from the Devil. So if we have bad thoughts they are from Satan, and if we have good thoughts they are from God. Where are our own thoughts? The answer is simple. And you've probably guessed that it comes down to agency. They present us with the option, and we, even if it is subconsiously, use our agency to make the choice. Were it not so we would be completely helpless and unable to change ourselves to follow God.
I'm excited to hear about Adam and Alic. You'll have to keep me informed, or better yet tell them to write me. It gets awful depressing up here when you don't get mail for two weeks. I'm glad to hear that they are both progessing towards their missions. I really hope Tyson will be able to go, It would help him so much, and he really deserves this opportunity. I hope they can figure something out.
That scripture from Bro Thorpe is one that he has shared with me before, and its true. We have so much in our lives. So many reasons to have joy, why not accept it into our lives and let the joy that comes from living this gospel truly infuse us with power. When something brings you joy you want it more and more, you never want to lose it. So it is with this gospel, if we truly make it a part of us it will bring us joy and we will never want to lose it.
I hope you guys are doing well. I think about you from time to time, usually on Sundays when we aren't very busy. I love you so much and I look forward to the time when I can bring you up here and introduce you to all the great people in this area. The Lord is with me, and with all of us. Listen closely and hear his voice.
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