Great week

Family,

   It's sure great to be hearing about what goes on around at home, I'm grateful for that. Thank you for always keeping me updated. And that's cool about the Priesthood Training sessions you guys have, dad. It's amazing how much training and preparation the church does behind the scenes. It's definitely one of the most amazing aspects of the church. Information and knowledge is always being taught, trained, and passed down from the prophet and the apostles. I think thats why they structure missions like they do. Revelation is given to the president, taught to the assistants, trained to the zone leaders, trained to the district leaders, and then given to everyone else. They're training us to be future leaders in the church. So cool! Speaking of which, transfers calls were this weekend. Elder Fish and I will be going one more as Zone Leaders here in Rowland Heights. He goes home this transfer, so be expecting some changes in six weeks. My DREAM is that Elder Tryon will come and be a zone leader with me. We would do so well together. We'll see!

  This week has been so great. We are teaching so many people right now, it's hard to keep track of. We have a goal for 6 baptisms this month, and it's definitely feasible. Jonah and Autumn are getting baptized this Sunday, mothers day. :) They are so excited. Autumn is 8 months pregnant and HUGE, so that'll be interesting. We're praying she doesn't pop before she can be confirmed. Kyle will be baptized the week after. Jonah and Autumn introduced to two of their friends that should also be baptized soon. Lily introduced to her friend Sylvia, and they should both be baptized at the end of the month. Lots of miracles are happening. We're working hard, and could always be working harder. I'm excited for the things to come.

  I've been studying a lot this week about tender mercies from the Lord. I wanna copy an entry from my study journal this week.

   May 5th, 2012, "I'm thinking, mostly pondering about the Lord's tender mercies. I don't have a very clear question or goal in mind, other than I know I should be studying this. In D&C 46:15 it says about the Lord that he "[suits] his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men." This tells us and bears testimony that the Lord lives. He is not just some great unmeasurable power that is intangible and incomprehensible, but he is a living being that watches closely and cares deeply for each one of us. He gives us according to our needs. How do we continually receive and notice that we receive these tender mercies? Alma 34:38 puts it into great perspective... "Contend no more againts the Holy ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." This scripture lists out some great things we are to do to show our gratefulness for receiving tender mercies, which I believe is also the way we continue receiving more of them. When we are grateful, the Lord is more willing to send more, because we notice more. I love the line "live in thanksgiving daily"... the word 'live' has an obvious conotation to words like 'continuously' or 'without stopping'. In other words, giving thanks is not an action we perform, but a state of being that we live in, in which if we live in that state, his grace and mercies are abundantly upon us. No matter who you are, or what skills or talents you have or don't have, this principle and promise are the same. Truly the Lord is more concerned with our availability, not our capability, because he knows our possibility."

  

  I'm so grateful for morning studies. I don't know what I'd do without them.

  Well. I love you guys. By the way I'll be using skype next week to talk to you guys... :) Can't wait! See you guys Sunday!

love, Ben.