Beach?!

 (Doing some service!)

Hello!

 

   Sounds like you guys will having the time of your life! again! this time at the beach! :) That'll be super fun. It's crazy the last time we went to the beach was when we were in Mexico forever ago. Good times.

   I've kinda had a mid-life crisis this week. Or you could call it an I-only-have-6-months-left crisis. Elder Tryon and I both have it! I've really wondered if I have used the past 18 months of time the way the Lord would have me, and if I've truly become the person the Lord needs me to be. I was looking through some of my old journal entries at the beginning of the mission. My biggest fear at that time was if things would change when I got back. I wanted everything to be the same and life to continue on as it had before. But now my fear is the exact opposite, is everything going to be the same when I get back? I'm worried I haven't been becoming. Okay maybe it's not that serious, I know that I have changed a lot, but have I been reaching my potential? I don't know. I know there is so much more I can be doing. I got a letter from Scott this week, it came at the perfect time. He said "i've changed a lot on my mission, but I'm exactly the same. I like it because the evil desires in me are fading away and the good desires are being refined and refreshed." I've determined that is whats happening to me as well. In a lot of ways, I am the same. But my priorities are so much different than they ever have been. My will is being more aligned with God's will. Something that President always says is constantly on my mind, "The Lord is always pleased but never satisfied." That is something that has always been pushing me.

  We had a mission conference this last Friday, as well as a mission party. We had water baloon fights and played kickball and stuff, it was a super fun day! In the morning we had some doctrinal training that blew my mind. It was about morning studies, and he used Ether 2:14 and the footnote attached to the word "windows". This is when the Brother of Jared is asking the Lord what he should do in order to have light in the barges. The footnote takes you to Genesis 6:16, which is the Lord telling Noah how to build the windows. I looked that up a few months ago and it confused me so badly. But now I get it. In genesis, it says the hebrew word for "window" means some sort of glowing stone. In Ether, the Lord tells the brother of Jared he can't build windows, but doesn't tell him what he should do. He just asks, "what would you have me do?" President then explained to us that the Brother of Jared had scriptures. He had the books of moses. So the purpose of telling him about the windows was so that he would turn to study in order to find out what he should do to put light in the barges. So the next time he goes to the Lord, he takes the stones and asks the Lord to touch them. The brother of Jared received revelation through study. I really think President Becerra will be an apostle, haha. His way of teaching and talking is just like the brethren. He has really changed my life in so many ways.

  Well I hope you all have a good week in California! The weather for the past 2 days have been great down here, it's only been 98 degrees! haha, it did get really humid for a few days, that was weird. I love you all! Thanks for the packages too, mom!  Thank you for all the letters from the family as well! It was so good to read those, they still remember me! haha. Talk to you next week!

 

Ben.                                                   (Soarin' over California!)