The theme for YM/YW this year is 'Come unto Christ and be perfected in him and deny yourselves of all ungodliness'. I love the distinction between the expectation of "being perfect" and "being perfected". I'm so grateful that we don't have to do it on our own - be perfect- because obviously we can't. But we can be 'perfected' in Jesus. It is through him and his grace that we have this hope. I've also been thinking about denying myself of ungodliness. There is so much distraction and a myriad of voices screaming for our attention that it's really easy to forget who we are and whose we are.
Dad and I went to the temple on Saturday and did a bunch of sealing's. I was thinking of the couples and wondering how long they had to wait to be with their beloved again. I bet they were so happy to have this ordinance done and think of what a joyful reunion it was. We also got to witness some people sealing their great-grandparents. The names were from Slovenia. What an amazing experience to do the work of salvation for your ancestors.
I have a favorite minister I listen to on the Christian Radio station named Ravi Zacharias. He has a brilliant mind and wonderful spirit. He truly is a man of God who loves Jesus Christ. Anyways, he spoke at BYU and the Mormon Tabernacle on Friday and Saturday. I wish I could have gone up to see him, but I listened to the live stream. He is an inspiring speaker, apologist, and philosopher. He spoke on the need to protect religious freedom and how important faith is to our country. We have theological differences, but I still believe we can build bridges with friends of all faiths if we are willing to listen, understand, and be Christ-like. Elder Holland opened with a greeting and spoke of evangelicals and Mormons as friends who love and serve Jesus Christ. Elder Holland buoys up my faith and testimony. I'm so grateful for our apostles and the men who lead our church.
I've been listening to the scriptures and I think one of my favorite books in the whole wide world is Enos. It is short, but so powerful. The message of repentance, faith, and trust really touched me lately. And the love he had for the Lamanites, his foe and enemy, was remarkable. I wish I could have that kind of love.
How is your work going? I hope your people are feeling the impressions of the Holy Ghost. I hope you are doing well. Let me know if I can send you anything or help you in anyway. I love you.
With love,
Mom
Dear Mom,
I love the new theme. I'm glad that the youth have such a good curriculum. You are lucky that you get to teach from it. You are helping a lot of kids prepare for missions and marriages.
It is true, being perfected means we are still in the process. Seeing that God is patient with us helps me be patient with myself and others. It helps me to forgive myself if I make a mistake, and accept the peace that comes from the Atonement. One of my favorite quotes from Elder Nelson is,"Men are that they might have joy, not guilt trips!". I've grown a lot from that understanding. I've been able to progress faster because I am not holding myself back.
Recently I have been feeling more power. 2 Timothy 1:7-8 has become my vision for the rest of my mission. President Hinckley advised us to hang that up where we can see it every day. I'll challenge you to do that. :)
I get to go to the temple this transfer, I'm not sure when. One thing I'd like to do is take a name through the temple and do their endowment. You said you had some, right? I'm excited to do more family history work with my contacts and investigators.
I have always admired how much you and dad go to the temple. That's a goal I want in my life too.
Ravi Zacharias sounds like a good teacher. Does he have a Jewish background? I've learned a lot about relating to people on the positive aspects of their religion. It opens people up a lot more.
I love Enos too. It is really insightful to see how he plead for his salvation, then his bretheren's, then his enemy's. I feel like that is what the evolution of charity looks like, the process of turning outward. I think you do have that love.
The work is going well. We have been finding more people to teach. I told you a bit about Misty and Jane. They are looking forward to coming to church, and we continue to have powerful lessons with them. We taught them about the Book of Mormon, and they are really excited to read.
We found a good fellowshiper for Elizabeth. We have been working on getting Elizabeth to church, and it has been hard because of her health problems. We took a lady named Sister BJ to a lesson, and they really hit it off. Sister BJ is a recent convert and a retired nurse, so it was a perfect match.
I've also been finding a lot of success working with members in other countries to find people to teach online. I've been working in eastern Europe a lot, mostly in Poland.
Thank you for your prayers for my people. I know it makes a difference.
One thing that would be nice is some more garlic capsules and eccinacia. The Elders in my apartment have been getting sick. I've been doing well, but I think it would be good to fortify myself a bit.
I'm sending a package home with some stuff that I don't use and a couple of things that member have given me.
How has everything been going for your online school? Did you get a good group of students?
Love you,
Elder Williams
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