February 24, 2014
First off, we were sent an
awesome quote this past week from the mission. It's from President David O.
McKay about happiness. PASTE!
David O. McKay’s 10 Rules For Happiness
1. Develop yourself by self-discipline.
2. Joy comes through creation—sorrow through destruction. Every living thing can grow; use the world wisely to realize soul growth.
3. Do things that are hard to do.
4. Entertain up building thoughts. What you think about when you do not have to think about shows what you really are.
5. Do your best this hour, and you will do better the next.
6. Be true to those who trust you.
7. Pray for wisdom, courage, and a kind heart.
8. Give heed to God’s messages through inspiration. If self-indulgence, jealousy, avarice, or worry have deadened your response, pray to the Lord to wipe out these impediments.
9. True friends enrich life. If you would have a friend, be one.
10. Faith is the foundation of all things—including happiness.
Number 10 has been a big one
that I've pondered much on this past week. With whatever struggles I'm dealing
with, or even when I'm doing awesome, I have always felt the most happy at
those times when my faith is strongest. So it's my goal to always increase my
Faith! I know that I'm imperfect, but the Lord has promised me that he will
guide me if I believe. "Be not faithless, but believing." As I've
been reading though Jesus The Christ again, I've noticed how often Christ has
to remind his apostles to have faith, and repeatedly addresses them as "O
ye of little faith." If the Apostles of the Lord had "little
faith", then how weak is mine? Would I believe enough to cast out a devil
in His name, or to walk on water if the opportunity were presented to me? Do I
have enough faith to wake up ready to do as the Lord asks every hour of every
day without fail? Do I have enough faith that he will guide me to those who are
ready to embrace the Gospel? I pray that I do, and I have made it my goal to
increase my Faith every day, little by little. And it has already brought me much
happiness!! It's amazing the contrast between feeling faithless and feeling
faithful! I urge each of you to take every chance you get to feed your faith,
wherever it's at. It will bring you joy!
You already know half of this
past week, thanks to transfers. The other half has been a little of the roller
coaster, since my companion has been struggling with a whole lot of stress and
a couple of our investigators are just not progressing, which is sad! But we
were able to get two of our new investigators to church, both of which are part-member
families, and that was awesome! Alisha just got home from a physical therapy
place after a terrible car wreck last September, and we have begun teaching
her, and hope to soon begin teaching her boyfriend. Her foster parents are
recent converts, and she has seen the incredible change that has happened with
the gospel coming into their lives, and she wants that. Josh is the son of a
semi-recent convert, and he promised his Mom that he'd come to church and try
it out. We hope that we will be able to sit down and teach him, since we have
only been able to talk for short periods of time. Something really funny we
found out though is that the same recent convert who brought their foster
daughter knows Josh too! They both have incredible testimonies of the Gospel,
so I pray that their influence will help him also.
I'll have a better email next week, I promise. :)
I love and miss you all! Hope you hear from you soon!
~Elder Aaron Toombs
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