Yo ;)

11.09.09

Hello Everyone,

I'm quite a bit short for time at this moment. This past week was pretty good, not the best, but well enough. I really appreciate the emails--they were exactly what I needed to hear. I wish I had more time, but seeing as I don't I'll keep this one pretty short.

Our baptismal dates for yesterday didn't work out so well, two of them are very sick, and the other basically decided to deny the Spirit she began to feel as she read and prayed about the Book of Mormon. It was a sad moment for me when I came to find out just how hard some people's hearts can be; to see the potential of so many individuals, yet to realize they are so far lost...--they simply will not hear the whisperings of the Spirit of the Lord.

The worst part about being in the ghetto that is Normandy, is seeing so many young children who are forced to grow up in such a negative environment where every evil deed you can imagine is simply a part of everyday life. I have had several young children come up to me, many under three or four years of age, walk up to me and lift their arms up in the air so I could give them a hug. I always feel so happy when it happens, but I feel worse when my mind begins to wander and my thoughts lead me to believe that the hug they give to me may be one of the only peaceful moments they may ever have in all their lives.

I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad, because the people in these situations are more than capable of getting themselves up and off the ground, but they lack the motivation or belief that they can do it--or they simply like to blame the circumstances around them for the miserable lives they have. I know how much this restored gospel can bless their lives if they would just open their hearts and have a little faith that Heavenly Father really is there for them. It is amazing to see how many people would rather live life in misery than happiness. I only hope they can figure it out one day before it is too late...

I guess my sadness is probably coming from reading the "Miracle of Forgiveness" by Spencer W. Kimball--it is a great book, but my goodness, it can be very frightening to read. It makes me realize how much more I can do to be a better person and how important it is that we realize that the only way we can truly be saved is through the Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Atonement is beginning to make sense to me; I'm beginning to understand that the only way we can benefit from His sacrifice is if we show our faith in Him by our actions. We can't merely believe and have everything be ok. We have to work at it, and it simply isn't going to happen overnight, it's going to take real effort.

As I apply these thoughts however, I can already feel a difference in my life, I am starting to see all the blessings that Heavenly Father has already given me, as well as all His children. I don't regret that I didn't figure this out earlier, but it certainly would have helped had I actually taken the time to find out. I guess that is why they say to experiment on the Word, to see if it will really work. No wonder they drilled this into me at the MTC: faith and obedience are directly related. Faith in the Lord leads to obedience, obedience to the Lord leads to blessings, blessings lead to greater faith. It is a never ending circle.

The longer I am out here the more I grow to admire Nephi and his example of obedience. The Book of Mormom truly was written in perfect order. Nephi begins with a little faith, but as he trusts the Lord and obeys the commandments he is given, he is blessed. He gives the Lord credit in all things and therefore always trusts him. As he continues in his journeyings, Nephi is tried more and more, perhaps to see just how faithful he will be, and without fail Nephi puts his trust in God. God blesses him even more. This process continues throughout the whole book, and pretty soon Nephi's faith is so strong that there is nothing that could possibly make him disbelieve in the Lord. He had faith, he obeyed, he was blessed. His foundation started small, but slowly and steadily grew into an unshakable fortress of faith. I'm positive that is how it can be with all of us if we just do it.

Anyhow, I love all of you very much and I'm grateful to have each of you to be a part of my life. I know that my life wouldn't be nearly as wonderful as it is if it wasn't for all of you. I'll write again next week, and I enjoyed all of your emails, they absolutely made my day.

Love,

Austin