Wednesday, June 18, 2014

And transfer calls say.....(and some pictures!)

People!
Transfer calls came and I AM STAYING IN CULVER!!!! WOOOOHOOO!
I am going to miss Elder Van Shaar SOOOOO MUCH! He has been my absolute favorite companion so far. We have had countless tender spiritual experiences together and have helped each other grow spiritually. He is a great missionary who has great desires to be obedient and serve the Lord. Where ever he goes he will do great things.

This week has been another great week. We have learn more concerning the Lord and goal setting/achieving. We started the week by calling it "Miracle week" and we set realistic but high goals to hit. We worked really hard and eagerly sought the Lord's will in all things. We had many many miracles throughout the week including getting 6 lessons in one day (insane!). 

The second part of the week hit and I had become a little too focused on reaching our goals and not enough on just working and doing the Lord's will. I became stressed and confused when we didn't quite reach our daily goals. Elder Van Shaar and I talked about it on our way to and from Mishawaka. A few days later the Lord's answer came to us: We are to set goals to help us achieve great things but they are also sometimes just to motivate us to work hard. There were some days where we gave the same effort and were diligent and obedient but we achieved little as far as key indicators go. After receiving that inspiration we were able to realize that there will be days and sometimes even weeks where there will be an out pouring of miracles but there is going to be days and weeks where it is just time to work hard and not much happens. It was such a relief to learn more about how the Lord works in that aspect and it relieved a ton of stress to know that we were still doing what the Lord wanted.
I love my Savior and I know He loves me perfectly and because he does he is going to let me struggle sometimes so I can grow and become better. I know that the work we are doing is under God's direction. He is in complete control. Like a shepherd, He guides his sheep. Although those sheep can be really dumb sometimes, the Lord is perfectly patient and gently encourages us to keep pressing forward with faith and do our best. 

My mission has been the most fulfilling and joyful experience I have yet had in my life. I was driving the other day and it just hit me- this strong feeling of peace and joy, I knew what I was doing was right and it was what the Lord wanted me to do. This church is true, I know it!

I absolutely adore this place and the people here. I know pretty much the whole ward roster and have only not met a handful of the people on it. There is so many great potentials in this area that we are hopefully going to be teaching shortly. I am ready for another 6 weeks of miracles!

Love you all! Share the joy of the gospel with everyone!
Sincerely,
Elder Young

Hey so our mission president sends us a email everyweek with some spiritual thoughts. This is what he talked about today and it was super awesome:
"Quotes: Amazing-ness of LDS Women

"People wonder what we do for our women. I will tell you what we do: we get out of their way and look with wonder at what they are accomplishing." (President Hinckley)

" The place of the woman in the church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel, which is the only concern of the Church was designed by the Lord for men and women alike." (Elder John Widdtsoe)

"Surely the secret citadel of women's inner strength is spirituality. In this you equal and even surpass men, as you do in faith, morality, and commitment." (Elder James E. Faust)

" The responsibilities, roles, and divinely endowed gifts of men and women differ in nature but not in quality, significance, or degree of importance, impact or influence. Latter-day Saint doctrine places women equal to, and yet distinct and different from men." (Sheri Dew)

The Temple is the most heavenly place on earth. Who performs ordinances in the temple? Men and Women...

Why do men need to be ordained to the priesthood, even the Melchizedek priesthood, to be prepared to go into the temple, but women do not, to receive the SAME endowment of knowledge and power?

"Women, unlike men, are not required to be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood in order to enter the house of the Lord, though the ordinances performed there are ALL priesthood ordinances. Neither are women required to be ordained to the priesthood to serve as leaders in the Lord's Church." (Shari Dew)

"Women are not diminished by priesthood power, they are magnified by it. Righteous endowed women have as much access to priesthood power and its blessings as do righteous endowed, ordained men." (Shari Dew)

" If the Lord's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, and it is; if His entire purpose is to help us ultimately live where He lives and become as He is, and it is, then surely in His infinite wisdom and perfect love, He has given His children-both men and women-the gifts, privileges, assignments, and challenges they need to learn to walk by faith and to eventually become exalted beings." (Shari Dew)

I love President Connoly's thoughts...(Indiana, Indianapolis Mission Presidency)

"Women don't have the priesthood conferred upon them because they do not need that experience to be exalted; men do."

"All my learning regarding service, compassion, gentle persuasion, leading etc. has come through experiences while serving in priesthood positions and while using priesthood keys and authority...
My wife already knew all these truths and had all these skills. It is inherent in the daughters of God, part of her divine investiture.""
Also here is some latest pictures. Enjoy!



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