I hope that you've had a fantastic start to your Christmas season, because we definitely have! Of most particular note this week is the "He is the Gift" initiative the Church is putting on that's got this video as a major part of it:
It's a dang awesome video, so you should click on that link and watch it now. It's only 3 minutes long. So, just do it. Now. Then you can keep reading.
So, I hope you actually watched the video. Seriously. It's only 3 minutes. If you haven't, go watch it! Either way, I can't really make you watch it... but I'd highly encourage it...
Moving on, Last week for p-day we went to the Cowboy Museum! It was pretty sweet, with a ton of awesome (and super expensive) artwork and historical stuff that was pretty neat to see. I took a ton of pictures (again), and haven't gone through them yet, so you'll just have to sit quietly and wait for when I actually get around to it. Considering I still haven't gotten around to going through the zoo photos it might be awhile yet. Then on Tuesday we got to have dinner with an awesome couple in the ward and had a fantastic visit with them focused on revelation and the Book of Mormon, where we watched the Patterns of light videos from Elder Bednar located here: Video 1 Video 2 Video 3
You don't have to watch those right now unless you really want to... I'd rather that you go watch "He is the Gift" first, but it's up to you. On Wednesday I got to fix another flat tire that I had gotten, and since it was the day before Thanksgiving we got to go to a "Greedy Pilgrim Feast" that a family in the ward was hosting. Pretty much it's just where a ton of people get together and eat pie the day before Thanksgiving, since we all know that on Thanksgiving you're always too full to actually enjoy the pie that you are eating. So, that was a delicious blast, along with getting to see a few people throughout the day and share a Thanksgiving themed message with them, which was pretty fun. I also happened to read Alma 26 today, which was pretty sweet. There was a passage that stood out to me that said, after talking about all the work that they had been doing and how blessed they were to serve the Lord: "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever.Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."
On Thursday for Thanksgiving we got to go to the Turkey Bowl that the ward was having, and it was a blast, aside from the injury or two that occurred (and almost always come with Turkey Bowls), we had a pretty good time. Then we got to help a family rake up some leaves that covered their lawn, which was pretty fun. For our Thanksgiving meal, yes we only had one (thankfully), we got to spend some time with a couple of the families in the ward and eat some incredible food, play a few games while it digested, and then partake in some awesome pie! It was a pretty sweet day, with lots of things to be grateful for throughout the day.
Friday was awesome. We got to have a zone meeting where we talked about the "He is the Gift" Initiative, and watched the video, that you all should have watched by now, and if you haven't, here is the link again... seriously just watch it. "He Is The Gift" There really isn't any point in not watching it... so you should just do it. But, the meeting was fantastic, and we were highly encouraged to include that as a major part of our missionary work for this month and help others remember the true meaning of Christmas and learn more about Christ's restored Gospel. So, the rest of the day was spent sharing the gift with people while I was on an exchange with Elder Balch here in Edmond. So, you all should totally share the gift - just go share it on your facebook page or twitter or something. On Saturday we had to do our weekly planning, which took a while, plus we had to exchange back, and we had a fantastic dinner appointment, so it was a pretty good day.
On Sunday we got to go to church, which was a blast. During the 3rd hour they introduced a site that is supposed to help link volunteers with organizations who need volunteer help, called justserve.org it might not be available in your area yet, but it looked like a super awesome deal, so if it is you should totally check it out. Even if it isn't, I think you'd enjoy checking it out periodically in case it does start getting some use in your area. Later that day we got to share the gift with a few people, which was awesome, and also had the chance to give one of our friends who is learning more about the church a blessing since he hurt his knee in the turkey bowl. Then the awesome member we were out with took us to deliver some food that he had collected at his office as part of a drive before Thanksgiving, to a family in need, so that was pretty awesome.
And then we have today... where my notes include things that I've studied over the last week. I've definitely spent a lot of time in Preach my Gospel this last week, and there were a few quotes that stood out to me:
- "The Savior satisfied the demands of justice for those who repent of their sins and endeavor to keep all of His commandments when He stood in our place and suffered the penalty for our sins. This act is called the Atonement. Because of this selfless act, Christ can plead with the Father on our behalf. Heavenly Father can apply mercy, withhold punishment from us, and welcome us into His presence. Our Heavenly Father shows mercy when He forgives us of our sins and helps us return to dwell in His presence. However, Jesus did not eliminate our personal responsibility. He forgives our sins when we accept Him, repent, and obey His commandments." (PMG p. 61)
- "Before baptism we show our willingness to enter a covenant to keep all the commandments for the rest of our lives. After baptism we show our faith by keeping our covenants. We also regularly renew the covenants we make when baptized by partaking of the sacrament. Partaking of the sacrament weekly is a commandment. It helps us remain worthy to have the Spirit with us always. It is a weekly reminder of our covenants." (PMG p.64)
- "Faith in Christ; repentance; making, renewing, and keeping covenants; and being cleansed by the Spirit become a pattern of living. Our actions in daily life are shaped and governed by these principles. Peace and joy come by following this way, and we gradually grow in Christlike attributes." (PMG p. 66)
Well, I've gotta get other things done today, but I hope you guys have a fantastic week and enjoy the video! "He Is The Gift" Love y'all!
'Til Next Time,
Elder Jordan Nielson
P.S. If you have read this entire email and didn't watch the video, you must be pretty stubborn... so I applaud you... but please just watch the video! "He Is The Gift"
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