Week 20

Life is good. I'm still thinking about that talk I mentioned in my last email. An absolute truth is that happiness is a choice. It's a state of mind. Happiness comes from doing what happy people do, and I'm really working on being happy. Working really hard. And that's okay. I hope y'all are also trying to be happy. Or, if you feel happy enough, that you're trying to make those around you happy.

We had a good couple days, we taught a bunch, we invited a bunch, including our Jewish friend, he actually went to Salt Lake and checked out Temple Square. He also checked out the Cathedral and Synagogue downtown, and we had a good talk. We've been getting real with teaching which is sick, I just told my comp that we were gonna get on the list of former people, less actives, and part member families, knock on their doors, and ask if we can teach them. So far we've had pretty good lessons. I wish our ward was younger, because I feel bad dragging around the same 4 guys aged 60+ from Elder's Quorum to try to "fellowship" with the single mothers and teenaged boys we're teaching. I'm hoping to find a family with Melchizedek Priesthood potential, because then it'd be less awkward. Either way, the people who want to come to our church will, and maybe we're meant to cook a new batch of members to take over the existing ward.

We did service this week, Wednesday morning we helped a lady pick persimmons, they're super wack fruit that I had never heard of before. They taste super wack too. We helped a member and his family move, with various packing and moving projects. On Saturday, we helped set up decorations at a members home, because on their street is a big Christmas celebration, everyone decorates or has booths, so the population here has something to do every night leading up to Christmas. We will have a Light The World booth, which will be fun. Thanksgiving was good, not many people wanted to talk to us that day, which was okay. We ate at a members home, they had lots of classy Thanksgiving food just like home, no chicken feet or cow intestines, so I was stoked. After we ate, I taught their family how to play pirate dice, and then they let us play Battleship, it was nice to stay in and have a small break. 

Saturday morning, after service, a friend in our teaching pool who I hadn't met took us to breakfast at this sick small town diner. We caught up with him and invited him to church the next day. It was a good start to our weekend. Later that afternoon, a member called and asked if they could take us to pizza. Heck yeah! Two meals in one day? It's been a fat minute since I had pizza, it was fantastic. That night, we visited some cool people, and this former who hadn't been seen in a while. We talked with their whole family, Elder P let them all know that I play guitar, so they grabbed one for me and huddled around. It was nice to play again. Then they made us hot chocolate, gave us some Mexican pastries, and we showed them the Christ Child! We hope they start to soften up soon.

Sunday was good. Not a lot going on, our friends didn't come to church, but it was fine. We met with some members, brought the sacrament to the bed-bound, and gave a light the world lesson. I also got to read some crazy books by Elder McConkie, my companion got from a member. Just a regular day. 

I found a verse this week that just recently appealed to my mind. When Abinadi prophecies about Christ and explains the concept of redemption to king Noah and his priests, to dissuade them from their weak attempts to comprehend the law of Moses, he beautifully relays the infinite power of Christ. "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death" Mosiah 16:9

Because of him, "death is swallowed up". I know the Savior paid the price for all mankind from ancient to contemporary. I know that the purpose of life is to better ourselves and to follow the example of Jesus Christ. I know that, despite our imperfections, we can live with God again. That it really isn't that hard to live righteously. We can make a good choice every day. We do it over and over until we make lots of good choices, and then hopefully, almost always good choices. Remember Christ, remember that he loves you. I love you all too. 

Smiles and prayers,

Elder Gneiting

By the way, it's been raining all week here in Ceres. Enjoy some pictures from the crazy weather & service.