Desire

hola!

So, as i was thinking on what I was going to write home today, i looked at the email president miller sent us for the week and noteds that the talk i was going to focus on (dalin h oaks talk on desire), was the one he decided to include on his note from president for the week! THE CHURCH IS TRUE! haha

here is what he wrote:

Message from President MillerDESIREElder Oaks taught us during the last general conference the importance of desire in our lives. He said, “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.” There is a hymn that says; “Prayer is the Soul’s sincere desire”. How do prayer and desire come together? Actually, desire is rooted in love. If you love basketball, you will have a desire to play the game well. If you love golf, you will work to excel in golf. If you love art and drawing, you will spend hours to perfect a piece. It is all based on love. It is why the Lord said; “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 We know that the first commandment encompasses the first four of the ten commandments and the second the last six.

The orders of these commandments are:

First: Love God

Second: Love Self

Third: Love our neighbors.

Read the book of Enos carefully and you will see this progression in his experience as he went to hunt wild beasts in the forest. How do we first love our Father in Heaven? Well, like the circle, it brings us back to prayer. As we continue to realize all that God has blessed us with and we acknowledge those blessings in prayer then our love for Him will grow. As that love grows, like with Enos, we realize we are the literal off-spring of God. “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.” Acts 17:29. As this love grows we start loving others and seeing others as the Lord sees them. This is called charity. As we do this our desires grow just like they would if you started playing a guitar and the more you played the more you love it. My great great grandfather, Charles W. Penrose, put it this way. “If we really do believe God & Jesus Christ, then the desire will enter our hearts to turn from sin.” J.of D. 21:65 In conclusion, ponder the words of President Monson in a recent conference address: “To those who humbly seek, there is no need to stumble or falter along the pathway leading to truth. It is well marked by our Heavenly Father. We must first have a desire to know for ourselves. We must study. We must pray. We must do the will of the Father. And then we will know the truth, and the truth will make us free. Divine favor will attend those who humbly seek it. That is a promise which I leave with you. Remember, that doubt and faith cannot exist in the mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. Whereas doubt destroys, faith fulfills. An attitude of faith brings one closer to God and to His purposes.”I pray that we will all grow our desires so that we can have the hope that leads to faith and brings us to the truth that then makes us free.

Just thought you would benefit from hearing this as well :)

SO

How is everyone?!

MOM!! you went to ladies night out!! wooo!!! and dad went camping...hahah well thats typical!

umm i ate shrimp & rolled each of my ankles this week...BUT i am alive and WELL!

ps- no ER's

and...yes, i am sending home pictures of this place called airborne-it is just like sky high but no injuries happened there, just so you are well aware.

anyway.

Ashtyn got baptized this week! She is 11 and ADORABLE and has a STRONG testimony. Her dad told the sisters no one would be interested from their home and that he and his wife had been inactive for years so there is no point in trying...then one day the sisters talked to Ashtyn and BAM her testimony hasn't stopped growing since!

She got baptized up in farmington with her cousin, then confirmed down here. We were not allowed to leave our mission to go, but got to speak in the ward yesterday when she was confirmed!! It was a HUGE deal for her extended family, they traveled from ALL OVER THE NATION to come! What a powerful spirit was there, her parents came to church and her mom has been coming to church AND activities! I love their family :)

MOM! the lady you spoke with, Shellie...she is AWESOME!! I can't tell her whole story, but she is just so so so great. We love her! She is very strong and I know the Lord knows us. EACH of us, individually. More than we think he does. There are just so many experiences that can only be explained by the spirit.

Nico is next week!!!! His is the baptism I am MOST excited about thus far!!! HE IS AWESOME! He is 18, just graduated, going to So. Orego University to wrestle...he had pink hair, and now a mohawk but he has a STONG testimony. He teaches me more and more just as we teach him! I told him he needs to go on a mission :) He is going to be SUCH a strong example for his family and friends, I am really excited for saturday!! we taught the priests yesterday in young mens and he was in there, so it was me, sister pousima and elder nico teaching...he was on FIRE!

DAVID! Get a copy of preach my gospel and read chapter 5...i think i have an extra on my black bookcase on the bottom shelf. I though of you when I was reading it, esp the quote from president hinckley.

WHEN DOES SCHOOL START?!?! all the littles are going to be in jr high?! What the?? ha! It didnt hit me how old they are until we turned in a baptismal record for mario (which by the way is a boy who reminds me SOOO much of david) anyway, he was born in 96 and i had to do a double take! You are getting so old, david!

hmm...tomorrow is zone conference for 3 of our zones and i have to ...i mean get to speak. yeay.

i was supposed to run it by my district leader last night, but still had no idea so he is giving me until tonight to figure it out.

OH! we went tracting alllll day saturday! it's not so bad, you should go with the sisters, mom!!! go go go!! we are ALWAYS needing members, so please please go as much as you can!!

oh, DAD. I thought of you this week, the little boy Trent who we are teaching attends scouts every week, anyway i KNOW it would be a HUGE difference in his testimony if his leaders were more involved at scouts, just thought i would pass it along.

hey...what about short fry? how is he doing? invite him to church! :)

sorry, i feel like this letter is boring.

read 1 nephi ch 22

i did for my personal study this week

know that i love this gospel and i am SO grateful to be here.

and that i love YOU!

:)

Sister G