Grant,
I'm writing this from a dingy motel room in Dutch John, Utah. Ethan and I are going to float the Green River tomorrow! We went to church this morning, did some indexing for the WW indexing event and then jumped in the car and drove down here. We will be using my little one-man pontoons. First time for Ethan to use one. Should be exciting!
McCall comes home later this week. Incredible. You're next! I know it all feels weird, but try to focus on your last months in the field--enjoy every last day. It will all be great when you are done.
This week I noticed something in the Book of Mormon I hadn't before, and I always love it when that happens. If you go to Alma 27:25-26 you read where Ammon returns to the lamanites he and his brethren had converted with the answer from the Nephites to the question of whether the Nephites would let the Anti-Nephi Lehis come live in their land and have their protection. The answer is in the affirmative. But I had never noticed how Ammon's pal from their rebellious youth, Alma, goes with him. Earlier in the chapter, Alma had run into Ammon and his brethren 17 years after they parted to do their respective missions, and their joy had been huge meeting together. Alma then travels with Ammon down to meet Ammon's converts, and Alma shares with them the story of his and Ammon's conversion. What a neat moment that must have been, for Alma just to share in the goodness that had been wrought by Ammon's faith and sacrifice over many years. Alma had also had great success among the Nephites, but it had been coupled with tragedy and civil war involving the Zoramites. The converted Lamanites experienced their own tragedies when the more wicked lamanites kill many of them without resistance. This time period in the Book of Mormon shows what great good can be accomplished by faith and sacrifice, but it also shows the evil that rises to try to match it. I suspect you have seen that in the lives of the investigators who try to change, but the World doesn't like them to do that and puts up roadblocks and challenges. We see that in our lives when we want to be and do better, it takes sacrifice.
Love you,
Dad
I'm writing this from a dingy motel room in Dutch John, Utah. Ethan and I are going to float the Green River tomorrow! We went to church this morning, did some indexing for the WW indexing event and then jumped in the car and drove down here. We will be using my little one-man pontoons. First time for Ethan to use one. Should be exciting!
McCall comes home later this week. Incredible. You're next! I know it all feels weird, but try to focus on your last months in the field--enjoy every last day. It will all be great when you are done.
This week I noticed something in the Book of Mormon I hadn't before, and I always love it when that happens. If you go to Alma 27:25-26 you read where Ammon returns to the lamanites he and his brethren had converted with the answer from the Nephites to the question of whether the Nephites would let the Anti-Nephi Lehis come live in their land and have their protection. The answer is in the affirmative. But I had never noticed how Ammon's pal from their rebellious youth, Alma, goes with him. Earlier in the chapter, Alma had run into Ammon and his brethren 17 years after they parted to do their respective missions, and their joy had been huge meeting together. Alma then travels with Ammon down to meet Ammon's converts, and Alma shares with them the story of his and Ammon's conversion. What a neat moment that must have been, for Alma just to share in the goodness that had been wrought by Ammon's faith and sacrifice over many years. Alma had also had great success among the Nephites, but it had been coupled with tragedy and civil war involving the Zoramites. The converted Lamanites experienced their own tragedies when the more wicked lamanites kill many of them without resistance. This time period in the Book of Mormon shows what great good can be accomplished by faith and sacrifice, but it also shows the evil that rises to try to match it. I suspect you have seen that in the lives of the investigators who try to change, but the World doesn't like them to do that and puts up roadblocks and challenges. We see that in our lives when we want to be and do better, it takes sacrifice.
Love you,
Dad
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