Parable of the 8 Hours (on zoom)

    Good morning everyone!! Welcome aboard, or ashore, or wherever you are. Oooooh man, what a week this has been, and I have loved every minute of it. Before I get on yapping about all kinds of stories and thoughts, let me just give you a quick rundown of my day so you can understand the process. Because I am one of the lucky few to be 4 hours earlier than those in the mountain time zone, my days start a little earlier. I wake up around 4 usually and get ready and do some small personal study, then I have a zoom for an hour, then another zoom for an hour after that. I get a nice little break to eat some breakfast and do more personal study. This is also a time I usually call my companion and we do some together, it's amazing and probably one of the highlights of my day. After that I have a 3 hour class, an hour lunch, and my final 3 hour class. The good thing about starting so early is that I also get to end a little earlier than most, so I have time to hang out with my family. Some of the days feel a little long, but it's so so amazing and I love the classes and learning of the gospel and my missionary purpose. 

 

   They do not mess around at the MTC, so we dove straight into it, day one, and we haven't slowed down since. It is honestly truly like trying to get a drink of water from a fountain and getting a fire hydrant full force at your face. But that just means there is so much good stuff coming at you. Our lessons include anything from personal conversion to Christ, leading and teaching by the spirit, scriptural knowledge, seeking and strengthening faith, and the 4 main missionary lessons that we will teach. I am but a humble servant, however, I may or may not have gotten all the lessons and their principles memorized within the first 2 days so, basically I'm the best humble servant. All jokes of course, but the spirit truly speeds up your learning and understanding when you invite him to help you, and I have a testimony of that for sure. Isaiah 41:10 says to "trust in him and have faith and He will magnify your callings." If my calling now is to learn, then I can assure you it is magnified and I have LEARNED, and I know that will only increase every single day from here on out. 

    Another blessing I have seen this was, that I am able to watch the Chosen while here at home, when I have some down time. This show is amazing, and it has truly helped me gain a personal connection and understanding of who Christ is to me. When you read the stories and see the pictures they're always amazing and spiritual, but being able to see these stories play out, and the meaning and emotion and impact it had makes it feel more real. It reminds me these are real experiences of real people. Not only that but it is our Savior. Many of you who know me pretty well know that I am not an emotional person. However, watching this show, just about any time that Jesus is doing anything, or serving anyone, or teaching something, (so practically the whole show) I am either crying or just about crying. Which is a new experience for me. This feeling, I know, is just the Holy Ghost solidifying the truth and the love of Jesus Christ and his ministry and atonement for us. It has inspired me to read the scriptures more intently and I have loved rereading these stories with a fresh perspective. It simply shows me that God is so good and loves all of us, and Jesus' sacrifice and love is personal and he knows and sees every single one of us individually. 

    Another truth that I have learned this week, has been the power of prayer. "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you" When we pray earnestly with real intent, asking with our whole hearts then the lord will answer our prayers. We must always have a prayer in our heart and faith in those prayers. However, the way that those prayers are answered comes in many different ways. A direct answer to it right then and there would be the simplest wouldn't it, but more often than not that is the most rare way, the other, receiving an answer in one form or another further down the road of life, is more common. A third option is simply not receiving an answer, and that in itself is an answer. He could very well have something planned for you that you must wait for, or he wants us to exercise our gift of agency, and use our judgement. I know that the Lord hears our prayers, and if we pray with a broken heart and contrite spirit, then we will receive the answers that the Lord prepares for us. My invitation to you this week is to ask God earnestly in prayer, a question you have on your mind. And if you do this you will receive the answer that God has specifically orchestrated for you, however it may come. 

    I hope you yall know that I love all of you, I love Jesus Christ, and He loves you all personally. Remember to reach out to me and shoot me an email with any thoughts, questions, stories you may have, or just to chat. I will do my best to reply to you ASAP. Remember that God is the father of everything that makes you unique, and He knows you. See you all next week, and thanks for all your love and support, I truly feel it everyday. 

On to the next one,

Elder Reddish