June 9 - District Conference broadcast from SLC

Yeah, it's a been little hectic today, but I finally got back on to write you guys!  This week was a little disappointing, but we are just trying to have success.  It's been interesting to see what is success for me now as I'm in a different kind of area.  The highlight of my week though, was definitely our district conference.  We had the opportunity to have it broadcasted from Salt Lake, so it was super cool!  We got to listen to Elder Scott and Elder Ballard.

These are the notes that Sister Cabral took. I had the majority of this stuff down, but she just makes it seem so much prettier and I think you and her are so much alike!  You both love planning and planners and this kind of stuff haha.

Our Heavenly Father didn’t put us on this earth to become weak, but to have infinite success.

-        We can come closer to Him with confidence

-        Don’t rush through your conversations with Heavenly Father, reserve time to share your feelings and to hear His answers, that way you will be able to become what He wants.

-        Recognize answers to your prayers:

1.       Peace, comfort, safety—we know that the choice we made was right.

2.       Discomfort—we know that the choice is wrong.

3.       Nothing—to grow and exercise faith in Him. We exercise faith by being obedient to His commandments. When the Lord doesn’t give us an answer, we must ACT. We must also thank Him for trusting in us. IF we are (1) living worthy and (2) asking with confidence, God won’t let us go far without helping us. He wants us to act so that we can have necessary experiences.

-        If it is right, the confirmation will come in small inspirations. The feeling of peace is the most common testimony.

-        Sometimes the Lord makes us act so that we can exercise our faith before we receive an answer. That way, our character will strengthen and our faith will grow.

-        Rarely will the answer come while we are praying. Instead, it will inspire us when the Spirit can touch our mind and our heart effectively in quiet moments.

-        When we err and think that we aren’t worthy to pray, we must pray to ask forgiveness so that we can be cleaned and become worthy to pray. Subtle whispers will show us the steps that we must follow to become clean through the Atonement.

-        The most important principle in prayer is GRATITUDE. The sincere recognition fills our heart until it overflows with gratitude. Shouldn’t we thank Heavenly Father for the gift of prayer?

-        “Everything that you ask the Father will be given if it is for your good.”

-        Your life will be easier if you accept that everything that God does is for your well-being—whether you be rich or poor, free or enslaved.

-        He will always answer with what is best for your.

-        Elder Ballard – Teach each other with love.

-        Our work will not be complete until EVERYBODY has had the opportunity to hear the gospel and all of the members go to the temple.

-        Use technology wisely.

-        Have calm time to meditate, to have a personal interview with yourself, to hear the whispers of the Holy Ghost, to find peace.

-        During the sacrament, concentrate on the Spirit of the Lord. For this brief moment, be with Him.

-        The temple is a wonderful place to hear answers to prayers. (Your house has to be a temple.)

-        Battle against pornography – it is physically, mentally and spiritually destructive. It leads to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. It is fatal – it destroys individuals and families. Like venom, it kills the body and mind. If you are involved, seek help with your priesthood leader and lds.org.

-        Always study The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Marriage and family are under attack. Great blessings flow when we obey God. Pray for government leaders so that they follow the commandments of God.

-        Who will separate us from the love of God? Tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? As it is written: 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 36-39)

-        Thanks to the love of Christ, everything can be fixed. Invite everybody to enjoy this love.

I'm sure this week will be busy getting McKaylee all set up to stay.  I was just thinking now that you and dad got shafted....two kids left the house in 9 months, that's rough!!!  I'm sure dad is taking it a little rougher because you got to stay.  

I'm glad  McKaylee had a good last week though and that she was able to say goodbye to the people that she needed to!  I think this is definitely the right path for her to progress in the right direction.

For things that I have been craving, the licorice was on point last time hah, but mac and cheese, not really. I tried to make home made mac and cheese one day and it worked a little bit, but it's not as good as yours obviously, but it was edible hahha.  Beef jerky would be cool as well. I cant think of anything else.  Can you send me the recipe for the Cookie Dough Brownies? I want to try to make them next P-day.

I think we really all have the same testimony that is said in 1 Nefi 1  "Having been born of goodly parents".

I started doing something similar with my studying - I sing or hum a hymn before I read.  It has helped me transfer my thoughts to the gospel and feel the Spirit and its whispers.

I watched a movie this morning about the life of Emma Smith - it was super cool, felt the Spirit a ton, but the thing that I liked most is a quote she said, "Strength isn't something you have, it's something you find, with the help of God, day by day, hour by hour."  

 

My companion has been difficult.  He struggles with the way our  mission does things - rules and the way we teach, but then when he tries to do it his way, it doesn't work.  I've learned to just be patient and let him learn by himself because he doesn't listen to me at all.  I told President Cabral that I was having some troubles with him and he just told me, "Elder, I know, but unfortunately someone has to be his trainer, someone has to suffer through the first couple months with Elder Veiga and you were the one the Lord chose so that you could be better." I was like, thanks, President, but then how do I help him and basically he just said, "Prayer is a good place to start." It has been getting better, but it's been a tester for sure.

I'm hoping that we can have some success. I've really been focusing on the sacrifice that it takes to have success. It has been really humbling, but we are having a little bit at a time.