"Stop thinking that and never think it again!"

Yesterday I was so grateful to be able to see a Facebook post by Alex that talked about families and how important spending time together is. David and I have been talking about that lately and we are so thankful for the time we do get to spend together. That is one of the reasons David has coached all of the kids in soccer. So he could spend as much time with them as possible because as you know once they hit their teenage years they are sometimes even busier than we are. I'm grateful for a great husband who has always put us first in all he does and who makes sure that he is there for his kids and who has made such an impact on so many young soccer players and encouraged them to be great people not just great soccer players. He may not love every minute of the poor officiating and his blood may boil when any of his players get hurt but he loves all of the players he has worked with and has enjoyed spending so many hours with our own kids on the soccer pitch. He always said he wanted to spend as much time with them as he could because he knew once they were older they would rather be hanging out with friends and little did we know, graduating and heading out on a mission right out of high school.
Alex always has such great messages and I am so impressed with the growth he has made during personal study and his willingness to share his thoughts and feelings. He is so encouraging and positive even when he at times is struggling. What great opportunities this gospel gives us to go beyond ourselves and see the bigger picture and make someone else's life a little brighter.

Here is the picture I got today....I some day (maybe when he is home and I can download pictures off his camera myself) will get a picture not in some kind of traction device but for now I am just happy to see his smiling face.

 

Hola!! 

Seems like it's been another busy week for you guys. :) I am happy to hear that T's team won on Saturday. :P haha sorry that it was such a crazy game... Those are the worst. :/ hopefully you don't have to play them again, but if you do, be careful. We don't need any more injuries. :) 

That is super cool that you guys were able to see the rededication. I'm glad that it was a great experience. :) I can't wait to be able to go back to the temple! It's definitely been something that I miss out here. 

Alright, so as far as interviews go, it was good.

The baptisms did work out! It was awesome! We had four baptisms on Friday night. Two of them were the two youth we have been trying to get baptized for so long, and the other two are children of record. It was super cool. :) no, we didn't get pictures because they wanted to do a dinner before, so nobody was dressed up and then they changed and just did the baptisms. There was literally no time, sorry. :/

 My neck is doing okay. I now have an over the door traction unit that I use every other day. It sucks. I really dislike it... It was only $20 though so what else would I expect. I'll send you some pictures. :) they are ordering the tens unit for me so they will just call me when it gets in. :)

Elder Jaime's leg is starting to hurt again. Just a growing pain right now though, but hopefully it just goes away... He finished the meds he was taking for it, and he was fine, but now it's starting to hurt again. We shall see. 

Nope, I don't know anything about transfers. We get the email this Sunday, so I'll know next week. :) that's weird, it's going by so fast... Crazy. 

Alright, so Pday last week sucked. Haha we had a meeting that we had to skype into as a zone and so that took up part of our Pday, so we couldn't play sports with the youth. And then on top of that, my email was being stupid, so I didn't get your emails until later at night, Mom. :/ and Pday ends at 6:00 so I couldn't reply. :/ sorry about that. Hopefully it actually works this week. :) that would be nice. Haha But we don't have any plans this week. Elder Jaime doesn't feel great so we aren't going to do a whole lot. We will see. :)

Spiritual experience would probably have to be yesterday at church. I had the opportunity to participate in the confirmations of the two youth, as well as teach Sunday school to the YM and YW. It was awesome! We taught them all about using FB in order to be member missionaries, and using the hashtag #sharegoodness to link their uplifting post with the rest of the world.  :) it was cool. So they already started doing that so that was awesome! 

The scripture this week is going to be Alma 26:12. This scripture goes with one of the talks in the October 2014 Ensign, The Jadeite Cabbage, and a little bit along with the new mormon message. How often do you feel inadequate and as if you have not accomplished what was needed? How often do you get discouraged and feel like you have too many weaknesses to do what has been asked? Well, I would like to quote something from this past general conference in answer to those feelings and thoughts. "Stop thinking that, and never think it again." God knows you inside and out. He knows what you can and cannot do, and he is going to take your weaknesses and flip them around and make you strong. You just have to let him. Yes, there are discouraging days, yes bad things happen, and yes life is very hard, but God knows everything. God knows what he needs you to get done today. Sometimes it doesn't result in a spotless house or being able to get your entire To Do list done, but it gets HIS To Do list done, and that is what matters. He needs you, and He uses you to help him do his work, even if you think that you "can't" do everything that is asked of you. Let me change that, ESPECIALLY if you think you can't. He uses you in so many ways, you can't even imagine. So relax. You don't have to be "perfect." Nobody is expecting that of you except yourself. That's like expecting a 2 week old baby to just start walking. It doesn't happen. :) so focus on all of the good that you are already doing. Focus on your strengths, and let God take care of your weaknesses. :) He wants to help you grow, you just have to let Him. :) 

I hope that you all have an amazing week!! General conference is only two weeks away!! Stay safe and keep your head up! I love you all!

Love, Elder Moyes

Grateful for Miracles

The fast few weeks have been a great reminder of how our Heavenly Father loves each of us and answers prayers. Alex has had some problems with neck pain that has fortunately subsided due to many who have fasted and prayed for him. I am grateful for this plan of happiness! I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who listens and knows what we need to strengthen us and give us peace. I am going to share just a section of my letter to Alex last week and his updates for the last two weeks. I know that miracles still happen today!

So this week has included a lot more than just soccer and church meetings. I have really been thinking a lot and praying for you. I fasted on Tuesday for your neck pain to go away enough that you could continue your mission without that inferring. I questioned myself a little because I know two things that seem to contradict each other. I know miracles are possible. I know trials are for a purpose and can be for our benefit. I feel like I usually am cautious about what I pray for because I don't want to ask too much and be disappointed. I think I usually pray for His will to be done and pray for the ability to handle whatever that is. This time, this week, as I have fasted and prayed Tuesday and today(Sunday) I prayed that your neck would be pain free for the remainder of your mission. Do I believe that is possible? yes! Do I know that it is possible that that won't happen? Yes! Do I know that either way my prayer is heard and answered in the way it should be? Yes! I know that miracles can happen and just because I might not get the miracle I want this time won't change that. I also know that there are other miracles that have and can happen that I don't even know to pray for. Two things that also happened this week, the physical therapist told me about a TENS machine, that he used on my ankle that can help heal injured muscles and tendons. Is that an answer? Maybe. I will order you one if you can use it. Also, President Hunter told dad today that if you need him to he can look up a specialist in your area and find someone to help you. Were those answers? Not sure, but I do know that as you have been on my mind my Heavenly Father knows what I need to hear. We feel helpless being so far away and not being able to help fix this but we know Heavenly Father is mindful of each of us and knows the things that can give us comfort and peace. 

I am so grateful for that. I am so grateful to know that when I can't be with you I can still pray for you and that can make even more a difference than me doing anything for you in person.

I love you so much and am so grateful for your missionary service. For the things you have learned and for the opportunity I have had to see your testimony grow and develop. I am so amazed at the plan our Heavenly Father has for each of us and how thin the veil really is. That we can feel His spirit so strong when we strive to live the way we should. I love this gospel. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family and terrific kids that are striving to do what is right and good with their lives. I'm grateful to be your mom! I love you!

 

Buenas!!

 

First off: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!! I know it's a day late, but that's not my fault. :P haha I hope that you guys had a good day. :) I love you so much and am so grateful for such amazing parents! You guys are the best! :) 

 

Sounds like soccer has been brutal this week, but I'm glad that everybody is still alive without too many serious injuries. :) I'm glad that you are both enjoying the season still and playing hard. :) keep up the great work! I can't wait to see you guys play again. :)

 

That's awesome that you guys were able to go to the baby blessing! Mindi actually sent me a card on Saturday with pictures of Delilah. It was a very nice surprise. I loved it! :) she is super cute!

 

I am extremely grateful for each one of you. :) I am so blessed to have such an amazing Family. :) you guys are the best! I love you! 

 

Well, this week was kind of crazy. So, the baptisms. The two that were supposed to happen on Friday didn't happen. Things got moved around again and so they will be happening sometime soon. However, the one for Saturday did happen! That was Amanda's. It was a crazy day.... So what happened was Friday night we took Amanda and Coby (her husband who is a member) to the church for a lesson and to go over everything for the baptism. Well, our building doesn't have very many adult baptismal suits so we didn't have any that fit them. So we drove to Arcadia (30 miles away, one way) to get two suits. Well, they didn't have anything for Coby, but they had stuff for Amanda. So we started getting ahold of all the missionaries near us. The nearest place that had any was Bradenton. So, Saturday afternoon, we drove to Bradenton... Haha (50+ miles away, one way) and got the baptismal stuff. So that was crazy... The cool part about that trip was that I got to be back in Bradenton! And on the way there we texted some of the people I used to teach to come meet us for lunch. Well, almost everybody had work! It was lame... However, Jazmin did not have work, so she met us for lunch. It was super cool to be able to catch up with her. She is one of the Carlos sisters. (They threw the surprise party for my bday) so she told us how everybody was doing and what was new. They are going to Utah next month for General Conference! Haha they are super excited. They are going to be there for 10 days or so. Anyways, that was super fun. So we then drove back to Wauchula and got there just before 5 and then we started the font and finished getting everything ready. The baptism started at 6. Well, come starting time everything is ready, except the font... Apparently everybody knew that the font was a super slow filling font, except for us...  Nobody thought to tell us anything. So everybody is there ready to start, and the font isn't even close to being filled. It takes like 4-5 hours to fill this font... So, everybody pitched in and we filled it with buckets in about 30 minutes. :) haha it was fun. And then after that, everything went perfectly. Coby was able to baptize his wife, Amanda, and everything was good. I am super happy for them! They are so awesome! So that was our crazy experience for getting ready for the baptism. We also had an investigator there for the baptism so that was even better! Haha and then on Sunday, Coby and Amanda took up basically the majority of church.  Haha Amanda got confirmed, they got to bless their 8 month old son, Ripp, Coby was sustained and set apart as the YM first counselor, and we put all of that in the records and got them their certificates. It was awesome! So overall we had a really good weekend. :)

 

So, I'll give you the update with my neck. On Thursday I went to the physical therapists office and they specialize in spines so that was good. Haha oh, also, Amanda, the investigator that got baptized on Saturday, works there so we were able to talk with her to get more stuff set up while she was working on my neck. Haha anyways, so apparently from my car accident several years ago, the whiplash messed with one of the discs in my neck and so it keeps bulging out and doesn't want to stay in place. So now we know the problem. Haha well, they put me on this machine that straps my head in and pulls my neck up for 20 seconds and then rests for 5. It is called a tract machine I believe? Anyways, I do that for 20 minutes and then they did some electroshock therapy as well. I think it's the same thing you were telling me about, so that's cool. Haha well that is supposed to help because what it does is builds up everything around the disk so that it gets used to being in the right place, and wants to stay there. So I'm supposed to do rehab a couple times a week for up to 6 weeks. It just depends on how long it takes for me to heal. Well, the only problem with that is the church has a new procedure. Because of so many missionaries out right now, we are only allowed 3 doctors visits for something. Any more, they assess it and most likely just send you home to get fixed, then you come back out. Well, that's supposed to save them a lot of money and time. However, I am using our home insurance so the church isn't paying for anything, so I'm not sure what they'll do with me. President Cusick emailed me yesterday and asked how my neck was affecting the work, and this is exactly what I told him: 

 

"This past Thursday I went to a physical therapy office and got looked at and started some physical therapy for my neck. What has happened is there is a disk in my neck that keeps bulging out of place, most likely caused from my car accident 3 years ago. Due to that, my neck hurts, however it does not interfere with the work. I was planning on bringing it up to you during interviews. My neck does not interfere with the work. I am able to do everything that a normal missionary can do, my neck just hurts. It isn't a huge deal and I am getting it worked on at physical therapy. The physical therapy also does not interfere with missionary work. It is less than a mile away from our apartment and takes only about 45 minutes out of the day. I am also able to do language study during that time. The physical therapist has told me not to lift more than 20 lbs and to try and keep my head up during studies and things so that the disk stays straight. Those are the only restrictions that I have been given, and I am still able to lift if it is an emergency, but I mainly just need to ask someone else to help me if it is over 20 lbs. I have only been to one session so far, but Elder Young has allowed me to go to a maximum of 4 sessions. I wanted to ask you if it was possible to extend those sessions to more than 4 because it is on my own insurance. The Church is not paying for any of it, and it does not take much time. If that is not available then I will take the 4 sessions and I will wait until I am done with my mission before continuing. My neck pain does not interfere with the work at all so I am planning on continuing to do all that is asked of me. That is all of the information that I have been given and that I know. I hope that answers your question. Thank you very much for your concern. I am grateful to be able to let you know how things are going. If you have anymore questions, please let me know."

 

So, those are my arguing points for not going home to get this fixed. Haha and if they want to do that, then I'll just wait the 10 months until I'm home to get it fixed. It's already been 3 or so years since the car accident, it can wait a few more months. But we have interviews a week from Thursday so I will talk with President then. But that's where I'm at right now with my neck. So I guess things are getting figured out. :) haha thank you so much for your prayers! 

 

Alright, so the spiritual experience for this week happened on Tuesday night. We were trying to visit people, but nobody was home or they were busy, so we decided to drop by a members house. Hno Abrego is the Spanish Sunday school teacher. So we stopped by to see how he was doing and he wasn't busy so he asked us if we had any plans and we said not right now, so he just took us to his brothers house for a lesson. Haha his brother isn't a member and Hno Abrego just took us over there and we had a lesson on the Restoration! It was awesome! That is definitely what we would like all members to do. We understand that it's a little unreasonable all the time, but it was just amazing how much faith he had to go over with the missionaries and just invite his brother and his family to listen to us. And I'm sure he was a little nervous, but it was done out of love, so that overpowered his fear. That is what we need members to understand. Inviting your friends and family members is out of love and they aren't going to hate you for it. Now, you don't need to show up on their doorstep with some missionaries, but at least invite them to church activities. It doesn't have to be huge, but as long as it is an invitation made out of love, it cannot fail. Even if they say no, they aren't going to completely ignore you! Haha you will still be their friend, it's just a simple invitation. So that was just super cool that Hno Abrego had that much love for his brother.

 

The scripture is going to be Mark 2:9. I really love this verse because Jesus asks, basically a rhetorical question. Which is easier? Why are they not just as easy to do? Well, for him they are. As we know, the Priesthood can very easily heal us, if we have faith. So, Christ can easily heal us if we have the faith necessary for him to do so. Well, if we have enough faith, he can forgive us as well. He wants to forgive us, we just need to be willing to repent and seek his forgiveness. When we do our part, it is just as easy as healing someone. He just says it and it's done. Wouldn't that be nice? To be completely forgiven of everything? Isn't that what we do every week? We partake of the sacrament in order to renew the covenant we made at baptism so that we can be forgiven of our mistakes and shortcomings. Yeah, we mess up. So? Repent and move on. That's what the Atonement is there for! He knows that we will mess up, he knows that we will fall short, and he knows that WE ARE NOT PERFECT. But He is. So USE IT! Become more Christlike. Become clean again. Recognize how much He loves you! It is EASY for Him, so just ask! 

 

I love you all so much! And Christ loves you infinitely more! I pray for each of you! Have an amazing week and stay safe! I love you!

 

Love,

Elder Moyes

 

Hola!!

So, I'm beginning to realize how crazy your weeks are. :) haha when I was in the middle of it, it seemed normal, now it just seems extremely busy. Haha but I'm glad that you guys are staying busy. :) better that, than bored. :) 

 I remember Mr. Himley. He was my art teacher. That was the only art class I ever took. :) that's really funny.  I'm glad that people are watching out for Em. :) 

I hope that T gets feeling better. :/ that's always a bummer to feel down. Hopefully Jed or Primary's can figure it out and everything will be good. :) I'm sure it will. Just don't go too crazy, T. :P

So, as far as the interview, it hasn't happened yet.  It's this upcoming Thursday so we will see how that goes. :) it should be fine. My neck is doing fine. I had another therapy session today and we are getting things figured out. I'm going to call Elder Young and get some stuff figured out because after Wednesday the church won't let me do any more sessions, so they are going to have me get personal machines for everything. I need to get a prescription for the Tens machine and both that and the traction machine can get pretty expensive, if I want one that works well. I can get a cheap door traction unit for $20 but that is literally a bag with some water in it and some head gear to hold it. So we will see.  The insurance should cover most of it though. I will let you know when I get more information. 

The baptisms for Duran and Ellie should be getting scheduled today. They have been waiting for the Patriarch to get back in town, he will do the baptisms, and to coordinate with his schedule. So it should be set today. As far as everything else, things are going well. We had a lot more member visits this week, trying to visit people we don't see much and invite them back and things like that. Our investigators have pretty busy schedules so we have been working with the members and trying to find more people to teach. 

Spiritual experience was probably yesterday, as I was teaching Elders Quorum. Nobody had been assigned to teach so it got put on me. :) haha that's okay though. The lesson was on sealing power and temple blessings. We mostly talked about family history and the importance of having that sealing power for these ordinances for both us, and our ancestors. It was really cool. But the most spiritual part about it was how it all boils down to love. People have the urge to do family history work because the work for our ancestors needs to get done. And we have that wonderful opportunity, because God loves us. He gives everyone the opportunity to hear his Gospel and to hear the truth. And it is all out of love. He loves us more than anything! As a parent you wouldn't single out only some of your children to succeed or only choose a few of them to receive blessings or gifts. You love them all and so you want to bless them and make them happy. That's what He wants! He loves ALL of us. That is why we have this work! It all comes down to his love for each of us. I love that. :) it definitely makes the work seem more personal and urgent. Make sure that you always remember how much God loves you. :)

The scripture this week is a fairly popular one. I am sure you have all heard it multiple times due to the fact that it is a scripture mastery scripture. The scripture is Alma 41:10. It is very straightforward and tells us what we ought not to do. "Wickedness never was happiness." Now, that seems so simple. "Well, obviously it's not happiness." But sometimes we don't really think about what happiness is, so how do we know if what we are doing is really "wicked." Sometimes we mistake happiness for pleasure. They are most definitely NOT the same thing. There is a section in Jesus the Christ, that covers this topic and I want to share it with each of you. I love this section and I hope that it helps you understand the difference:

"Pleasure Versus Happiness.--“The present is an age of pleasure-seeking, and men are losing their sanity in the mad rush for sensations that do but excite and disappoint. In this day of counterfeits, adulterations, and base imitations, the devil is busier than he has ever been in the course of human history, in the manufacture of pleasures, both old and new; and these he offers for sale in most attractive fashion, falsely labeled, Happiness. In this soul-destroying craft he is without a peer; he has had centuries of experience and practice, and by his skill he controls the market. He has learned the tricks of the trade, and knows well how to catch the eye and arouse the desire of his customers. He puts up the stuff in bright-colored packages, tied with tinsel string and tassel; and crowds flock to his bargain counters, hustling and crushing one another in their frenzy to buy.

“Follow one of the purchasers as he goes off gloatingly with his gaudy packet, and watch him as he opens it. What finds he inside the gilded wrapping? He has expected fragrant happiness, but uncovers only an inferior brand of pleasure, the stench of which is nauseating.

“Happiness includes all that is really desirable and of true worth in pleasure, and much besides. Happiness is genuine gold, pleasure but guilded brass, which corrodes in the hand, and is soon converted into poisonous verdigris. Happiness is as the genuine diamond, which, rough or polished, shines with its own inimitable luster; pleasure is as the paste imitation that glows only when artificially embellished. Happiness is as the ruby, red as the heart’s blood, hard and enduring; pleasure, as stained glass, soft, brittle, and of but transitory beauty.

“Happiness is true food, wholesome, nutritious and sweet; it builds up the body and generates energy for action, physical, mental and spiritual; pleasure is but a deceiving stimulant which, like spiritous drink, makes one think he is strong when in reality enfeebled; makes him fancy he is well when in fact stricken with deadly malady.

“Happiness leaves no bad after-taste, it is followed by no depressing reaction; it calls for no repentance, brings no regret, entails no remorse; pleasure too often makes necessary repentance, contrition, and suffering; and, if indulged to the extreme, it brings degradation and destruction.

“True happiness is lived over and over again in memory, always with a renewal of the original good; a moment of unholy pleasure may leave a barbed sting, which, like a thorn in the flesh, is an ever-present source of anguish.

“Happiness is not akin with levity, nor is it one with light-minded mirth. It springs from the deeper fountains of the soul, and is not infrequently accompanied by tears. Have you never been so happy that you have had to weep? I have.”--From an article by the author, Improvement Era, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 172, 173." (Ch.17 Jesus The Christ)

The world teaches us that we need "happiness" now. That it can be attained immediately and that pleasure is the best kind of "happiness." We, however, know this to be completely false. True happiness brings no regrets, only peace, love, hope, and other similar feelings. It is not temporary nor is it generally forgettable. I really love that part. Menial things that bring us pleasure are easily forgettable and useless, whereas those spiritual experiences that bring us happiness are just the opposite. They are extremely unforgettable and build our testimonies. God does not want us to settle for the things of the world that bring us temporary pleasure. He wants us to truly be happy, and it is only through him and His son, Jesus Christ, that that is possible. I truly love our Father in Heaven and I cannot wait for the day in which I will see him again and be welcomed home into his arms. But if we settle for the pleasures of the world, that is but wishful thinking. I encourage you all to find those small things that truly bring you happiness, and engulf yourself in them, for they are of God. 

I hope that you all have an amazing week!! I am so proud of each of you!! I love you!

 Love,

Elder Moyes

 

 

Eternity

As August comes to an end I realize yet again all the things I am thankful for. For summer time with my family, for school and seminary for my kids, for a missionary who is a light and an example to us, and for friends and family who I love spending time with.
As I was listening to an interview on Mormon Channel this week that Sister Dew had with Sister Dalton and her husband I was touched by a thought that was shared. Sister Dalton was talking about training with her husband for a marathon. She was telling about a time when they were running together up a long hill. She was slowly dropping behind and she didn't like that so she decided she would just tell him that she was turning around and going back. He came back to her and said, "Don't you know you are not supposed to make a decision on a hill?" I really liked that question he posed and thought a lot about times in my life when I have been in the middle of something (a trial, a prayed about course, etc..) and thought this is not where I want to be it is hard! Maybe there is another way and I should change my course and try a different direction, knowing full well I just need to stay my course. Time for decision making is before we get into the difficult times in our lives. It is true for all of us but especially for our youth. Time for deciding who we will follow and what kind of a person we will be needs to be made before we are faced with a difficult decision. Once we have made that decision we need to make sure that we follow through completely and don't change our course on the hill.
I liked Alex's thought this week, we are made for eternity and so sometimes and end here is difficult to handle. As I make a change in my calling, that thought has given me peace. That even though it might be hard and sad initially that this next step is where I need to be headed.

Hola!!! 

Sounds like it's been a fairly crazy week. :) Well, it definitely must be pretty crazy over there now that both Mom and Dad are in the stake leadership callings. :) haha that's always fun. :) you're going to do great, Mom!! Probably a little more stressful, but it will be a great experience. :) 

Yeah, that's weird that Josh is home.. Haha I'm glad things are going well for him though. :) yeah, I heard that it takes a while to get used to breathing again... Haha so that should be interesting. :) 

My week went pretty well. Nothing super huge happened, but we are staying busy for sure. It's weird being out in the middle of nowhere. The closest missionaries to us are 30 miles away. Haha it's all good though. :) it's kinda fun. The weather here has been good. It rained a lot when we first got here, but it hasn't been lately. It's just super hot all the time... It's summer here and it is super humid... Well, it's summer all year round here, but it gets extremely hot during the actual summer months. Haha our area is pretty small, so yeah, we've been all over our area. It's been good. I pretty much know where everything is now, so that's always nice. :) my comp is good. Things are going well. He goes home in November so I might be his last comp. This is his second to last transfer so we will find out next transfer.  

So, as far as callings go, I technically don't have one. "Technically." Haha however I did teach Gospel Principles and Elders Quorum yesterday. Haha so that was interesting. Found out last minute so I kind of just winged it. :) haha it went well though I think. I suppose that's the good thing about being a missionary, you can wing it and still do something well because of the spirit. Haha but that was my spiritual experience for the week. It was super cool being able to just pick up the topic and teach. Elders Quorum has both Spanish and English in it, so we have to translate and when the Hispanic members would comment, I would translate for the English members and stuff. It was fun. Haha anyways, it was just a cool experience because I was able to teach and people were commenting and agreeing with things, and I hadn't planned any of it. And all of them are a lot older than me and they have families of their own, and I'm nowhere near that point. Haha it was just really cool, the spirit was really strong.  

The scripture this week is going to be Moses 1:4. It kind of goes along with my lesson in Elders Quorum. I taught about the talk given by President Uchtdorf Sunday Morning. "We are made of the stuff of eternity." We do not like endings. Why? Because we do not have an end. It is not in our nature. Things that seem to us like they are "ending" are jus opportunities for us to grow even more. When good things in our lives come to an end, it is because we are finished growing and cannot grow any more in that circumstance. It is kind of like a fish. If you put a fish in a small bowl of water and feed it and take care of it, it will grow, but cannot outgrow the bowl. Eventually, it will stop growing because it cannot get bigger than the bowl. However, if you take that fish and put it in a big tank of water, it will continue to grow  until it is a good size for that tank. It is the same with us. In our current circumstance, we can learn and grow, but eventually we cannot grow anymore, do Heavenly Father puts us in a bigger "tank" and we are then able to continue to grow. It might be sad, we might not want to leave our current tank, but that is what is best. Heavenly Father loves us and has made us so that we will continue to grow. "There are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings." 

I love you all!! Keep up the great work wherever you are and The Lord will take care of you!! Have a wonderful week and I will talk to you in September!! 

Love,

Elder Moyes

 

 

"Let not your heart be troubled"

As the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year is upon us I thought that as usual Alex's scripture was so in tune.
No matter how old my kids get I still get a little nervous for them to start up a new year of school. They are good kids and are smart when they want to be :) but it is once again sending them out into the world where they are vulnerable that makes me worry some. Out where they have to make choices, hard choices, on a daily basis as to how they will live their lives. And while they have made a lot of those choices in their minds already it is still a different ball game when they have to make those choices surrounded by friends or other peers who may or may not be supportive. Taylor read a funny quote to us a while back about someone saying something like, my parents won't let me watch certain things on TV yet they send me to school. It can be so true, some of the things they are exposed to in the halls make my cringe. And yet, we have this true gospel that is a gospel of hope. Even though they are in this world they do not have to be of this world.
In a talk given to the youth in October 2011 by President Boyd K. Packer he spoke about having hope even in the darkest of times.
"With all that is going on in the world, with the lowering of moral standards, you young people are being raised in enemy territory. We know from the scriptures that there was a war in heaven and that Lucifer rebelled and, with his followers, "was cast out into the earth." He is determined to disrupt our Heavenly Father's plan and seeks to control the minds and actins of all. This influence is spiritual, and he "is abroad in the land."
"But despite the opposition, trials, and temptations, you need not fail or fear..... But as a servant of the Lord, I promise that you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Spirit."
What an amazing promise and so full of hope. I am so grateful for directed leaders who teach by the spirit and give us comfort in all things.
So as this week gets under way I will have hope. I will listen as their father gives them a father's blessing and be encouraged by the words of hope our Father in Heaven will share with them. I will continue to pray for them in all they do out there in the world without me right by their side. I will listen and hear the challenges they may have and pray to have the wisdom to help them through. And I will pray that when I am not with them that they will remember who they are and that they are loved. I will pray for my missionary who is not my little boy anymore but who is a man, wise beyond is 19 years, who has learned that God is there for him in all things and who has developed a personal relationship with Him that will carry him through all he will face especially when he is away from home.
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

Hola!!

 

I'm glad to hear that Emily had a great birthday!! Sorry my present is late... It's on it's way though. :) I explained the lateness in the letter. :P haha I'm not quite sure how I feel about you dating, but I'm sure you'll have fun. :) just not too much fun.. ;) sorry that I couldn't find a rose here to use. :/ I'm glad that it all worked out though. :) I'm very proud of you Em! 

 

Congrats on the tournament wins!! I think it's funny how the other team always realizes how good T is and so they cover him like crazy. Haha keep up the great work T! And of course Dad is basically the best coach out there. :) it sounds like you guys are going to have a good team again, if everyone continues to work hard. :) 

That is so weird that school is starting again... It really makes absolutely no difference for me, so I think that's why it feels weird. :P  but next year it will... Weird..

Things here are going well. Transfers are this Thursday and Hermana Lauricella is going home so the sisters left today. Sister Yoshikawa is in Sebring until Thursday and so she will still be at district meeting on Wednesday. Everything got handed off and things are going well. Hopefully things continue to pick up. We might be getting callings after all. Right now we teach gospel principles but we might be in one or two of the auxiliary presidencies until things get going. So we are very busy.., it's really good though. :) the branch is super awesome! We don't really have dinners no. Haha things are different over here than they are back home. Basically president wants us spending as little time as possible sitting down, so if the members feed us it has to have a purpose. They can't just invite us over for dinner. There has to be an investigator there otherwise they can just pack us a meal and we can take it to go. Members hate it. they want to get to know us and feed us, but they can't really. It's okay though. 

 
So the spiritual experience was on Saturday. There was a huge storm and we couldn't leave the apt. Lightning was literally right outside. So we stayed in and did some stuff. But then the sisters called and Hermana Lauricella wanted a blessing. She is going home and she was here for 10 1/2 months so it was kind of hard. So at the time we were supposed to give the blessing, the storm cleared up and we went to the church. It was pretty cool. She asked me to give the blessing. It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to give a blessing and it was just amazing. I love the Priesthood. :) the spirit was super strong and she cried, and of course I cried. It's always such an amazing experience because you can just feel how much God loves the people you are blessing. That was the spiritual experience for the week. :)

The scripture this week is going to be John 14: 27. I love this scripture... I'm going to actually put the whole thing in the email this time. It says: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." I love this scripture because Christ is telling us that we need not worry. He is there for us and He will not let us down. He will give us peace in times of trial and tribulation. However, He will not give us what the world thinks peace is. He is not going to give us anything that the world reveres as good. He is above the world and so He will give us what we need. The world cannot give us what Christ can give us. And He gives of it freely, as long as we follow him and do our best. He wants us to be happy, so why would He not give us what we need to be truly happy. So be happy!! Christ is right there with you! Read the poem, "Footprints on the Sand." I'm sure most, if not all, of you have read it. Read it again! He loves you and will never leave you! So trust Him. Come unto Him. 

Have an amazing week!! Stay safe and be happy!!! I love you all!! 

Love,

Elder Moyes

New Area, new experiences

Hola!!

 

I'm glad that you guys had a great week! Sounds like everything went well. Sorry to hear about the tournament results, but that's okay. There's always more chances and maybe some other teams needed a chance to win. ;) haha just go kick butt at the Strikers Cup!! 

 

That sounds like it was a super cool combined activity this last week. Those kinds of adventures will definitely give you some great teaching topics and experiences. Haha that's super cool.

 

This week was pretty crazy. On Wednesday we were able to move into our apartment in Wauchula, however there was no electricity until the night. And we didn't get the refrigerator working until Friday. :) it was good though. It's a nice apartment. Some members own it and they haven't rented it out in forever because people just kept ruining it, but they rented it out for us. It is super small, probably the smallest apartment in the mission. We have a kitchen and a bedroom. We study in the kitchen. It's fun. :) haha so far I love it here! The people are amazing! It is super small. There is literally nothing. There is, however, a walmart, which is crazy. Haha that is by far the biggest thing around. It's been fun. :) we ride our bikes around. We also cover Bowling Green and Zolfo Springs which are cities right around us. They are even smaller than Wauchula. Haha there are a lot of Hispanics around and a lot of Rednecks. And I don't find saying that offensive because they keep calling themselves that. Haha I'm probably going to come home saying y'all. :P Right now all of the major branch positions are filled. Some presidencies don't have callings, but we aren't in any of those positions. Right now we are kind of "extended counselors" for the branch president. We basically help him and his counselors reach out a little more. And we teach gospel principles and translate and some other stuff. :P  it's been fun. Oh yeah, it is an English branch, with Spanish translation. It used to be an only Spanish branch, but there were English people who were inactive because the closest English branch is 30 miles away. So they combined it. It's about 50/50 so that is good. :) right now it is me and Elder Jaime and there is a set of sisters as well. Hermana Lauricella has been here since October and Sister Yoshikawa has been here for about a month. They are getting transferred this transfer, well, Hermana Lauricella is going home and Sister Yoshikawa is getting transferred. So we are white washing, but we get to work together for a couple weeks so they can pass stuff off to us. It has actually been really nice not having to start from scratch completely. It's been good. We do not have a branch mission leader though, so we are working with President Parker on that. There are only 2 high priests in the branch. President Parker and his clerk, Brother Cash, because Brother Cash has been a Branch President and Bishop before. The Priesthood definitely needs some help, but so far things are going well. :) also, I am back in the Sarasota zone. Haha so if I am here for Stake Conference I will get to see everybody from Bradenton again! That would be awesome!! So that is basically the update for the area. :)

 

:) I did get my package. Thank you!! I love the plaque. It is on my desk. :) that's a really good quote. 

 

Spiritual experience is probably this new investigator that we found. He is Catholic, but hasn't been baptized and believes some things different than the Catholics do. Well, those differences are the things that make us different than the Catholic Church. So that has been awesome!! He believes in baptizing people who aren't infants because as a baby you don't know what you are doing, nor are you prepared for it. So we told him that's what we do. Haha things like that. It has been really good and we have already taught him several times. Hopefully things keep going well!!

 

The scripture this week is going to be from the talk that you sent me! Haha it is Joshua 14: 11-12. I love these scriptures. Sometimes, life sucks. Let's be honest, it sucks, and things can be almost unbearable. But it is possible to get through every single one of our trials because God is with us. If you read in the scriptures almost everything is very drastic. Moving mountains, parting seas, fire coming down, angels appearing, God and Jesus Christ visiting the people. Why don't we see that as often as we read it? We have these extreme examples in the scriptures to show us what God can do. But why would that be necessary all the time? We know what he can do, but he doesn't need to always do that. If He can do those extreme things, then He can obviously do the little things as well. He understands perfectly what we are going through and He knows what is going to help us learn and grow. So why should we fear when another trial is upon us? Has God not proven to us numerous times that He knows best and He will take care of us? "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1: 9) He is your Father. He will never leave you. So take heart! Bring on the challenges! He will get us through them, and they will benefit us more than they will discourage us. 

 

Have an amazing week! I love you all so much!! Keep working hard and God will provide. 

 

Love,

Elder Moyes 

"Wrestle"

Alex shared a scripture this week in his email, Enos 1:2 "And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins." 
I pondered on the word wrestle as he did and thought about how we are required to work for each step of progress we make on this earth. It isn't easy. The gospel gives us guidance and direction, but it is still not easy. But would we be really be progressing if it was easy. Would we learn the lessons we need to if all we had to do was blindly obey and if changes were easy. We must commit and recommit each week, each day even, in order to improve. As we "wrestle" with whatever it is we individually are working on or dealing with we have the opportunity to grow and develop a greater understanding of what Enos was talking about and experience what he experienced in Enos 1:4&5 "And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. 5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed."
When we pray with that kind of faith and conviction the Lord will hear and answer and help. And when we are open to His guidance we will be able to see the change in us, starting with a change in attitude and with that be open to recognizing the blessings in our lives even in dark and difficult times. I'm grateful for my trials, some I created and some out of my control, for allowing me to see the hand of God in my life and in the life of my family. Tender mercies and miracles are evident in each of our lives if we look close and see with open eyes. I am grateful to see Alex recognizing these blessings in his life even when things around him are challenging. He was aware when he left, after many discussions with his dad, church leaders and others who went on missions, that missions weren't always "the best two years" in the sense of easiest two years. Fortunately that guidance has helped him to persevere when he has been working so hard for people who don't always see the benefits of the gospel and dealing with some neck/back pain while in the field. The Stake President happened to be the doctor to treat him, which brought him an extra sense of peace and comfort. While recuperating for a couple of days he had extra time to bond with his new comp that they normally wouldn't have, and learning that Heavenly Father is there for us even when sometimes we feel alone. Things that to some might seem like coincidences but I know are not. We have a loving Heavenly Father who is mindful of each and every one of us and if we pay close attention we can see his hand in our lives. He loves us and wants us to be happy and if we look closely at our lives and count our blessings we can see truly how much.

Buenas!!

So, just a quick update on my neck. I took some meds all week and they stopped Saturday morning. I was feeling better over the weekend, but my neck still hurt, just not even close to as bad. I had full range of motion and could handle the pain, so it was good. I went back to the doctor this morning and... :P he said I am fine now. Doesn't really know what happened, but I'm better. He
said he can't promise that it won’t happen again, so we shall see
how that goes. :) not much of an update, but I am feeling a lot
better, so that's good. :)

That sounds like an AWESOME vacation!! I'm glad that you guys got to go and that you had a great time. :) you got to see a Man U game and a Broncos practice! That's awesome! :) I wish I could have been there, but I'm a little busy at the moment, so I'm glad you guys went. :P I'm also glad that you all stayed safe. :) 

Haha I'm glad that you guys had a good surprise party for Emily. :P haha I'm very glad that you never did that for me, but that's good that she had most of her friends there. I hope that you enjoyed it Em!! (Even if it was a surprise party) ;)

Soccer definitely doesn't take much of a break. :) every time we get back from a trip, it seems to be more than there was before. :) but that's good. I'm glad that things are going well there. I can't wait to hear all the results of tryouts and the tournaments. :) you guys are going to do great!! You always do. :)

Zone conference went pretty well. There wasn't anything super special, but it was good. We went over that Member Missionary Menu that I emailed you guys last week. We are implementing it in our wards and branches now so hopefully the members catch on and start realizing how easy it is. We are going to be following up with them to make sure they do it, so we will see what it reaps. :) 

Honestly, I have not been taking many pictures... I'm really bad, sorry. Haha I have some, but not a lot. I'll try and take some more here. Try. :P haha I do want more pictures, I'm just really bad at taking them.

Well, I have some news. Saturday night the Zone Leaders came over and told me that I am leaving... I'm getting transferred. So, I am in Wauchula now. It is out in the middle of nowhere. There is a Spanish branch here that just opened and they need Priesthood so President had to find two Spanish Elders to put in. So here I am. Haha my new companion is  Elder Jaime. So, yeah. Not exactly sure what to say about it. It was super random. We have three weeks until transfers so we will see what happens then. We are going to go to an apartment in Sebring for a couple days until our apartment is ready, I guess. So I will let you know next week, probably, what my address is.

This week the scripture is going to be Enos 1:2. I love the word "wrestle" in this verse. It shows that it wasn't easy. It wasn't just a rote prayer with no meaning. He sincerely wanted to change. Isn't that why we are here? To change. We want to be different. We want to become better. And that isn't easy. It's not supposed to be. Sometimes we have to "wrestle" in order to change. I challenge each of you to watch the new Mormon message that just came out. It is extremely powerful and one of my all time favorites. Look it up on Mormonchannel.org or lds.org. It is powerful and I hope that each of you know that you are not alone. Even when it is pitch black around us, we are never alone. But nobody is going to "flip on a light switch" to bring us into the light, we have to search it out. God is always there, even when we can't see him. No, especially when we can't see him. (The Hope of God's Light is the new Mormon message)

I hope you all have an amazing week! I love you so much and I will update you some more next week, once we sort of get this all figured out. :) I love you!! 

Love,

Elder Moyes