October 13, 2013

Sorry to get this out so late!  Happy late Thanksgiving! We have so many blessings to be grateful for.  Mika

Dear Mom,

yeah yesterday we weren't able to email so we just cleaned up the appartment, and wrote letters it was a pretty great Pday, Our bishop invited us over for thanksgiving dinner last night so we had a great dinner : )

yes poor Cassidy... Everyone thinks it's so great that I used to teach my little brother... hahahahaha... whattapunk ; P (Cuauhti used to teach Kenji swimming lessons at the YMCA. )

mhmm... I loved president Ucthdorf's talk and about why people fall away..   (Our church has a worldwide conference twice a year.  President Uchtdorf is a member of the Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka Mormons.  To view the talk search "Dieter F Uchtdorf Come Join With Us"). Sometimes we ask why God allows so much pain and suffering to happen... when we take a look at the blind man in John chapter 9 we see that sometimes it's so God can show forth his power at some later point,  in Alma 14:11 we see a different reason that God allows suffering " But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory, and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgements which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day." and when it comes to the sacrament and people who take it unworthily we read "See that ye are not baptized unworthily; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out" Mormon 9:29

what are some other reasons for suffering??  well the agency of man.  God has given us all the ability to choose right or wrong.

I always think of Job whose suffering and loss was pretty severe yet his words are echoed throughout every single Christian church "I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH AND THAT HE SHALL STAND AT THE LATTER DAY UPON THE EARTH"

ALlan will be baptized on November 5th,  he is progressing wonderfully : ) the muslim man is very set in his beliefs, he invited us to come to mosque with him so that's exciting, I've never been to a mosque : )

it's so true, we have so many blessings, my favorite thanksgiving scripture is about captain moroni, it's Alma chapter 48:12  "Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many  privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people".  he's a great example to me, especially as I am striving to express my love and gratitude for the Lord through my service out here in the mission field.  

I have so much to be grateful for.

Btw I started my Book of Mormon thanksgiving challenge yesterday!  I have a goal to read the whole Book of Mormon between Canadian thanksgiving to American thanksgiving, I love it, I'm reading through and marking scriptures about gratitude or reasons to be grateful and I love how much more aware I've become of what I have to be grateful for.   I love you. 

Love Elder Olguin