I realized that my last post was posted at the end of June.
First, the photo ... it was titled "wet shoes!!".
First, the photo ... it was titled "wet shoes!!".
Now, I realize and apologize for not sharing (the long space between posts) some of the correspondence from Elder Murri. He said in a recent email that someone felt like they are "...often caught in-between walls of guilt and regret -- guilt because [they] didn't do something that [they] know that [they] should have done, or could have done, and regret because [they] didn't do it." I guess that we all feel this way at some point in our lives for some reason. I do when I think about the time between posts :). He says, "...But I don't think that God wants you to feel that way. He's there to deliver us. To deliver us. What a great sentence." I know from some of the great feelings I have felt from our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, that what Jed says is true. Elder Murri shares in another email an experience that backs this up. "This week has been just phantasmagoric. I've realised a lot of things this past week. We've actually had some really, really cool experiences this past week. Some had been really sacred, and I wouldn't hesitate to say that they've changed my life. That's the cool thing about the mission. You have all of these amazing once in a lifetime opportunities where you can learn things that you could never do outside! ... we had a meeting with Elder Kieron, who's our area president in Europe. He and his wife came to the mission and talked about chapter 11 in PMG (which is helping people make and keep commitments), and a couple of other things. It was SO spiritually powerful. And then, he came to MLC with his wife!! I honestly don't know how to describe what happened in that second meeting. I don't have the expressive power to describe it. I've never felt the spirit that way before, it was totally unique. It was new. Mom, and whoever else reads this, there was something else in the room with us. The whole time. It touched our hearts, quite literally. That's such an understated description. I feel like Moroni when he said that he couldn't write as powerfully as he felt. 3 Nephi 17:16-18 describes my feelings well." This is the way God wants us to feel.
So given England's history with the United States, Jed heard from a few of his family (and grandparents) the age old pun/joke/? "Does England have a fourth of July?" The answer of course is that England does have a fourth of July, and a fifth and sixth ... etc. Anyway Jed said, "P.S. HAPPY 4th of July!!! Yes, England has a Fourth of July. (But they don't celebrate it. I had a suspicion that that was coming!) Although, I'm not sure how they feel about the one person who does celebrate it singing the national anthem down the street to the train station in the morning.. :) P.P.S. Zach's at basic training on the 4th of July. You've got to admit, that's pretty cool. That's the place to be on the 4th."
Elder Murri shared with his Mom about some thoughts regarding the Sabbath: "Just some scriptural thoughts about the Sabbath now, I think that the Sabbath Day is really, really cool. It's a "sign" between us and God. We make that "sign" most powerfully, I think, in our attitude towards and during the Sacrament. It says in 3 Nephi 18 and 20 (8-9) that after the Sacrament had been administered to the Nephites, that they were "filled". I don't think that that "filled" meant that they weren't hungry for food any more, rather, I think that their spiritual stores, which had been depleted after an extended period of rebuilding fallen cities, learning to cope with the loss of people that they loved, and all of the other changes that came as a result of Christ's death. That's like us. We use spiritual fuel throughout the week, and if we don't re"fill" ourselves, then we won't be able to go any longer. We'll die Spiritually. I'm grateful for the Sacrament and the whole entire Sabbath Day where I can just be close to God. To my Heavenly Father. I don't think that there's a Sunday that goes by where I don't feel a special spirit on the Sabbath. It is truly "made for man". I love it."
At the end of July Elder Murri told us: "So, the reason that I didn't email you yesterday was because it's ALREADY transfers again! I'm staying in Watford!! Elder Mthombeni is leaving to go to London North, and I'm going to be getting a new [companion] named Elder Falke, he's from Germany too, so I'll be able to work on my German! :) I think that that'll be fun! I don't want to make an unfair prejudgment, but I feel like it'll be a little bit of a culture change, going from an African companion to a German one. Pretty much the opposites in culture. But it'll be super good, and super fun. I'm excited." One of the benefits about not posting after each email is that I can post a follow-up to this. He says in a more recent email, "...I love my companion. He's my friend. He teaches me a lot of things (even German). It's fun to work with him." I too enjoyed my companions and felt I also learned from them (well, I guess I didn't learn German from any of them).
Elder Murri shares a great truth in his most recent email. His explanation is great and I would like to share, "I've been thinking lately about an interesting thing -- based on the amount of opposition that you receive, you can gauge the potential of the next developing situation in your life. For example, if you start to experience opposition from seemingly all sides while preparing to return to the temple after a period of absence -- more opposition than you'd normally get -- then it's reasonably safe to assume that a greater spiritual blessing awaits you at the temple, if you're able to push through and prove faithful through that time of trial. Satan understands that, that's why He tries to tempt us when we're at our lowest, because he knows that the light at the end of the tunnel strengthens our testimony! He knows that that's exactly what that does! So he tries to suffocate it, and tempt us to give up faith, therefore losing some of the blessings attached to the end of that trial. It's like it says in 2 Nephi - "there must be an opposition in ALL things". But, if we prove faithful, then our reward will be equal to or greater than the opposition received before it -- probably so much greater than, that the reward will dwarf the trial just endured until it fades from our mind."
I told Elder Murri to make sure he stays busy and to use the precious small time left to serve full time in England. He said, "I will keep focused. I'll try my best. :) I've learned that that's really where I'm most happy (when the focus is on others) (that's true for anyone too, not just me). It's just the getting there part that's hard sometimes. But I'm trying, and I'll continue to do so. Any practical advice for the missionary coming to the close of service in the field?". I will be sure to share some thoughts with him. I am very proud of him and feel like he is a great asset for the Lord Jesus Christ in England.
So given England's history with the United States, Jed heard from a few of his family (and grandparents) the age old pun/joke/? "Does England have a fourth of July?" The answer of course is that England does have a fourth of July, and a fifth and sixth ... etc. Anyway Jed said, "P.S. HAPPY 4th of July!!! Yes, England has a Fourth of July. (But they don't celebrate it. I had a suspicion that that was coming!) Although, I'm not sure how they feel about the one person who does celebrate it singing the national anthem down the street to the train station in the morning.. :) P.P.S. Zach's at basic training on the 4th of July. You've got to admit, that's pretty cool. That's the place to be on the 4th."
Elder Murri shared with his Mom about some thoughts regarding the Sabbath: "Just some scriptural thoughts about the Sabbath now, I think that the Sabbath Day is really, really cool. It's a "sign" between us and God. We make that "sign" most powerfully, I think, in our attitude towards and during the Sacrament. It says in 3 Nephi 18 and 20 (8-9) that after the Sacrament had been administered to the Nephites, that they were "filled". I don't think that that "filled" meant that they weren't hungry for food any more, rather, I think that their spiritual stores, which had been depleted after an extended period of rebuilding fallen cities, learning to cope with the loss of people that they loved, and all of the other changes that came as a result of Christ's death. That's like us. We use spiritual fuel throughout the week, and if we don't re"fill" ourselves, then we won't be able to go any longer. We'll die Spiritually. I'm grateful for the Sacrament and the whole entire Sabbath Day where I can just be close to God. To my Heavenly Father. I don't think that there's a Sunday that goes by where I don't feel a special spirit on the Sabbath. It is truly "made for man". I love it."
At the end of July Elder Murri told us: "So, the reason that I didn't email you yesterday was because it's ALREADY transfers again! I'm staying in Watford!! Elder Mthombeni is leaving to go to London North, and I'm going to be getting a new [companion] named Elder Falke, he's from Germany too, so I'll be able to work on my German! :) I think that that'll be fun! I don't want to make an unfair prejudgment, but I feel like it'll be a little bit of a culture change, going from an African companion to a German one. Pretty much the opposites in culture. But it'll be super good, and super fun. I'm excited." One of the benefits about not posting after each email is that I can post a follow-up to this. He says in a more recent email, "...I love my companion. He's my friend. He teaches me a lot of things (even German). It's fun to work with him." I too enjoyed my companions and felt I also learned from them (well, I guess I didn't learn German from any of them).
Elder Murri shares a great truth in his most recent email. His explanation is great and I would like to share, "I've been thinking lately about an interesting thing -- based on the amount of opposition that you receive, you can gauge the potential of the next developing situation in your life. For example, if you start to experience opposition from seemingly all sides while preparing to return to the temple after a period of absence -- more opposition than you'd normally get -- then it's reasonably safe to assume that a greater spiritual blessing awaits you at the temple, if you're able to push through and prove faithful through that time of trial. Satan understands that, that's why He tries to tempt us when we're at our lowest, because he knows that the light at the end of the tunnel strengthens our testimony! He knows that that's exactly what that does! So he tries to suffocate it, and tempt us to give up faith, therefore losing some of the blessings attached to the end of that trial. It's like it says in 2 Nephi - "there must be an opposition in ALL things". But, if we prove faithful, then our reward will be equal to or greater than the opposition received before it -- probably so much greater than, that the reward will dwarf the trial just endured until it fades from our mind."
I told Elder Murri to make sure he stays busy and to use the precious small time left to serve full time in England. He said, "I will keep focused. I'll try my best. :) I've learned that that's really where I'm most happy (when the focus is on others) (that's true for anyone too, not just me). It's just the getting there part that's hard sometimes. But I'm trying, and I'll continue to do so. Any practical advice for the missionary coming to the close of service in the field?". I will be sure to share some thoughts with him. I am very proud of him and feel like he is a great asset for the Lord Jesus Christ in England.