Hello All!
First off, I apologize for the awful job Siri did at writing my letter last week! Sorry ALL!!
our mission was chosen to be 1/28 pilot missions to get iPads and now we are1/88 the get iPad Airs! (Sadly becasue I come home soon I don't get an iPad air. I'll have to share with my companion after we turn in our old iPads. the ipad airs will be for each missionary to keep-they'll purchase their own as if it were the cost of a mission bike and they'll take it home with them)
They showed us the new Mormon Messafe Because He Lives. It comes out at the end of March and it is amazing! So cool! it's the sequel to Because of Him. He is always there for us no matter where we are and who we were he is there! God is the same yesterday today and forever.
God already knows how to do all the amazing inventions we are making as man.
Seer stone...if someone handed Joseph smith an iPhone what would he call it? A stone? A stone of glass? Why would that be weird for Joseph Smith to use a seer stone in translating? It was through the power of God and God can do anything right?
"They didn't have to charge the Liahona every night!" Liahona is the first gps
They talked about some concerns that might happen and the First Presidency's responses to them.
-Forget purpose
-Become distracted from your work, not to be entertained.
-Get on unapproved sites--do we let satan take over the Internet or do we go on there and flood the earth? (I LOVED THIS PART! Satan is everywhere on the Internet and so we're going to take it back!)
Elder Neilsons Final Remarks -"You're not assigned to an area but to a mission president and wife" That means I have something to learn from them. They are so full of love and love one another so much!
Go and BECOME! What should I become? Who should I become like? What would it look like? What can I do to become or to change?
We have to change in order for things to be wonderful in the future. What do I need to bury? What is my weapon of rebellion that I need to bury--Interviews with President Becerra
Do I want to help my children, bury my weapons and my children will see!
But this week has been great!
We had our Mission Conference about technology on Tuesday and that was amazing! Man I wish I could just copy all my notes and put it in here but you probably wouldn't understand them. So here are some highlights!
Sorry for the weird text and color--thats what happens when you copy and paste
We had Elder Brent H. Nielson from the 70 and Brother Richard I. Heaton come who is the Director of the Prove-MTC.
our mission was chosen to be 1/28 pilot missions to get iPads and now we are1/88 the get iPad Airs! (Sadly becasue I come home soon I don't get an iPad air. I'll have to share with my companion after we turn in our old iPads. the ipad airs will be for each missionary to keep-they'll purchase their own as if it were the cost of a mission bike and they'll take it home with them)
They showed us the new Mormon Messafe Because He Lives. It comes out at the end of March and it is amazing! So cool! it's the sequel to Because of Him. He is always there for us no matter where we are and who we were he is there! God is the same yesterday today and forever.
God already knows how to do all the amazing inventions we are making as man.
Seer stone...if someone handed Joseph smith an iPhone what would he call it? A stone? A stone of glass? Why would that be weird for Joseph Smith to use a seer stone in translating? It was through the power of God and God can do anything right?
"They didn't have to charge the Liahona every night!" Liahona is the first gps
They talked about some concerns that might happen and the First Presidency's responses to them.
-Forget purpose
-Become distracted from your work, not to be entertained.
-Get on unapproved sites--do we let satan take over the Internet or do we go on there and flood the earth? (I LOVED THIS PART! Satan is everywhere on the Internet and so we're going to take it back!)
"We trust our rising generation!" 1st Presidnecy
The iPad is not set apart. I am! I am called to preach the gospel and the Spirit is there to teach.
They gave us instuction on how o safegaurd ourselves with teachnology too. And 2 new manuals!
(If this part doesn't make sense that's okay! My notes are scattered)
Elder Nielson talked about agency
Agency: 2 Nephi 2:14
Act or acted upon
All of Gods creations are to be acted upon except me! I am to ACT! I am an agent who should act, not objects that should be acted upon. Elder Bednar
Acted upon is Satanos!
Accountability:
God is the principle and I am the agent. After something happened I act and let them know what happened.
Moral agency: Baptism & Temple
Have you been baptized? -promised: commandments, name upon us, remember him always
"WILLING to take upon them the name of thy son" implies a future covenant you will make---TEMPLE. MIND BLOWN
Agency Analogy-You spent your agency because you were baptized and went to the temple.
$1,000 worth of agency--- baptism and temple invested and is now gone. Invested that to eternal life. After you have been baptized and made covenants in the temple you no longer have agency to keep the commandments. You would be a covenant breaker!
Moral: made a promise, covenant in doing so you've spent your agency!
Exercised your agency or invested your agency to be baptized and make covenants in the temple. Now if you make choices against the commandments you violate your covenants, therefore becoming convent breakers.
Those who are only baptized but not yet to the temple...
They have spent some agency but haven't spent it all yet for ultimate covenants.
Investments- you get a big return. You have so much more agency in return! To create worlds and more!
If you go into unrighteous things you lost your agency. Is it worse to invest or not to invest?
Example: parable of the talents
As we invest in others we will get a greater return.
The iPad is not set apart. I am! I am called to preach the gospel and the Spirit is there to teach.
They gave us instuction on how o safegaurd ourselves with teachnology too. And 2 new manuals!
(If this part doesn't make sense that's okay! My notes are scattered)
Elder Nielson talked about agency
Agency: 2 Nephi 2:14
Act or acted upon
All of Gods creations are to be acted upon except me! I am to ACT! I am an agent who should act, not objects that should be acted upon. Elder Bednar
Acted upon is Satanos!
Accountability:
God is the principle and I am the agent. After something happened I act and let them know what happened.
Moral agency: Baptism & Temple
Have you been baptized? -promised: commandments, name upon us, remember him always
"WILLING to take upon them the name of thy son" implies a future covenant you will make---TEMPLE. MIND BLOWN
Agency Analogy-You spent your agency because you were baptized and went to the temple.
$1,000 worth of agency--- baptism and temple invested and is now gone. Invested that to eternal life. After you have been baptized and made covenants in the temple you no longer have agency to keep the commandments. You would be a covenant breaker!
Moral: made a promise, covenant in doing so you've spent your agency!
Exercised your agency or invested your agency to be baptized and make covenants in the temple. Now if you make choices against the commandments you violate your covenants, therefore becoming convent breakers.
Those who are only baptized but not yet to the temple...
They have spent some agency but haven't spent it all yet for ultimate covenants.
Investments- you get a big return. You have so much more agency in return! To create worlds and more!
If you go into unrighteous things you lost your agency. Is it worse to invest or not to invest?
Example: parable of the talents
As we invest in others we will get a greater return.
Sister Villanueva-Have ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Elder Neilsons Final Remarks -"You're not assigned to an area but to a mission president and wife" That means I have something to learn from them. They are so full of love and love one another so much!
Go and BECOME! What should I become? Who should I become like? What would it look like? What can I do to become or to change?
We have to change in order for things to be wonderful in the future. What do I need to bury? What is my weapon of rebellion that I need to bury--Interviews with President Becerra
Do I want to help my children, bury my weapons and my children will see!
Burying weapons of rebellion (alma 23) stripling warriors are the next generation and they were so much stronger and so much more faithful than the generation before. The same will hold true for our children. We can help our children learn and grow from our example! Tell your children your struggles and what was hard in your life, they need to know that example! They protected their parents covenants. They were motivated by love from their parents and captain Moroni.
If you look back you're telling the Savior his atonement wasn't good enough for you.
Elder Packer taught him that they have never felt fear in the twelve.
If you look back you're telling the Savior his atonement wasn't good enough for you.
Elder Packer taught him that they have never felt fear in the twelve.
The Apostles have never felt one thing and that is FEAR!
This is all for the future! My future family, callings, EVERYTHING!! Everything I'm learning on my mission is to prepare me for something else.
So that's what I learned at Mission Conference. A lot right?! And that's not even all of it. It was aweomse! I also found out M. (From Claremont) IS GETTING BAPTIZED this sunday the 15th!! So exciting! I started teaching her on February 15th 2014! One year and one month later she'll be baptized! I love her!!!
Tuesday night we had a good lesson with E.-a less active.
Wednesday we did service at the food pantry and that was good. We did some finding and then had a good dinner then did service for the sister afterwards.
Thursday we has an AWESOME district meeting!!!! It was sooo good! We talked about the things we learned at Mission Conference. We talked about using family history with the ipads to teach people and find people to teach. And later that day we talked to an older lady all about her family history and she had books of GOLD! she had books of well preserved original pictures of ancestors and their birth and death certificates and obituaries and letters. GOLD! We also talked in District Meeting about a ton of other things and the Spirit was so strong we were bouncing things off each other and had such a good discussion together about using iPads and teaching. I'm gonna miss that a lot!!! We have district unity and we all look out for eachother! It truly was a counsel! It's amazing how many 18-22 year old kids have such a strong testimony about the gospel and Jesus Christ! This is His church and it is true!
Later that day we had a good dinner with some members and then we saw a less active- F. and helped her grade papers and then talked about prayer with her and she said that was exactly what she needed to hear. It was so good!
Friday was weekly planning! We saw a less active-A. and that went okay. There were a lot of distractions. Then we helped and did some service for a huge Scouts award program! There were about 400 people and most were not members. It was at our church and one of the ladies in our ward helped with it a lot so we helped her out and got free dinner out of it! :)
Saturday was good we taught the R. family and that's 3 new investigators and they're super open! So that's awesome! Then we had a meeting at our Ward Mission Leaders and he announced they're moving to the BAHAMAS! He's been the WML for a month and a half now. So if I stay in Pasadena for my last transfer I'll have 3 Ward Mission Leaders here. Weird. Then we taught D. and that went okay a lot of distractions and it's hard to teach teenagers. It's hard to tell what they desire and their interest in learning. Then we saw G.- a less active- and she wasn't feeling well so we called the elders and we all went back later that night for them to give her a blessing. WE went to a Hibachi place for dinner! It was so good! The members here take us out to eat a ton! I'm excited for some home cooked meals. It's fun to go out and try different types of food but it can get old.
Sunday was good. G. came to church and that was good. WE had an interesting day. So guy shouted at us from a street corner that he Loved me and that he was never going to give up on me....AWKWARD! it was crazy! There are tons of interesting people here in Pasadena, that's for sure!
Today was great! We woke up at 5:20am!!!! YIKES! To go on a hike to a waterfall with our zone and then went to breakfast at the Stake Presidents afterwards. They're such great people I love them! But the hike was so good! THe waterfall was beautiful! Nothing like Hawaii but still pretty! Especially since there was water cause it rained a little bit ago! Otherwise it would be smaller! WE studied at the waterfallt hen shared with eachother what we learned. It was really great. I got a lot of personal revelation of just needing to continue to work hard and be diligent! It was so good!
I love this gospel! The church is true and I am so thankful for the huge role it has played in my life! I know it is true and I know Jesus Christ is our Savior. He is always there! Through the good times and the bad. He knows exactly what we are going through even when others don't. We are all unique and go through different things He knows us perfectly and is there to help us! Alsways remember that!
I love you all! Thanks for all you guys do for me!
Love, Sister Riches
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