"Late Again" February 20, 2012

I do get to email you. It'll probably be a short one since we're in the family history center at the columbia stake center. They do that out here since we don't have an entire geneology and church history library like they do in utah. We're limited on time here out of courtesy to those who come to search their family history.

So this last week was a humbling week. We didn't find anyone, but we did knock on a lot of doors and find some very promising people. So hopefully we'll be able to see some significant improvement.

1. Its exciting to hear that they finally started the Payson Temple. Let me know if President Shephard is called as the temple president. He'll either be that or a mission president next. I'm sure of it.

 2. Tell Bishop Shephard hello for me also.

3.  Book of Mormon Challenge? I'll be sending mine home soon so that you can see how a missionary studies while on a mission. I'm planning on giving it a way to Max Martinez right before he leaves so that he can add notes to it while he's gone and then he can pass it to another when he returns. A generational Book of Mormon is what its referred to as.

I'm happy to hear that everyone and everything is doing well at home. Tell Darius Happy Birthday for me. I was going to send cards to everyone, but I tend to forget or run out of time or money to buy cards.

I have increasingly found something of concern lately. Keep in mind that "the invitation to repent is a declaration of love" (D. Todd Christofferson. The Divine Gift of Repentance. October 2011 General Conference.) That is some of the stories I've heard about Utah Born and Raised Members from those who grew up outside of the state. It seems that members in Utah get a little too laid back in their religion, they take it for granted, and they become pridefull because they're around it all the time. They say, "Well here in Utah we don't have to worry about everything out there so we don't really care about all your problems." They assume that every member has it as good as they've got it. I've had members ask me time and again, "Are you going to live in Utah all your life?" To which my response went from, "Probably" to "I have to praise those members for rasing a family outside of Utah. It gives them reason to stand up for their faith and be humble in their religion and they're testimony. They know whats in the world and they know how to love those that may come to them for help. I think that I'd rather raise my family on the east coast so that they can understand the same thing." I'm not chastising anyone who is reading this email to being downright nasty to those members who move from out of Utah to the heart of the state. I'm simply pleading with you to make sure you love them and make them feel welcome so that they see that our members really are what they claim to be.

Christ's love is for all God's children. This is somethig I've grown to cherish while on my mission.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his ^aright hand, Come, ye ^bblessed of my Father, ^cinherit the ^dkingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have ^adone it unto one of the ^bleast of these my ^cbrethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matt 25:34, 40)

Christ see's all that we do and he knows of everything. He desires charity and love for all of God's Children. I so testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 "Feed my sheep..."

 Elder Christofferson