dear long summer breakers,
did you know that the summer break is only six weeks in England! it's alright though because they have tons of bigger small breaks thoughout the year.
so i will start this letter by relating some news relevant to my last area. i just got the news that yolanda has been confirmed a member now (by elder pond) and is fully working her way into the work of the kingdom. elder pond told me that she's been referring more of her friends and that her niece has been progressing well since yolanda's baptism. as well yolanda went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead for the first time last Saturday. yes seeing someone enter the gate of baptism is amazing. but it is just as rewarding, if not more so, to see them travel down the path of discipleship in the lord’s kingdom.
the work in farnborough as well is taking off. we started teaching a man from ghana named justice this week. he knew members of the church back in ghana and has always wanted to know more about what the church believes and "what exactly is the book of Mormon". he found us quite willing to answer his request. as well we taught a very interesting elderly man named todd. todd is a historian who works in a local museum and as a past time repairs and creates vintage furniture. when we started teaching him he wasn't very open to the ideas of god and the gospel as an influence but as he asked us more about ourselves he became quite fixated on the sacrifice that missionaries make, he wanted to know why we do this service. missionary service is the most worthwhile thing i have ever done. ever. i have never been more Happy more fulfilled or more sure of myself as i have been on my mission. i have a clear idea of what the lord expects of me and even more incredibly i can know that what I'm doing is what the lord wants me to do. when i meet people on the street and i tell them about how much god loves them, about how powerful the atonement is, and the blessings they can have i am filled with an inexpressible joy. the Holy Ghost testifies of truth, and as i teach the doctrines of the kingdom the Holy Ghost often testifies to me, as well as those i am speaking to, the truthfulness of what is being said.
i have thought a lot this week about the connection between agency and the inspiration we receive. we are all familiar with the subtle promptings of the Holy Ghost. we all know what it feels like when you receive an impression to do something good, or not to do something bad. these impressions often come when we are seeking guidance, but we will also often receive these kind of promptings when we are minding our own business and doing things as we usually do. every time we receive an impression we are immediately faced with a choice. The Lord makes it clear that there is something that we should do, probably something we are not going to be entirely comfortable with, and then we have the choice whether to act on the impression or to ignore it. the lord will not force any person to do the good things, the better things, or the best things. it is our choice if we will do what he wants us to, if we will submit to his will. many times each day we will receive impressions and promptings, many different occasions where the lord will provide us with an opportunity to exercise our agency for good, for better, or for best. our responsibility as disciples of christ is to live worthily, pray fervently, and learn to recognize and follow courageously the Spirit’s guidance.
love you all sincerely
Elder Jarman
ps. never ever try and cut a swede's hair. ever.
pps.all packages will arrive at their intended destinations. no need to worry :)
ppps. i've (sort of) learned to juggle a foot(soccer)ball ! and i just wanted to tell everyone so that you could all spend a lot of daytime hours being proud of my accomplishment :-D
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