Dear those that prefer to be stuffed with turkey than to eat turkey stuffing,
Without too much ado I would like to dedicate the remainder of this email to something else:
I am grateful for my Father in Heaven and all that he has blessed me with (which is a lot). I am grateful for the plan of salvation that he has made for us. I am grateful for Jesus Christ and his Atoning sacrifice.
And to save on space, I will now commence with the remainder of begratitudes: the book of Mormon, the gift of prayer, fried eggs, English chocolate, Elder Gill, my new winter coat, the winter, the word "winner", the opportunity I have to teach the gospel so regularly, England, Crumpets, how milk tastes after the cereal, the opportunity to see Natalia progress and prepare for baptism, (side note: she gave a talk this last week in sacrament meeting! it was the young women’s program so she spoke about the Holy Ghost and about the influence it has had in her life as well as how excited she is to be baptized on the eighth! It was really cool),
President Millar, My father, My father’s tendency to grow a beard twice a year, warm shoes, colorful ties, uplifting sacrament meetings, the sacrament, my siblings and their influence on me, a library with a heating system, books in general, School, Hot chocalate, Herbal Tea, the great blessing of teaching a man named Mark this week…
(k this story is really really cool. Mark met the missionaries in a different area about an hour after his mother’s funeral. His mother had always been religious and had tried to help Mark find that joy as well but Mark never got too much into it. When he met the missionaries, he took it basically as a sign that he needed to find God in his life. So he agreed to meet up and his details were sent to us. We taught him for the first time last Tuesday. We taught him about the plan of salvation and especially Jesus Christ's central role in the whole plan. He told us that when we first came in he was really nervous and kind of anxious about meeting with us, but as we talked he felt a calm come over him. He talked about the guilt he's felt in his life from past mistakes and his desire to raise his family right. We taught him about the blessings of baptism and he accepted a baptismal date! It was an amazing teach and Mark is one of those people that I feel blessed to even know. He is so humble and has such a sincere heart and desire to learn. We're quite exited!)
…working back packs, the fact that my mother taught me how to sew buttons onto stuff, my mother in general and all that she taught me about life, the gospel, and cooking :), that Mormon message about gratitude, hot showers, scrambled eggs, peppers, smiling about things, meeting new people and learning about them, honest and sincere conversation, cloud breaks, cloud bursts, wind, RAIN (I really do love rain!), the fact that I have not yet heard the song "last Christmas" in England yet, letters from friends, being able to see so many of my friends serve missions and receive the blessings of missionary work,
(side note on this: I read a talk this last week on pride and humility. it compared the human way that people try to elevate themselves above others, either by demeaning others or by focusing on obtaining things that we think will raise us higher than the next person, to the example our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ set by continually seeking to raise all of us to where they are. It stated that to follow their example we need to seek to lift others up rather than pridefully seeking to lower others.),
…the fact that it is really easy to select what shirt I will be wearing each day, Music!, Hymns in general as well I mean seriously hymns are completely underrated, muffins (both English and American style), jingle bells, harmonicas, Choral singing in church settings, the spirit that so often softens hearts of others, the gift of testimony, the assurance of gospel living, tender mercies in all their various shapes colours and substances, the support I still receive from my friends at home and abroad, pictures of funny moments, pens that work consistently, all you can eat buffets, American Pancakes, Elder Gill for finding a recipe for American pancakes that is easy enough for even me to cook, balconies, fake mustaches, English senses of humor, Humor overall, study journals, personal journals, planners, Preach My Gospel, Fish and Chips, Kebab and Chips, Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, Music related alarm clocks, interesting doorbells, funnily shaped bushes, and modern day prophets.
well that is a small yet incomplete list of some of the things that I am finding mucho gratitude for at the moment and I’m also grateful for all of your guys love and continued support.
with love
Elder Jarman
ps. I just realized that nearly half of the things in my list were some kind of food. . . . .
pps. my apologies for those who desire and request details concerning weekly activities
ppps. no but seriously we are seriously blessed so much its incredible,
pppps. why do we celebrate giving thanks by eating food. I mean I’m not complaining but really. . . where did this come from
