Week 14

Hey Friends and Family,

This past week has been the hardest week of my mission for sure. We had some issues during exchanges with our Zone Leaders. That’s about all I will say about that. Then, two days after that, I found out my Grandpa died. I heard it from President Montierth, who drove about an hour and a half to tell me in person, instead of over the phone. He offered me the chance to call home to talk with my family, but I decided not to. That was a hard decision to make. I knew that it would just mess with my head if I called home. I have to admit that I kind of shut down for a while after that and slept like the whole day. Everyone was worried about me. I'm sad I can't be there for his funeral. I wish I could be there, but I swore I would see this mission through to the end.

I recovered relatively quickly after that. I decided to turn myself outward to continue doing the Lord’s Work. In our trials, it is easy to become selfish and blame others or even God for our shortcomings and trials. We must hold fast to Christ and be as Nephi in the Book of Mormon, instead of like his brothers, Laman and Lemuel. Let us go forth “feasting upon the words of Christ and be of good cheer,” for the trials will not cease. Helaman chapter 5 Verse 12 states: "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Jesus Christ loves each and every one of us. He is reaching out his hand continually. If you choose to take his hand with all your strength, he will NEVER let you fall. He will continue always to lift you higher and higher.

After everything else that happened this past weekend, we had a fun P-day. I climbed a tree, ate some frog leg and a gopher leg. One of our Elders is from Texas and likes hunting. It was fun mission stuff.

Thank you as always for the messages of support.

I love God and Jesus Christ, and I love all of you.

Elder Rexinger