More letters -- and How to be POWERFUL in Families....

Dear Elder Reinhardt,

Hows it going?   I hope it has been a great week for you.  Im sure your Mom will tell you about her evening with the missionaries.  I was able to invite one family to visit with the Sisters, but they could not make it.  Maybe next time. 

I was reading in Mosiah and read something about attitude.  Chptr 21 it says how the people of Lemhi murmurred because of their afflictions.  They trusted in their own ideas and stregnth going against Lamanites 3 times....each time being driven back.   Then then changed..the humbled themselves and accepted their stuation.   Instead of murmurring  the began to cry unto the lord.  They became patient and then over time the Lord started to bless them.  

Sometimes we need to look at ourselves...are we murmurring or crying unto the Lord. 

Not much this week. Saturday Jamie and Jayson helped me clean the church for three hours.   Ok so maybe they did not last three hours.   So this week will be national kids day/week. 

Elder Freebairn spoke in church and leaves for his mission in a week.  Elder Foster just got back and also spoke in church.  He talked about how he changed his perception from a glass half empty to a glass full.  It was a great talk.

We love you.

Dad

Sorry about the forwarded email but after writing my dad, i don't have much time left, but the message is still great!!... i hope =)

There's like this pride cycle in each one of us. For some it's a little more drastic and vicious than others. We are doing good, too good, and then we get cocky. We hurt others and ourselves looking for more...money, power, attention. Soon, we are left off having less than what we started with. we fall. we humble ourselves until we realize that we can do everything that we want to do on our own so we ask for help and start working harder. Soon, we are back on our feet and doing good again.

We have been trying to invite Juliano's brother and mom to come to chruch and family activities, read and pray together, but he's not accepting it. I would love to help him skip the whole 'fall' part of the process, but it stinks when people blind themselves with what they think will bring them happiness. I'm sure that that is what any parent would think. 

That is good advice that you gave, and don't worry. I am learning that no matter how hard you try or how persuasive that you try to be, he will still have his personal choice to make. The experience of a 'fall' will teach alot more alot faster than me telling him about it...but will bring him and his family alot of pain.

On the good note!!!

There are still fantastic people here in Linhares!! We are working hard everyday trying to help out everyone and we have a young man who we are teaching whose mom is trying to recooperate from cigarettes and alcohol. This kid, Alex, is really stepping up to the plate and helping him Mom around the house more, reading the scriptures to her (she can't read) and praying with her. We are really seeing a difference with them!!

But, tomorrow, I will be getting transferred to another area. woo hoo! I'll let you know where I'm at the next Monday. 

 

I tell you what, the most trunky that I've been on the mission was a few days ago (don't worry! it was a good trunky)

We tried to get in with a family that had accepted the missionaries a wile back and when we rang the intercom, just a little boy came out. He's Leison (say it like 'lay-son' really close to Jayson!) like 11 years old, super smart. we ask him to get his family, but nobody wants to hear the message.

He still lets us in and so we go around to a picnic table round back. we're thinking, great. What are we gonna teach this little guy? We say a little pray and I pulled out my bible with this picture on the back

I asked him how he would describe this man.

" He has brown long hair, brown eyes, white clothes..."

I said, 'No, what I'm thinking about is...by the way that he is, what do you think that he wants?'

there was a pause. I imagined that I was talking with my little brother. I have never had a real, sit-down, heart to heart talk with Jayson or Jamie about Christ before.

He replied, 'he wants to welcome me. That's why his arms are open.'

My companion began to testify of the Savior as it sunk in that I could have done so much more to help my family. That God is soo good that He let me recognize that. 

You know that i'm made of butter, so yes, I cried.

The spirit was soo strong and even stronger when we helped him write down his first prayer. He spoke to his Heavenly Father, but He spoke powerfully to me. Then, we committed him to ask his dad to pray with him later that night. We can be powerful in our families if we take the oppurtunities that we have now to act now.

I love you all to pieces and I will wait to see you, and I thank God for every reminder of you guys!

Love,

James!