Heyyo daddio! Yard work, yard work, yard work. I honestly miss working out there with you! Of course, I say that now, and will most likely not want to when I get back. :) But be satisfied that for at least two years, your son wanted to do some chores outside! Do you and mom get a lot of chances to do things together? I know that your lives are really busy, and I hope that you guys get to spend time doing fun stuff with one another! Your date sounded like a lot of fun.
The (politically) American Sign Language session sounds way cool! I want to go to one in Portuguese when I get home - a cool thing I have realized is that different things stick out in a different language in the scriptures. I just read the last part of 2 nephi and the beginning of Jacob, and parts in their narratives have caught my attention that I have never noticed reading in English! It's really cool!
How often do you meet with general authorities? You need to be careful to not spend so much time around them, Dad, or else you'll be called as one soon! :)
Dad. Marriage. I still have like a whole year before that! Or a year and a half, if you're picking up what I'm putting down. I can't think about that yet! Ew! Plus you're like 4th in line for the Kimmy joke! Getting slow, old man! :)
I love the outline for your Womens meeting! I think the sisters really need that kind of opportunity for themselves to... well, basically just everything you said since you rock at powerful and meaningful lessons. Love it!
Yeah so don't tell mom but we totally got threatened by a drunk man who said he would kill us if we "lied" to him, because "god would justify it" since we were "of the devil" and lots of poor english. He knew the F word though! It was way weird. I wasn't scared at all, which I don't know if that meant that I am just tougher than I thought I was or if the spirit was telling me it was going to be okay. Either way, we left with just a bad beer taste in the mouth, and a long conversation about the crazy drunk 24 year old we had just talked to. Crazy stuff.
Love you dad! Thanks for the letter!
Love, Elder Valentine!
Elder Valentine,
Hey, there, Spencer! It’s Memorial Day weekend back here in the good old USA. I had Friday off as well, so it’s been a nice four day weekend. I spent all day Friday out in the yard. That yard is ruling my life (well, technically your MOTHER is ruling my life . . . But in a good way, honey!). We planted five new shrubs along the west fence by the Powells, and I spent many hours trying to clean up the west side of the yard. It’s been a lot of work but it’s coming along. Friday evening me and Mom went out on a date: shopping, dinner at Station Park, and to see Captain America: Civil War for a second time.
Saturday morning we went to the temple and had a very cool experience. We went to the deaf session, or American Sign Language session to be politically correct. It was really a great and unique experience. They had several large television monitors set up where the endowment movie was captioned. There were also ordinance workers playing each of the “parts” in the movie and they signed the entire thing. The movie was playing and they signed in a split screen mode. We went up to the prayer circle, and it was the coolest thing ever. Almost everyone in the circle was deaf, and they signed the prayer! Of course we didn’t understand it, but it’s sort of like a foreign language. You don’t need to understand it to feel the spirit.
I spent the afternoon in the yard (AGAIN!) and in the evening we went up to Morgan to see the Drapers. Today (Sunday) I taught a combined meeting for all of the sisters. Most of the lesson was in Powerpoint, but I’ve included below a few of the notes I used during the lesson. The focus of my presentation was about sacrifice; sacrifice to make sacred. I talked a lot about the sacred grove, and that each sister needs to create their own sacred grove experience. This means that they all need to find a time and a place for their own personal devotional to the Lord. I think the lesson went well. I felt the Spirit!
I’m going to type up my notes from the Elder Renlund meeting, I promise. I will do so tomorrow but you probably won’t get them until next week. Oh, also, I got the be in a work meeting this week with the following: Elder Renlund, Elder Packer, Elder Foster, Elder Richards, Elder Wilson, Tom Coburn (managing director of Temple dept), Steve Rockwood (managing director FamilySearch), me, and someone who reports to me. That’s a pretty cool group of people, right? I did the first part of the presentation, and Steve Rockwood did the rest. I was able to talk directly to Elder Renlund and answer his questions, etc. It was really incredible!
Anna will probably tell you that she went to Kimmy’s farewell today. We couldn’t go because I was teaching that lesson. I’m really happy for her. She’s going to make an awesome wife . . . I mean, she’s going to make an awesome missionary! Did I really just say that? Oops. Sorry.
In the morning I’ll try to send a few pictures before you email us. Also below are some of my notes. Have a great Monday! I’ll try to email you at the same time you’re emailing us. Love ya!
Sacred Sacrifice
Women’s Meeting 5th Sunday May 29, 2016
· I’m holding this meeting because I love you, sisters!
· Why would I talk about sacrifice to a group of sisters who spend their entire lives sacrificing for others?
o Because sacrifice means to make sacred. Do you realize that when you sacrifice for your family you are making them sacred to God?
o Are you taking the time to make yourself sacred to God?
o You will find greatest peace and happiness when you realize that you are sacrificing the betters for the best!
· What does it mean to sacrifice?
o Is it a negative?
§ Sacrifice career for children
§ Sacrifice my weekend for church
§ Sacrifice what I want to do for what others want me to do
· Sacred grove experience. What were the characteristics
o Found it in advance;
o Away from everyone else
o Set aside the time to do it
o Made a plan and acted
o Had faith that it would work
To sacrifice is to give up something valuable or precious, often with the intent of accomplishing a greater purpose or goal. Sacrifice has always been a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a reminder of the great atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all who have lived or will live on earth.
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