Leaving the Hood

Hello Everyone!

 Hood River has been such an amazing place to come to know Jesus Christ! I have sad news but I will leaving the pearl of the mission in landscape beauty and will be heading back to the dry Columbia Basin to Toppenish Washington! It's part of an Indian reservation and I will be serving in an English ward and Spanish branch! On to another adventure!

Special thanks for all the great emails I received this week! Thank you Anna and Caleb, Mom, Dad, Grandpa(thank you for your letter and money as well oh my goodness It gave me a good boost and actually we found some great people that evening!), and Madsen! Also thank you to whomever sent those books I truly appreciate it!

Letter I sent to president...

Dear President! 
Hope you are having a great day! Yesterday while introducing myself in Gospel principles I described how I love pine trees and tall mountains. I later realized, I'm leaving Hood River to go to a place with 0 pine trees and 0 mountains. I am so grateful I had 12 weeks to spend here but I'm pretty sad! I know people await me in Toppenish.

I am making a come back. Yes! Instead of waking up each morning afraid and scared of failure, I prayed with great faith, sung a good hymn, and got out the door, while running I've been shouting to get out some anxious feelings, then I've finished with a big smile and a "I am an Elect son of God." A lesson I feel I learned this week is this...

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

The spirit has slowly told this to me throughout the week. I can choose to act-I'm done getting smacked around.

Also I've been taught this week by the spirit how I can approach a day/studies to change-act for myself
I can do this by
1.praying for the spirit that I may be instructed
2. read a scripture of Christ and then ponder what I've been given
(life, victory over death, opportunity to win through Jesus Christ, Family, childhood, friends, etc....)
3. Express gratitude to God 
4. Ponder on the people I have by doing a roll play with them
(lesson or street contact just by myself)-This I have found really helps me to forget my problems :)
5.Find what they need to know,feel, and do through study guided by the spirit-so far this has been incredible

Companionship
Elder Najarian and I have grown even closer this week. When he found out I was moving. he really helped me understand what a blessing I have been in his life and the people of Hood River

Area
We've continued to find hard-tracting as well as going to visit less active families! Great fruits came from that! I always compare it to ice fishing and you have to get all the poles you have in the water with all the different baits to see what they're biting.
The miracle this week is that a returning less-active from Goldendale has a girlfriend who lives in Hood River. She reeeealy wants to learn. So prepped. She came to church, took notes, and brought her 13 year old daughter who had a great time!

You're up to the best set of videos yet have fun with those!:)

Madsen...

I'm sorry the NS tournament didn't go very well. Those are always very tough. That decision you made to not lose that drive within you and continue forward I think is absolutely golden what a mature decision. Those are the tough ones and you did. proud of you. Sounds like you did very well in the tournament! I would've love to see some of those hits! Hope you have a highlight reel:) Sorry about the loss though! I hate those because then you always ask well if I only did this... then. That's Satan forget about that you did the very best you could with the mental and physical strength you had in those moments! I love those last lines of your email madsen. Thank you for that they inspired me as well. I love you brother!

Mom...

Hey mom! Thanks for the chapters in Mosiah I will be sure to read them! I am feeling the effects from your prayers thank you they are changing my mission I love you! Truly do!

Stockton

Hey Stockton you have been on my mind very much lately. I've been praying for you! I hope you are recovering quickly. I know you have the faith to be healed. I pray that you have the strength to endure if you don't. You look so good in your pictures-your eyes say you're doing well! So grateful for that I love you man! Keep smiling!

Dad...

I am so grateful for the letter you sent dad. I read it over and I'm definitely going to go over it again. It took a while to read and I don't have much more email time. I want to say I'll do it Dad. I'll forget my worries and my inadequacies and love as much as I can. I know Jesus is the Christ and now it's time to come unto him. So truly grateful for the scriptures and words you shared. What a great blessing it is to have a father that loves me like you.

Emma and Maleck

I love you both so much! Hope you both have a great week!

Grandma Rigby

I heard this week has been a little rougher one. I'm sorry. Please stay strong Grandma. It sounds like you're battling with a lot. You are such an inspiration! I want to fight like you! let's make a deal shall we? We know that Jesus lives! Let's believe even more that he can help us! let us exercise even more faith! We can do it Grandma! I know you're praying for me to do this already! I'll make sure to pray even more for you I love you so much!

I Love you all! check out my videos to get some good details!