Pride

Sorry I didn't e-mail you yesterday the library was closed for something.

I don't get transfer calls tell tonight

Wow it sounds like you had an action packed week.  Thank you for the update of the family. I was worried about you guys last week.  You are in my prayers always.  The new water bottle is great! I love it so much!!!  It actually keeps water cold and doesn't sweat.  It's getting kinda cooler here in Virginia.  People said that I'm pretty lucky this August has been one of the coolest ones they've had in a long time.  Usually they have a heat index of about 115.  It's crazy.  I knew that Virginia plays BYU after all I live with a kid that plays on the BYU football team and his bother played too, Elder Collie.  This week has been one of the harder ones of my mission.  Don't worry though it has been such a great learning experience for me.  We still have Shakitha Cowert on date for September 21.  We weren't able to meet with her this past week because she went to Mississippi.  Hopefully we'll have a lesson with her today or maybe even tomorrow.  We have had so many people want to talk to us about this message it is great.  I love getting up in the morning and my body says no but my mind says yes.  As soon as I get moving it's crazy how all of a sudden I awake not even tired.  It's a testament to me that the Lord sends angles to bare up his missionaries.  It is so great I can't tell you how amazing it is.  I've learned so much this past week in my personal studies.  I studied the sin of Pride.  This is such an interesting topic and I invite all of you to study it.  Pride is such an easy and nasty sin to fall into.  Stay clear from it.  I think that Ezra Taft Benson said this,"Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion."  Do as Alma instructs in Alma 5, "Strip yourself of Pride."  The mission is so great.  I love it so much.  O crazy fun fact so I basically buzzed my head.  It was so hot.  I cut the sides with a four and the top with a five.  Yeah it's different but feels great.  About your questions about Alma 12:21-23.  I would have you read 1Nephi 8:9-12 and 1Nephi 11:16-27 and answer the questions, What does the fruit of the tree of life represent? and What does that mean to us in our Lives?  Makes sure that you keep the Alma verses in mind.  I'll try to help you understand as much a possible.  This Church is the only true Church.  Jesus Christ died for us each individually and can help us personally if we just let him.  Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and we have a Prophet here on this earth.  I love my Savior.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.  I love you all and hope that building goes well.  Thank you for all that you do I love you.  For my birthday I'm really not sure what I want.  Food cards are useful.  Ties would be great.  I'll have to think of what I want I'm not sure right now.  Mwah kisses and Hugs from Virginia.  We'll see if I get transferred tonight.

SATAN WILL NOT WIN THIS ONE

Mom I know that times are hard and that life is kicking you down.  It's hard I know but read a talk that was given by President Henry B. Eyring.  It's called Mountains to Climb.  My testimony that I can bare to you is that our Heavenly Father loves us.  Don't look at trial in your life as trials look at them as blessings.  In 1 Nephi 1:1 Nephi explains that even though he has had much trials he is still highly favored of the Lord.  I didn't bring my scriptures today to the library, which I'm very upset about but next week I will give you some good stuff hopefully.  A great book to read is our Search for Happiness.  This life is hard.  Anything is and the reason why is so that we can understand the good times too.  We can't know the bitter with out the sweet.  Thank you so much for the compliment of being a missionary. The only thing that I have to say is that I could not have done it without you.  You mean the world to me Mom and Dad.  Being out here I can't thank you enough for all the things that you have done for me and made me the man I am today.  I wish that I could come through this computer and give you all the biggest hug in the world but I can't it will have to wait for two years.  I love you all so much!  I'm sitting here crying in the Library.  It's ridiculous but hey it happens.  Thank you for the water bottle I will try not to be such a financial burden.  The work is going great here.  It is so amazing.  We have one lady that came to church yesterday.  The first investigator that we have actually gotten to come.  She loved it and was welcomed into the world.  She is set for baptism on September 21.  I'm really excited this work is great.  The area that I'm in is awesome.  I love Colonial Heights.  The members are so nice and they are just great.  Also they are really good cooks!!! YAYA.  It hasn't been raining to much this week it's just been overcast, but it has been really cool.  No humidity which is like a first ever.  I actually almost got to the point one night when we were about to go home I almost put on a jacket.  It's super sweet though.  I was going to send you a picture of my wall I have all your primary kids pictures hung up.  They look amazing.  They make it feel like home nothing better.  O just on a fun side note.  Me and my room mates last P-day all bought candles.  Our house now smells like Coffee(Mine), Rain(Elder Collie), The Mountains (Elder Gronning).  It's great I'm loving every minute of it.  I'm sorry that this week has been so rough.  You just sometimes have those.  Don't let them get the best of you.  If you do you are just playing into Satan's had and then he wins.  Remember the thing you told me, "SATAN WILL NOT WIN THIS ONE."  don't let him win.  He's dumb and stupid and just a child about things kick him in the face and tell him to stop it.  I love you all and hope all is going well.  The church is true the book is blue.

Elder Adams

Working Hard and Loving It 

haha o mamma.  so today is p-day and I might buy a new tie, kinda getting tired of all the old one... and possibly some biking gloves.  Just cuz when it rains the handle bars get slick. is that ok?

no it's fine I can write other people.  It's more important that you are ok then anything else.  He didn't even get a candle so idk.  All the other Elders think it's great.

Only send Polyester ties if you do.  The reason is because I sweat and sweat ruins silk or anything else.  No I didn't bring my gloves.  By the way the bike is working great.  Grandpa would be proud.

No none of my room mates want to do that....  We talk to a lot of people about all the history and stuff. did you know that the court house in appamatix was the one were General Lee signed the peace treaty?

Well my time is up.  I'll talk to you next week thank you for all that you do.  I love you and remember to rely on the Lord.

Hydroflask

Yes I just got done reading it.  So I have a request this week.  Down here in the south we have a really hard time keeping water cold.  There are these things that one of the Elders has in my apartment it's called a Hydro Flask.  It's a bottle that's insulated and doesn't sweet.  Wanna buy me one and send it to me? They're a little expensive $40 but it would be much appreciated.  You can get them at hydroflask.com and get the 40 oz. one. 

So this week was a very interesting week in the area of Colonial Heights.  My companion and I are seeing so many great blessing from getting out and working hard.  We have Shakitha Cowart set for baptism on September 7 but we might have to move it to the 14.  She is such an amazing lady of great faith and testimony.  We also have another great investigator named Keith.  He has a pretty sweet story.  We were out riding our bikes fast Sunday and the spirit told us to go and talk to Keith.  We had talked to him once before but never really got anywhere with him.  As we pulled up he was outside listening to country and working on his car.  We talked to him a little bit about the gospel and then went on our way.  Well we went back this week and started to talk to him again.  He then showed us something crazy he pulled out a card that had my companions name and mine of it and our number.  We never gave him a card at all!  A guy that works on his car gave it to him and told him to contact the missionaries.  We then started to talk to him about the plan of salvation.  Then Keith said the one thing that missionaries love to here.  He said, "I don't know what I'm going to have to do and I don't know everything, but I want to be a part of your guys church." Boom mind blown all of the pavement.  We are going to meet with him this week and set him for a date.  The only thing that we really need to work on him with is marriage.  He's living with a girl that we think is his fiance but we are not sure.  It should be interesting.  This area is awesome I love it so much.  Everyone is Baptist but we are able to find the people that God has prepared for us to teach and baptize.  The work is going great here.  That's pretty cool that you guys are going to move.  I hope that everything goes good with that and that it all works out.  This week we are going to the Richmond Zoo for our P-day!  Members own the Zoo so Missionaries get in for free.  The perks of the name tag, gotta love it.  It's good to hear that  your studies are going good.  Those are the hours that I live for on my mission.  I love the opportunity to be able to sit down and feast upon the word of God.  You can learn so much if you are just willing to listen.  About your question with the temple video.  First it's a video.  Don't worry about so much of what the actors do but more of what the spirit is telling you.  They (the actors/producers) are imperfect being trying to re-create a perfect  event in history.  It's kind of like mission work at the end of the day you pray to your Heavenly Father and say I know I'm not perfect but I tried my best I put my all into what I was doing.  Please help me to learn and grow and be better tomorrow.  I hope all is well at the house.  Anything crazy going on?  Keep on studying.  Keep in contact with Devin when I was in Church yesterday I got a prompting to remind him about the temple trip that I told him about.  Make sure that he does not loose sight of that goal please do not!!!!!!!!  You all have constant contact with him help him fight against the adversary and win this battle.  I love you all and invite you all to participate in missionary work.  Live by the saying, "Preach the gospel always and when necessary use words."  We are the light of the world.  We have been lucky enough to be born into this glories work.  Make sure that we do not waist this glorious opportunity to work in the Lords vineyard.  I love you all and hope that all is going well in Utah.  I heard that there's are a lot of flooding and hot weather is this true?  Have a great week love you all.  

                                       Only in Virginia do you find someone that build a boat this big!!!

                                                                       skittles rims

                                                                                       Baby Beagle puppies.                            

August 5, 2013

Thank you for your e-mail.  That is awesome I didn't know that.  My companion is not much into history so for our P-day we are going golfing.  Yay! Time for some public humiliation haha no it should be fun I'm way excited.  The mission work is going good here.  It's hard that's for sure sense this is the Baptist capital of the world.  I know that as long as me and my companion just keep working hard and trying our best then the lord will bless us and we will be able to see the fruits of our labors.  Maybe not in this life but in the next life for sure.  That chair is super sweet that's so cool that you made that.  Down here there are so many muscle cars.  One of the ward members owns a 68 Chevelle.  It's so sweet I will try to get a picture of it and send it to you next week.  Have you started reading the Book of Mormon with Mom if not START.  It will bless your life so much and you will be able to do amazing things in this life.  I love you and thank you so much for all that you have done for me thank you for making me the man that I am today.  I love you have a great week.  

Month Mark

send a pic of my bug please

Well I hit my month mark this week.  It's crazy to think.  It seems like the days are long but then when you look back it seems like it was just yesterday I was at IHOP eating my last meal of biscuits and gravy.  I got the package that you sent me.  Thank you so much for sending the sour patch kids they were good for the day and a half that I had them...  Yeah I ate them all oops...  Those are really good if you want to send more there are no complaints here.  So about this week.  Fred is being a little stinker about joining the church.  He says that we have to focus on his less active friend Gale before he will do anything.  On the brighter side of things we ran into this guy named Keith about a week ago.  He was out side working on his drag racer and so we started to talk cars with him.  We set up a return appointment for latter on this week and he accepted but when we went by he wasn't there.  Then yesterday as we were riding to go visit a family the holy ghost said go see why the Milots and Plucinics didn't come to church.  Me and my companion then proceeded to go check on those two families.  Little did we know that Keith was outside working on his car again.  We stopped and talked to him for a little bit and gave him a book of mormon.  He told us that he's often thought about the question which church is the true church.  He's a pretty cool guy we are meeting with him on Tuesday and will set him for baptism.  Another awesome thing that happened yesterday, my companion and I were riding around a less fortunate part of town.  We road past the street ballers and one of the guys called us over.  His name is Brent.  We started to talk to him and found out that he wasn't religious because of all the bad things that happen because of religion.  Some how we got on the topic of his kids and he told us that he had lost a child about two years ago.  He had the kids foot prints tattoo'd on his left bicep.  We were able to bare testimony that if he makes the important covenants then he can be sealed together forever with that child.  He then broke down into tears.  The spirit was so strong it was amazing.  I love this work it's so much about helping other people it's crazy.  About the new house I think that it's really up to you as long as you've prayed about it and asked our Heavenly Father if it's the thing that you should do and you feel like he's ok with it then do it.  It sounds like you and Dad are just having a ball in the house alone.  I hope that the book of Mormon reading is going good and that everything is ok.  If there is anything that I can do for you guys please let me know I would love to help you.  That's my week in a nut shell.  The ward here is really nice they feed us a lot I just can't get fat.  It's funny this area is all about baptist.  I think this is the baptist capital of the world it's so crazy everyone is baptist.  The ward members call one of the baptist church's the great and spacious build because it's so huge.  It's probably about the size of the Lehi Legacy Center and then some.  Well I hope all is well I love you all.  Mwah XOXOXOXO

Sorry you probably think that I'm a pile.  I didn't even bare my testimony.  I am doing the work of God My Savior lives and he loves all of use more than we will understand in this life. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and if we implement it's teachings into our life we will draw nearer to God.  It's hard to put the feelings that I have into words.  I love all of you and invite you to pray with a purpose.  Make prayer a two way conversation between you and the Lord.  I can promise you that when we start talking to him like he is our best friend that's when we will become best friends with him.  He's there waiting we just need to open the door and let him into our life and let him mold us into the master piece he knows that we can become. 

Thank you for your e-mail.  That is awesome I didn't know that.  My companion is not much into history so for our P-day we are going golfing.  Yay! Time for some public humiliation haha no it should be fun I'm way excited.  The mission work is going good here.  It's hard that's for sure sense this is the Baptist capital of the world.  I know that as long as me and my companion just keep working hard and trying our best then the lord will bless us and we will be able to see the fruits of our labors.  Maybe not in this life but in the next life for sure.  That chair is super sweet that's so cool that you made that.  Down here there are so many muscle cars.  One of the ward members owns a 68 Chevelle.  It's so sweet I will try to get a picture of it and send it to you next week.  Have you started reading the Book of Mormon with Mom if not START.  It will bless your life so much and you will be able to do amazing things in this life.  I love you and thank you so much for all that you have done for me thank you for making me the man that I am today.  I love you have a great week.