E-mail from Neal - Received 5/5/09

Hello Family!!!!

Chorley yesterday was really great. The weather was a bit grim and rainy, but it is England after all. I saw Elder and Sister Hafen. They were going to the Temple cause their son and daughter in law were there. I told them that I absolutely loved their parents, and that it was a great pleasure to serve around them. They just smiled and said that I was an amazing missionary. It was really great to see them. I am so happy each and every time that I see them. You will really have to meet them someday!!! Elder Wheat had a great time with his brother, and it really was good for him. They are very, very, very, very, very different. I mean I thought that I was different from my siblings, but this is completely incomparable. I got to talk to all the new missionaries as they were milling about in the hallway, and my main word of advice to them (because they asked of course) was to work hard all the time, and get rid of ANY and ALL baggage. I was blunt, and told them to get rid of their girlfriends!!! I know I am probably being bitter, but the freedom that has come from dropping that load of baggage is unreal. I am still dealing with some hurt and heartache, but I feel so much better about the work that I am doing, and I really can focus now. It was a long day though. About 2 ½ hours each way, and we had to do it all in one day. It was a really, really long, and I was not feeling to great on the way there. I woke up with some really bad stomach pains, and they got worse all the way to Manchester. That was the most uncomfortable train ride of my life, but right as we got into Manchester they suddenly stopped. I was very grateful for that. The pains have been coming in and out since then, but nothing as bad as the train ride. I will be fine I am sure, I must have just eaten something dodgy ha ha ha!!!

Ok now onto the good stuff….. Neal A. Maxwell is very rapidly becoming my favourite church leader of the past! Jeffery R. Holland is the man, but Elder Maxwell is amazing. Do you all remember when I met him, and that wonderful thing that he said to me in the Greeley Stake Centre. I don’t remember how old I was, but I do remember the experience quite well. Anyways I have been reading and studying a few of his talks. I have been reading “Swallowed up in the will of the Father,” “Becoming a Disciple,” and “ The Pathway of Disciple.” Oh my good gosh they are amazing. I have also been listening to a talk called “The Mortal Christ” by Jack R. Christiansen. I have really learned a ton from them, about forgetting about ourselves and turning into true followers of Christ. I have really been working on KNOWING Christ, not just knowing about him. I have really gained a great understanding about what we need to do as humans to gain our full salvation! I have been soaking up all these words and really trying to apply the principals. These past two transfers have been the hardest of my mission for a number of reasons, and I have been praying really hard for an answer and a solution to my problems. At District Meeting last week, the sisters in my district committed us all to read “Swallowed up in the Will of the Father,” and so I did, and it all snowballed from there. I would really challenge you all to get those three talks from Elder Maxwell and study them. You can feel the same things that I am feeling right now. They have really shown me the importance of completely forgetting about ourselves and turning to Christ. There are some amazing examples and points that he illustrates extremely well, but I will let you find those for yourselves! Please let me know what you all think about those talks.

I Love you all, and I am so thankful for all that you do for me.

Love you,
Elder Neal

P.s. I am going on a 2 day exchange with E. McIntosh this week, i am really excited. I went out with him on Saturday cause E. Wheat was really sick, and that was way fun, we got a really good chance to talk about things. He's a great guy!!!!!