E-Mail from Neal - Received 11/9/09

Hello Family!!!!!!!!!

Well it sounds like life at home always continues to move. I think that for a long time I thought that time would freeze for some strange reason. I am going to get home and probably freak because of all that has happened. I am excited though. The end is nearing everyday. The sisters that I came out with went home on Wednesday, and that is crazy!!!! My last senior comp (Elder McIntosh) also went home, and that is way scary as well. I have been a senior comp ever since I left him, can you believe that?!?!? Anyways the time is far spent, and there is little remaining, but there is enough to get some good things done, and boy do I plan to! I am excited and I am grateful for the many opportunities that I have had thus far, and I know that there are still many to come!

The rest of this week was a tad rocky, but never the less I was able to make it through in one piece. I am excited to start a new week, and officially start the new transfer, and I think that a P-day is going to help that one out. Never fear though I am doing great, and I am loving life. The time is moving like it did in Stretford. It seems like I am hitting the pillow quicker and quicker each day. I know that these last 6 months are going to fly!!!!!

So hope this week was amazing.  I learned quite a bit about hope though. I spent a lot of time with President Uchtdorf’s talk “The Infinite Power of Hope,” and from that I learned a lot of wonderful things. I learned that hope requires just as much action as faith! In order to achieve all of our hopes we must live righteously and work for them. Eternal life is not achieved by sitting around and doing nothing, it requires work, and lots of it! I also spent a lot of time with my patriarchal blessing as well. That is a document that is packed full of hope. All the blessings that are promised there are things that we can hope for, but we have to work for them. I have really been striving to find all the blessings that are promised to us as missionaries, and I have been working to have a brighter hope in those promises. Like PMG says “Hope is the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfil his promises to you.” I have been looking for those promises, hoping for them, and then acting in faith to receive those promised blessings. I have seen great things, and I am hopeful to receive more! I am glad that you liked your study of hope as well. What I want to hear from you this next week is not just how you studied about charity, but how you applied it as well. That is where the growth comes from. I am looking forward to continuing to apply all these attributes as the weeks go on.

It has been raining constantly lately, but today the sun finally came out. We are going to take advantage of that for sure. I finally pulled out the scarf last night cause it was really cold. It is definitely getting closer and closer to winter!

Well I think that that is all that I have to report on this week. I am doing fine and working hard. Say hi to everyone for me, and tell them all that I love them! The church is true, and I am so thankful that I get to enjoy the blessings of that!!!

I love you all
Elder Neal