December 20, 2016

Haha this week has been really good. On tuesday Elder Holland came and spoke to us. We just basically studied through Alma 26 with him.  It was so enlightening! He talked about how this is God's work, but he needs instruments to do his work.  God's power can be limited do to an ineffective or dirty tool.  We must be clean and be the instrument that God wants to pick up to do his work.  Just like the instruments that a doctor uses must be in top shape - so must we be in prime condition.  He also talked about hard work and how we've got to work our tails off in our missions.  We have to also preach with the power and authority of god and be astonishing and speak with thunder.  Missionary work is so hard because the Savior had it hard.  Salvation is not cheap.  Every road to salvation must go through Gethsemane.  To conclude his talk, Elder Holland gave us an apostolic blessing he called it.  He said it's as if his hand were on all of our heads.  It was pretty cool.  He promised us a whole bunch of stuff. 

On wednesday we hosted missionaries again.  It's always fun to do that.  We had our first skype TRC (lesson with a member) as well which was interesting.  Our lady was from Argentina and we basically could hardly understand her at all.  The connection was bad and she was speaking super fast.  Haha.  She got mad at me when I tried to ask my companion what a word was in spanish and when I tried to look it up in a dictionary.  She was saying stuff like, "Just say the word in Spanish.  If you don't know, then just think what it is and say it.  It's not hard."  I was about ready to say, "Miss, if it's so easy to speak another language, then why don't you just speak English with us?"  Haha she was trying my patience. :)  Got another Skype TRC tomorrow.

Our branch President - President Hyde has talked to us about some cool things.  One thing is a quote from Brigham Young about how there is no such thing as sacrifice.  It doesn't exist.  He said sacrifice is like we have an old, torn up, mangled jacket and somebody else gives a brand new jacket for the old one.  It's so true.  We think God ruins our life by having us go through hard things - sacrifices.  But in the end, we always end up better off then we were.  We need to thank God - not get mad at him.  President Hyde also gave us some insight on the sacrament.  He said every time we take the sacrament, it should be just as powerful as if it were an animal sacrifice.  In Moses 5 it talks about this and in the old Testament.  Adam was commanded to do animal sacrifices after being cast out of the garden.  He didn't know why, but it must have obviously been very gruesome to cut an animal's throat, take out the insides, then skin it and burn it.  Even an animal that was like their pet.  Then, adam is asked if he knows why he does that.  He doesn't.  He is told that it is in similitude of the sacrifice of the only begotten of the father.  At this point, adam is probably horrified.  He has been doing animal sacrifices for many days now and he just now finds out it is as if he is killing the son of God.  I don't think Adam would ever sin again after that - and neither should we.  Our sins hurt Christ and we need to remember that every week as we take the sacrament. Pretty cool

On Saturday we had a sub.  And during a break in class, at about 3, he asks me to stay behind to talk.  Haha he says, "Elder Moss, did you shave today?"  Hahaha I said, "yes, this morning."  (I really had.  I shaved right after our service project at about 8).  Haha I don't think he believed me but he was just like, "All right, just make sure you shave every day."  Haha

On sunday, the devotional was the Piano Guys!  So Sweet!  they each bore their testimony, especially about their missions, and John and Steven played some pieces on the Piano and Cello. One thing I liked that John said was, "Humility is a recognition of our constant dependence on a higher power.  It's how quickly we turn to God when we are faced with a problem." That's pretty cool.

I leave next Tuesday at 8:50 AM!  Fly from SLC to Atlanta, then to Buenos Aires.  Then probably take another fight down to Neuquen!  It'll be almost 24 hours of flying.  Haha can't wait.

Have a great week!  This Sunday will be so special to remember the Savior's birth as well as his atonement with the sacrament.  Look for ways that you can help others this week as you do the things the savior would. :)

Just some more selfies!

Representing Lehi with the Ping pong Shirt!  Haha

Flight Plans

Temple closed. Just got a haircut. For Christmas, I was thinking about

maybe some cool ties. A cool orange one that could go with my grey
suit and then a grey tie that could match as well. Maybe the grey tie
could go with my blue sweater you sent me since I only have like one
tie that goes with it. What do you think about a scarf? I'm worried
about the weight of my bags, and I kind of think I can buy a cool
scarf down there.
Oh and also any updates about trump and politics and such? What's the
status with Hillary? Anything else going on?

Yesterday  was the electoral college vote and Trump is officially the president of the United States now, well after Obama leaves in January. 

 The CIA and FBI have confirmed that the Russians tapped into Hillary Clinton's email and released emails through WikiLeaks in order to help Trump in the election but there's not much that can be done or that is being done or that should be done with that  as anyone contact anyone else's emails and find out more truth about them then maybe they want to be known – as is the case with Hillary.  Nothing much else political going on. 

The poinsettia bowl in San Diego is tomorrow and Davey is going to be on the pregame broadcast at studio C.  He is then going to watch the game on the 27 foot big screen that they have in the studio there and get football) treats and a half time meal there.

 We went to Rogue One on Saturday everyone including Katelynn and Jeff but Davey didn't go as he had a date. Last night I met his date, Lydia, and she seems really nice – this is the third time they have been on a date, I guess we'll see where it goes.

Wow.  Okay cool. That's crazy with the Russians.  Haha keep me updated with like the inauguration and everything.  

I've been trying to run a mile every day.  Right now my best time is 6:36.  I want to get below 6 so bad.  It's hard though.

I'll try and remember to keep you updated.  I need to remember you are more interested in that than me.  

Good job on the running.  Keep it up, you'll get there.

Sorry, I haven't been on.  I had a 10am meeting and then we had staff meeting from 12 to 2pm (Christmas party).

I will be calling at 4 on Christmas! 30 minutes. No Skype

I am SOOOO excited!!!

Also funny note. When our choir director got done leading the music at
the devotional with elder holland, and was walking off stage, elder
holland slapped his butt. Haha

That is FUNNY!!!

Hey is there any way that you can think of to get some pizza here on
Christmas Eve? I want to do something for all the elders in our zone
for Christmas and I thought pizza would be sweet. Like dominoes. It's
probably not possible what with the security and all but I thought I
would ask.

I'll try, but all of my students say it will be almost impossible.

Mom

Yeah don't worry about it. 

Nothing is impossible with DAD!  If you want it we'll make it happen.

Devotional tonight by w Craig zwick of the quorum of the seventy!

Can you get out at night onto the grounds of the MTC where we could drop off pizza on saturday night at like 10pm or is that too late?

We are going to st george for grandpa Moss 's birthday on the 23rd and will be coming home late, after dinner there on christmas eve.   

That is unless we have a grand baby during that time. 

W Craig Zwick Devotional

Jan Zwick: We must first acknowledge our dependence on the Lord, and then we must invite him into our life.

The Sea of Galilee is very beautiful and picturesque while the Dead Sea is dull. The Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea are both fed by the Jordan river. However the Sea of Galilee has an outlet whereas the Dead Sea does not. The Sea of Galilee both receives and gives. The Dead Sea only receives.

We must reflect the light of Christ to others. We must turn ourselves to him - the greatest light.