In response to all of your questions... My companion hasn't said anything about his legs this week so better. We haven't been able to find the man who is an alcoholic and the last time we went to his house his niece came out and was all checkin us out and trying to flirt so that was interesting haha. My legs and back are fine, with the excercising in the morning I do push ups and abs and streches so that my back doesn't hurt. My favorite color of tie hmmmm blue. And the weirdest thing I've eaten: one time we ate tacos from a stand and then like a month later we heard from a member that this stand makes their tacos with dog meat so I've eaten dog and it was really good hahahah :) I haven't gotten the package with shoes or from home and I have to wait to the next zone conference at the end of this month to get them. What did you all send in the package from home? Cause I need stamps and such but I'm not sure what you have sent so I don't know what to tell you that I need. But one question for dad - can you ask John Moore where they bought all those mission coins? Like what company? My bishop here saw mine the other day and wants to know where he bought them to check it out.
Well this last week was better but still not super super good. I just need to focus on working harder and being more bold and confident. This next sunday both of us are going to speak in church and I'm excited to prepare my talk through out this week to hopefully be able to say the things that I need to say to help the members.
Yesterday we had stake conference here and it was really good. We had the session of priesthood in the morning and then the general session. Our mission president and his wife came to speak and also the temple president of San Diego came with his wife to speak. The temple president could speak spanish so he gave his talk himself. His wife doesn't speak spanish but it was fun cause she had written her talk in english and then I'm guessing her husband translated it so she read off her talk in spanish. Both of them spoke about the temple of course and it was really good. I'm realizing that while I was at BYU I really took having the temple so close for granted cause now I really miss not being able to go to the temple. We ate lunch with the family of the second counselor in the stake presidency on friday and he is an architect and has been doing some work with the building plans of the temple. He showed us this little video he has on his laptop of all the layers of the temple coming together and it was really cool. He said that it should be done in 2 years from now soo maybe I'm thinking family trip summer 2015? ;) I have also heard that the famous "Hotel California" that the song is from is somewhere in Baja California so there is another fun fact haha.
With the discourso that I'm preparing the give next sunday in church, the bishop didn't give us a topic so I've been thinking about the things that I can talk about. I was planning on talking about covenants and our dutys to God as members of the church. And yesterday in stake conference a the stake president gave a really good talk about covenants. It was really good as he talked about how our covenants aren't between us and the ward, or us and the stake, but only between us and the Lord, and how its not like we need to prove ourselves to the ward but rather we need to be doing the things personally between us and the Lord to complete with the promises we have made. He mentioned a quote from Elder Ballard about how often we think that covenants should be convenient, and it really made me think of how sometimes I justify things simply cause they are convenient. And then I remember how dad one time when we were talking said that whenever we make a justification we are in the wrong and need to change and yeah I'm just grateful for my parents everyday. :)
One thing that Presidente Carreon talked about yesterday in stake conference was the need to invite out friends and family to listen to the gospel. Its great to share it and we should do that but also there needs to be action and progress and that's what the missionaries are for. He said "And what's going to happen if you ask your friend to come over and talk with the missionaries and they say no? Nothing, absolutely nothing, everything will be normal and simply you are trying to share the happiness that you have from the gospel, your friendship won't change." Okay he didn't say that exactly cause it was in spanish but it was really good cause I know I thought that if I invited a friend to listen to the missionaries that it would be a disaster if they said no and all that. So I'm super happy to hear about all these missionary experiences but also don't be afraid to invite a friend over when the missionaries are there. Have courage and follow the spirit. Benjamin and Jacqueline, first pray alot, and then act on every single thought you have. One thing that has really helped me be able to follow the spirit is something that Elder Bednar said - "that if we are being good boys and good girls, we don't need to recognize the promptings of the spirit to follow them. If we are being obedient and doing the things we should be doing, our thoughts will be guided by the spirit and we can know that we can follow them." There is a really cool story he tells about when he was a missionary in germany giving an apostle a ride to the train station, but I don't want to tell it bad and I'm out of time so search for it. :)
Happy birthday Jacqueline, I'm startled everytime I realize how old you are cause then I realize how old I'm getting haha. Thanks for your example :)
Con amor,
Elder Crockett
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