February 11, 2009

Hey bro not much time to write this week, but try and open your call before 5:00 today if you get it. That's 5 my time so 4 your time. I want to hear, otherwise I wait till next week though. It sounds like things are going great for you though. Our new Apartment is sweeeet. I hope mom showed you the email I sent last week.
Love your BRo.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 15:6 and ponder this as you prepare to receive your call.
I love you, YOu are about to embark on the greatest time in your life.


ELder Adams

HEy mom I thought I'd jump on real quick and send you a quick email. I'll only be here for a little bit. We are going downtown today to see the Chicago art museum. It's free in the month of Febuary so we are trying to hurry. I'm going to try and jump on before 6:00, Probably around 5:00 to see if josh got his call. Try and open it by then, if not then I'll have to wait to hear from you next week. So I'll Check online later today. I'm on right now for a bit. I'm going to write president right now.
It all sounds awesome bro. I apologize I don't have as much time to write today. I'm sending mom a bunch of stuff for the talks. You don't try out for high school this year do you?? I thought that was next spring. It's ok to start training now though so you can be ready as a freshman. I love you dude. Keep up the good work and go onward prevailing in righteous paths.

Forever yours Elder Adams

Sounds great, so we have Shirlene's baptism this Saturday, on Valetines Day. How cool is that, she loves it because she can always remember that day as the day she gave her heart to the Lord. I'm sorry to hear you are sick, I hope you feel better. I'm good on the tea though we were tracting one day and a lady already had boiling water and gave us some herbal tea. She had just opened a package of Black Cherry and then she gave the whole thing to me. I'm doing good on tea. Still haven't got the puzzles though. I did some research on the Consecration topic and here are some scriptures and my thoughts, with some things that I've written in my study journal.Mark 12:30- This is the first great commandment we are commanded to love the lord with all our HEART, SOUL, MIND, and STRENGTH. Interestingly enough and similarly there is only one other thing we are commanded to do with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and that is to serve the Lord (D&C 4 and D&C 59:5)When we dedicate and consecrate ourselves to the Lord like this he will consecrate our performance, our task, our trial, whatever it may be, but we have to be giving our all to the Lord and trusting him. He then consecrates our performance to be for the welfare of our souls.(2Nephi32:9) Heart, soul, mind, and strength means everything! YOu can't hold back "Part of the Price." Often times we give a lot or do a lot, but it's that last part that is the hardest to give up, -Everything! To the Lord that is consecration (Acts 5:1-11)-This shows how 2 people kept back part of the price in selling part of their possessions. They sold all their land, gave so much, but still kept part. That is not consecration.If we are making excuses because we are too busy or whatever it may be we are dividing and splitting ourselfes from the Lord, so "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:7-8It's selfish to thingk that any talent or ability is actually ours, or that we even developed that talen, if we are putting more of our time into these or our jobsor our hobbies, then once again we are not consecrating ourselves.MOsiah 2:21- "If ye would serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." Because he has given us all we have and then we serve him or keep a commandment he blesses us again. Not to mention the atonement he performed for us. We are always in his debt.When talking about total self consecration, we know that in the terrestrial Kingdom there will be those who are honorable, however they were not valiant in the testimony of Jesus. As Neal A. Maxwell said of this "The best way to valiantly testify of Jesus is to becom steadily more like him, and it is that consecration that carves out the emulative character."As part of this shaping and carving out, we must be willing and submissive, willing to take a few hits aw we go through trials. Whether our trials be personal matters or because of a difficult calling, leadership position, or task we are asked to perfom. Sometimes our patience is tested to see if we can fully give of ourselves. As we take these hits and trial into becoming Christlike think of it as Joseph Smith said, "I am like a huge, rough stone... and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force... thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty." I'm sorry I gotta get going though. I have more written down here, I'm just trying to type it up and send it to you. I'll give you the rest of what I have next week.OH and my companion is now on this medication and President has told me that I have to watch him, because sometimes when people start taking this stuff they take their own lives. It's a little scary, but I have to watch out for my companion. My mission President is so kind and wise, I can't imagine him leaving us the first of July. Love you tons mom, and I look forward to hearing from you.
With love and Prayers from
Elder Adams
Here's some great scriptures for you to look at though.
Exodus 32a;29
Numbers 6:12
1Chronicles 29:5
2Chronicles 29:31
And I gave this one to Josh, YOu can check it out too. This is how I feel about what I have been called to do out here, and The decision I made to serve a mission. D&C 15:6

Love ya tons mom,

Hope to hear from you tonight, if not then for sure next week. OH and today is not transfers that would be next wednesday.