change, repentance, growth through Christ: Mainz Week 16

June 15, 2015

Mom and Dad,

Emily is 16.

Austin turned 13, everyone is getting so old over there, I guess I'll be 20 in November, no 'teen' at the end of my age anymore. Weird. Glad she's having fun and you're all doing well, how does it feel to have another licensed driver in the family? The best birthday present of turning 16 right there.

Important focus there, making sacrament the spiritual, sacred experience that it needs to be. Getting rid of distractions- phones, procrastinated lessons, etc is important, just focusing on Christ, renewing our baptismal covenants. Remembering Him, his body raised up on the cross and blood shed in the Garden as well, in pure love, so that we can have joy, so that we can progress and overcome the burdens of life. [Sacrament meeting]

I like your comment 'the basics inch us along the desired direction and we are ready for the big jumps when they come'. Change in a way does take time, and in a way it can be instant. The decision to change is often what takes a second. What led to the decision probably took a lot longer, and making it last is a lifetime effort. (when it becomes habit and who we are the nature of that effort changes). Alma the Younger for example in the Book of Mormon. Or Saul in the New Testament, one, literally earth shaking experience, and a lasting change took place. 3 Days of sleep, feeling the power of Christ's atonement, repenting, and a mighty change of heart was experienced by young Alma. I think in a way change often does/can take a long time, but it doesn't necessarily have to. There's only so much you can change and grow at once though, if I could just make a bunch of decisions and be this really amazing person who never makes mistakes that would be cool too, but being changed and growing, setting goals, does take a lot of work. It would be too easy, life wouldn't be a test if growth worked that way. Interesting to think about.

Thanks for sharing about your mission too, Dad. I somehow didn't realize that you had spent time in Austria too, good stuff. Nope, we haven't had the street display yet, and the members feed us fairly often, but not every night or anything (I like eating at home, doing our own cooking too) the ward isn't a huge ward and we are happy to just spend time with the ward members. Teaching lessons and helping them is more important than having dinner together. Good food, I don't know if I really have a favorite, but I really like süßen Senf [sweet mustard] just like last time I was in Germany. Ward council is great, the ward works really well together. If you could pray for Marco to be able to make it to church. We're trying to help him understand how important it is, he also wants to quit smoking at some point, just working with and helping him.

Oh, and I'm giving a talk next week at church, the topic 'Dienen und Ewiges Leben' Service and Eternal life, President Eyring from the March 2014 Liahona. I'll send it to you when I finish. Also, how's your family mission plan, missionary work in the ward etc?

Have a fun week, be happy!

Love you!

Elder Blanchard


Haydn Straße. Franz Josef Haydn (hope I'm spelling that right). A composer who wrote amazing music I'm sure. This is the second one I've seen in my time here, may be a mission tradition.