Walk With Jesus, Dude: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!

Happy birthday, Mom and Nana! I love both of you bunches! I'm glad you two had the chance to go out and part together! Have lots of Baseball Nut to celebrate!

We contact in Singapore by talking to everyone. Going door to door probably wouldn't go over too well here, so we talk as we're riding the train, the bus, and as we're walking down the street completely lost. Actually, I think being lost is the best contacting tool. We're really working on getting referrals from members though, which has a lot of potential here!

I... most definitely did not recognize Brooke when I saw her, but I was definitely confused when she said "Hi, Alex!" Haha, Once she said Boggess I knew her though. It's fun to see her every week!

I sent a picture of the view from my study window where you can see the church spire! We live right next to the church. Being next to the office isn't anything too special, we'll just never run out of planners now. :)

Did I get them all this time?(I had given her a hard time for not answering all my questions from last week.)

So I'm really glad to hear the summary of your report. I realized after I finished emailing last week that I had just given you a whole rant on white people to report on. *face palm* So thank you for cutting that part out and making me sound good! I new I could trust you! (Actually, I did share her "Where's our 'Guide to White People?! phone call to the APs ;) I just forgot to tell her! lol)

I'm sad to say that I am now that person who deliberately stands in six inches of a lamp pole's shade stay avoid the sun. I. am. Malaysian.

Okay, this part is for Nana, but I'm putting it here because I thought it was really cool. Yesterday in church a man got up and gave a talk in sacrament meeting and mentioned how he was inactive for six years. Now, the microphone was really fuzzy, but what I did hear was that the bishop of that ward went to his house every month without fail for five years to home teach him. Sometimes the man was home, sometimes he wasn't. But it was because of that loving commitment of the not-yet-bishop that man came back to church and couldn't have been happier about it as he shared his testimony yesterday. No effort is every wasted! We never have any idea how much our actions effect and influence others. You know what's crazy? What's crazy is the number of times I've met someone and they've said, "Oh yeah, I've met missionaries before. One talked to me ten years ago. Nice kids." Or "Yeah, I had a neighbor who was mormon a few years ago! I never really talked to them, but they seemed nice." It happens all the time!

We do spend most of our time talking to members or trying to meet with people who are maybe struggling with their testimonies.We do have an investigator though! We had an interesting lesson with him yesterday where I got bored (and a little fed up) and told him that there's no point in our meeting unless he asks God if what we talk about is true, and the only way God will answer him is if he asks with the intent to act on his answer, which action would be baptism. ......I don't think any of the missionaries had been that blunt with him, and his face was the epitome of shock, but he agreed to be baptized in August! It was a really neat experience because of how strong the Holy Ghost was as we were committing him to action. There's power in action!

So I was studying something this morning that I absolutely loved! I was responding to a question "how can a child be of infinite worth and yet be nothing compared to his/her parents?" Or something like that. (It's in reference to Moses 1: ....15? And now I know that I am nothing?) And as I thought about it I had a few different thoughts. 1) A child has infinite potential that hasn't been reached yet, but that the parents see. It made me think about what infinite worth means. At first I was thinking of it as another way to say infinite potential, which I think can be true, but I wonder if another, or maybe even better, way of thinking of it is as infinitely loved. Now how weird is love? Why do people love each other? It's not natural! It's not human! We live with a bunch of imperfect people who could very easily upset us if we let them! Even weirder is a parent loving their child! They basically give up their lives to take care of a baby that can't walk, can't talk, can't support itself, and spits on them. What? But I've decided that love isn't natural to us people down here. Because love is Godly. Love is something that defines God, and the more you align your life with God's plan the more love you have in your life. Coincidence? I think not! But I love that! Who was it that said the other day that Pride is not a divine quality, it's part of our fallen nature. But love, love is the counter part. Love is the divine quality that sits on the other side of the scale! Anyway. I thought that was great. :)

Faith.... I read a really neat quote this morning that said something to the effect of "the study of gospel principles will change character faster than the study of character will change character. Focus on problems can bring an increase of problems. That is why the apostles stress the study of gospel doctrines so much." I loved it! It changed my perspective on how to become more Christlike. The answer isn't to sit down and focus on my imperfections and set goals to change them, (although goals are great for changing character) The answer is to study the gospel and apply the things I learn. Another piece to the puzzle!

...Extra points to the person who finds the three movie quotes in this email!

Ummm....This week was Zone Conference! I tried really hard not to fall asleep. BUT one of the things I liked the most about it was the challenge to restrengthen our testimonies of the doctrine we're teaching. Haha, I'm not sure if I love or hate those moments where I'm teaching something to an investigator or member and I hear the Spirit give a little nudge to me that's saying "excuse me, are you living this?" Haha, Not that I'm breaking the WOW or anything, but I think the commandments are so much just black and white, but it's like, black, keeping the commandment, then angelically keeping the commandment. I love you! I'm out of time! Talk to you next week! Be awesome! have a great birthday! Ah! I forget to tell nana happy birhtday personaly and now i can't wpell and my computers about to turn off tell my nana i love her!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I didn't respond to anyone else i still love them lots don't forget me I don't be picky!!