oct 26 2009

Hello everyone. Lets see…its been an interesting week. I’ve felt very close to the spirit for the most part, but also a few moments of feeling way disconnected. But it always comes back shortly if I’m patient. Strange how just talking to someone for 2 minutes can change your whole day. It often does mine. I love that. Well, I love when it changes it for better, which is typically the case.

I got ahold of this Teachings of David O. Mckay manual the other day. All ya all should get one and read the 2nd chapter on The Dual Nature of Man. It is great! I loved it! Totally hit the spot for me earlier this week. Talks about how there is the kind of physical/animal nature, and our spiritual nature, and that life is a choice of whether we will choose to build up the one or the other, and how our spiritual side Is what will give us long term happiness and real fulfilment and such. He says a lot more stuff of course that is way way good that I can’t describe as well obviously. But read it, it’s a quick read and its so sweet. Its like reading a philosophy paper. There’s so much speculation and … philosphly about what will bring us happiness and all that carnal vs. spiritual stuff. But this is from a prophet of God! Its not philosophy, it’s the way it is! Its truth! That is just great! How nice to not have to wonder about all that silly stuff and wonder what path to take and all. We can know! Whether or not we choose to follow is a choice of course, but I love to hear a prophet lay that kind of stuff down.

What else…I’ve been reading the war chapters in the Book of Mormon. End of Alma. I learned so much this time reading it! Those chapters are amazing! There is so much council and example of preparedness and wisdom and so many things in there! SO much to learn from those people. While the Lamanites were always trying to find a way to take over the Nphites and bring them into bondage and all, the Nephite were always just preparing and living righteously, even when things were good. And when Lamanites came against them, even twice as many of them, the Lord made the Nephites stronger. I found it very cool in one chapter, I can’t remember which one right now, maybe 48 or so, it mentions how the Nephites experienced a time of peace and they started building more cities. Lots of Cities. And as they did this, they lived righteously, and were very prosperous, they took care of each other, and were the happiest group of people since Lehi came to the Americas. So, hard work (I’m assuming building cities is hard work), keeping the commandments, all that stuff made these people the happiest there had been in nearly 600 years! So just do those things. Work hard and live righteously. No problem right!

Last week we talked to this dude on the street late at night. We thought he was spanish but it turned out he was from Iraq! Muslim. We talked for a few minutes, his English was half decent, and he said he would be interested in this book about Jesus Christ that we were telling him about – the Book of Mormon duh. So we got a hold of an Arabic Book of Mormon. You should see this thing, its crazy, I don’t know how they make sense of all the symbols and all. Well yesterday we went to take it to him but he wasn’t home and we talked to his roommates for a few minutes and they were way nice and let us in and we talked for a while longer until the original guy got there. It was way cool! Talking about their religion and ours and the whole situation over there and how they see it all and lots and lots of other stuff. It was a really cool conversation with all these Iraqis. I even felt the spirit. They are very nice people. Much nicer than Americans. Seems like most other people’s culture is so much kinder and loving and accepting than American these days. Well, I’m in the northeast, so maybe that’s an overarching statement. But these Iraquis were way nicer than 95% of the people I have talked to in the last 8 months. When you get down to the basics, Religion, whether it be Christianity, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever, is all so peaceful and pretty much seems to be about love. Theres just extremist groups and offshoots that cause many religions to get a negative reputation. Something like that. I was asking them what their view of the after life is, and what the purpose of life is as a Muslim. In many ways its very similar to ours. Its interesting. So many things so easily can have stemmed from the doctrines and teachings of Christ. Its easy to see how things get distorted and corrupted over hundreds of years without prophets and authority. But I love how it all points toward an original set of truths. Is this making sense? It makes perfect sense to me. All over the world, the basics of any religion are pretty much good, positive things. It all began with the good positive teachings of the gospel, of the Savior. But…Apostasy. It all makes perfect sense. How lucky we are to have the truth. So anyway, it was pretty cool talking with these guys, literally from Babylon, about all this stuff. Real good guys. It’s a shame many folks think of them as terrorists. They told us a lot about the situation over there. Really cool to hear it from the horses mouth. Just a few months ago they were living in Baghdad. Wow.

We’ve been through indian summer, indian winter, and sometimes we get just regular Fall days. I love these more than anything! Fall is just the best. The colors here are fantastic. Sometimes walking down the street there will be a tree that is so absolutely vivid in color. Its amazing. To see color like that, and color in general, in nature is so cool. It makes me feel alive. It makes me feel good inside in an indescribably way. What is it about nature that we just seem to have a connection to? It has so much power to dig down into our souls. I love it! But I only get glimpses because I am in Hartford and don’t get huge masses of trees. Just here and there along the way. But I’ll take it. I have a few decent pictures I’ll try and send out soon. Sorry haven’t sent any photos since I’ve been in Hartford. I don’t know why I don’t get around to it.

Uuuumm…theres a million things I think of throughout the week, but none come to mind right now, of course. The Book or Mormon is the BEST!! Its just way too good to be true. I can’t even believe there is a book as great as the Book of Mormon in existence. Oh how great the goodness of our God for giving us the Book of Mormon. I want to read it forever. The gospel is so cool. Its like the coolest thing I ever heard of in my whole life. Its like the best movie and the best book and the best album and your favorite person all rolled up into one, sugar coated, and mulitplied by a thousand. I love it! It tastes good. The fruit is good! I can’t imagine what the fruit of the tree of life is gonna taste like!! Ha ha I can’t wait! Cause we already love fruit! Yes!

Love ya everyone! Thanks for being my excellent mind blowing famillia!!

David!