Showing posts with label Charity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charity. Show all posts

Friday, January 11, 2013

"Do Good Things and You Will Be Happy..."


Hello all my amazing family and friends! Have I told you lately that I love y'all so much? Seriously, I can't explain how grateful I am for each and every one of you! This past week has been absolutely great, I have gotten more letters than I know what to do with! (I still expect more from those of you who haven't written me though...) 
As a quick Provo update, we had a couple days of record breaking highs of about 35 and 40 degrees this week! I know it sounds horrible to most of you, but it was nearly shorts and a t shirt weather... And now we're back to the dang snow and freezing temperatures. 
A little news from the week: Elder Ginez had to get glasses, so we were able to abandon the MTC campus for about four total hours on Monday and Thursday. I was so excited! Seeing real people, and real cars, and real magazines and newspapers that were from last November. It got me so much more excited to leave the bubble I live in here and get out to Brazil! Anyways, I know I'm here still for a reason beyond what I can know at this point, so I will just keep taking life as it comes and doing everything I know I'm supposed to be doing! Other than that little adventure outside of the MTC, we have basically been doing the same exact thing as we have always done here. I think that's really helping the time fly by because it feels like I have a P Day every other day! 
So my Spiritual thought for the week is something we heard from Elder Enrique Falabella at the Devotional Tuesday night. He spoke to us about charity and making changes in our lives and one thing he said which I'm sure most of you have heard before but could always be reminded of is, "If we keep doing things the same, we will get the same results. If we do things differently, we will get different results." This can be applied in several ways. First and foremost, if you aren't happy for whatever reason, make changes! Whether it's the people you're hanging around, the things you do in your free time, or whatever you notice that isn't helping you out. I can promise you this: Wickedness NEVER was happiness and never will be. Do good things and you will be happy! I promise! That's one of the benefits of serving a mission. I am continually doing good and therefore I am always happy! Study the scriptures, serve people, PRAY. These are a few of a million things you could be doing to be happy! Please seek true happiness and not the vain, temporary happiness the worldly things has to offer. 
Another quick note he shared with us was that repentance leads to charity which leads to a desire to share the gospel. Repentance is a gift, even though we tend to give it a negative connotation. How cool is it that Christ paid for our sins so that we can be cleansed of them? But it's not automatic... It takes recognition on our part and a true, sincere desire to make the CHANGE I was talking about earlier. Charity is a necessary characteristic for salvation, so please work on that and then you will WANT to share the gospel with others because you WILL be happy! 
I testify of the cleansing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the peace and happiness it brings you afterwards. I love you all so much! Be happy and share your love with those in need! 

Love,

Elder LeSueur

Friday, December 21, 2012

"You Will Find Great Joy and Peace..."

Wow what a week it has been here in Provo, Utah! I've never been so tired but so dedicated and willing to work in my life as I am here and it's amazing but so exhausting at the same time. I have continued to learn so much and it's really becoming a habit that I will love and hopefully continue to keep past the next two years and for the rest of my life! I miss every one of you so dearly and I pray for you each time I speak with Heavenly Father, so I know He is taking care of you :)


I feel like I have kind of hit a wall with learning the language, but to me that means I just have to work harder! I know the Lord will bless me according to my needs and my obedience to His will. I have never been more willing to deal with things that come up in my life that are tough than I am now and it truly makes me so much happier. We can only deal with the experiences we are given, so complaining and wishing for it to change won't do us any good. Go out and make the most of it and give thanks to our Heavenly Father DAILY for the life He has provided you with here on Earth!

Even when we teach these "investigators" (our teachers act as people they taught on their missions for us to gain teaching experience) I am sad because they don't understand God's plan of happiness for us and I just can't even imagine how hopeless I would feel without that in my life. I testify that He loves each and every one of us beyond what we can comprehend and He's awaiting our return to His presence!

I encourage each of you to develop your Christlike attributes and show everyone you come into contact with the love that our Savior would show for them. We take so much for granted and not everyone has the same love in their life as you do so PLEASE go out and be charitable! 1 Corinthians 13 will tell you exactly how to do that. Go read that chapter, write down the characteristics of charity, which is the pure love of Christ, and strive daily to improve on those characteristics in your own life. I promise if you do this, you will not only be happier, but it will bring you closer to our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, and in turn you will feel great joy and peace like you have never felt before.

I love all of you so much! I have a lot of time to think to myself when my companion, Elder Ginez, wakes us up a half hour early every morning (because he's gotta look pretty for all those Sister missionaries here ;) ) so during that half hour before I get up to shower, I just ponder about the plentiful amount of blessings I have in my life. My family and friends are the things I know I wouldn't be able to survive without so thank you all!

I hope you all have an incredible holiday season and please, don't focus on what you may or may not get for Christmas. Instead, focus on the Savior and His Atoning Sacrifice for each one of us. There is no greater gift we have received or ever will receive than what He did for us, so I beg you to at least kneel down and pour out your heart to Heavenly Father [in gratitude] for the wonderful plan He put in place to save our souls. If you want to know more about this plan, it's called The Plan ofSalvation. Google it or look it up on LDS.org and just marvel at the beauty of it!

I testify that Jesus is the Christ and He is the way by which we can return to live with our Father in Heaven again in His glory. I know that He loves us more than we will ever know in this life, and I pray that each of you can take time out of your own lives to discover that love! Go out and do some good in the world today and tomorrow and every day hereafter!

I love you all so much! Merry Christmas!

Elder LeSueur

PS- I heard this several times this week, and it really struck me hard. "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes a quest, THAT is when the true blessings are poured out to you."
BE OBEDIENT!