Ho Ho Ho

I'm doing pretty good, as you can tell...

Merry Christmas everyone!  Love Elder West

Nov 26th -Choose to Stay

I've had a good run with Elder Pugmire, but sadly he has to leave. He'll be missed, but he'll do great things in Mexico serving the remainder of his mission in Torreón. 

But guess what that means for me and Elder Judi... we are staying together for another transfer. Yay! Another sad departure I've learned of this past week, is of my first "son" Elder Remus. I was training Elder Remus over a year ago, about the same time last year. He has served well, but I guess he has decided that his talents are better served back home.  There is obviously more to it, but I hope he is well. 

"She said I don't spend time like I really should. She said she don't know me, anymore. I think she hates me deep down I know she does, she wants to erase me." - Scott Mescudi

These song lyrics have been stuck in my head for such a long time! As I recall them today, it reminds me of going home after the mission. I know I've changed a lot, and its kinda scary thinking about going back and talking to people and friends I used to know. Hopefully they'll still like me.... haha.

Elder West

Nov 5th - PUG and my swing is back

"And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free." - Helaman 14:30

It's been a great week this week. First of all, we got Elder Pugmire back with us! The trio is back at it again! He's been recovering from his tonsillectomy fairly well. We got news that he will indeed be leaving us at the end of the transfer to head to his original assignment in Mexico, but we are glad to keep him for the three more weeks that we can! 

On Monday we went to a members home in another Ward and they have this sweet batting cage! I was able to pitch baseballs to some missionaries and take some batting practice of my own. I hit a lot better than I thought I would (G-Money has still got it 😘). They served us lunch and we had an absolute blast. 

On Halloween night President Browning let missionaries who are serving near the Temple go and do a session in the evening. It was probably a good idea as to not have us tracting door-to-door among trick-or-treaters and get an awkward "OH, I love your Mormon Missionary costumes" at the doorstep (excuse the slang). It was a great night, there were 40 missionaries in the session! 

I'll quickly share a experience we had this week with one of our investigators Katy. She is in her 30's, very vibrant and enthusiastic. She's currently living with her mom who is a native from the Philippines. Katy has had a rough upbringing. Unfortunately due to her tough younger years, she has made some decisions that has resulted in her getting caught up with drugs and alcohol. Her "friends" have only added to her addictions. These decisions have brought pain and darkness into her life. She is still trying to recover from her addictions and is now facing serious trials and turmoil due to her not being willing to change and follow Christ's true gospel. Her demeanor is sullen, her addictions and friends have limited and her ability to choose well for herself. We continue to meet, teach, and pray for her, but it's sad to see this; especially when it can be avoided. 

 

"For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb." - Alma 34:35-36

I'm not at liberty to tell you all that has proceeded with Katy, but I will tell you this, we must accept and choose to follow Christ. We can delay our repentance and withhold Heavenly help, or we can obey and follow our Savior where there is refuge. Nobody deserves affliction, just as was stated in the first scripture, we can only really punish ourselves. We make the decisions, we call the shots. The outcomes and results of those choices are dependent on whom we choose to follow; our adversary or our God. 

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon". 

I relate now to Matthew 26:4 and 2 Nephi 32:8

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 

"And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray."

These scriptures now have a new meaning to me. We all must listen to the Holy Spirit. 

"And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?

Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." - 2 Nephi 4:27

If you create room for the evil one, he will enter. Do not leave space or open a door or window for him to creep in. If you seek help, you must obey that help. The power of God must be manifest on condition of our willingness and obedience to keep His commandments. Satan only has the power that we give him. 

"For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." - Romans 2:13

The Priesthood is real. God's ability to bless and heal His children is real. The Lord beckons:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

He can and will give us aide. Let His Spirit work within you, and it will work out for your salvation. I leave this witness in the name of Jesus Christ. 

-Elder G. West

Nov 20th Temple Visit

"And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive." - Alma 7:23

This scripture is titled the "Formula for Success". As we endeavor for greatness, we must to look up to God for our achievements.

My email today is going to be real short. We went to the temple and went through every ordinance for my family names except for sealings. It's sad we don't get to do sealings. As I was in the Celestial room, I saw a family all huddle around each other, hug, and expressing their love. It was a tender moment. That is what heaven will be like! As I saw them I felt the calling and the realization that I'll be there someday. Heaven wouldn't be heaven without family and a family of my own. I had my two companions with me of course, but being in the temple with an eternal companion will be much better (just one I promise 😘).

Thank you all, family and friends, who have kept up with me thus far in my mission. Have a happy turkey day!

Elder G. West

Lizard that stuck itself to our window screen

"the great cup incident" 😂😂😂

A pic we took of the temple this morning

 

Pre-Slammed Door

October 29, 2018 

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" - Matthew 5:43-44

What a ride this last week was. It was a roller coaster for sure! Elder Pugmire went into surgery on Wednesday to get his tonsils removed. He's been recovering at some senior couples' homes until he comes back with Elder Judi and I. In the meantime my new little "greenie" and I have been on the grind! We re-opened this area last month, so I've been trying to build-up a teaching pool again. We have been knocking on a lot of doors, which is a good experience for my new missionary. It helps get the "greenness" out of them per say. But Elder Judi is a stud, simple and meek in his teaching, and willing to learn and do the work. He's from Coalville Utah, a small community by Provo. He likes comic books and writing. There is one tender moment we had together that really made me like him.

When a new missionary arrives to the ATM (Arizona Tucson Mission) they go through a lot of training and orientation to become a missionary and we throw a lot of stuff at them (not literally).  One thing is that they let you pick out a pillow and comforter that you will use for your bedding for the next two years. Now this is the moment that is so special. There are a lot of different colors of comforters to choose from; red, brown, black, blue, pink, and purple. Of course the pink ones are for the Sister Missionaries coming in, but there were only a few left. You know what he does? He takes a pink one haha! That's when I knew we would get along. Hilarious. (maybe not to you but definitely for me)

A day of adversity for us was this last Saturday while tracting. We have been knocking on a lot of doors, talking to nearly everyone we see, you know "planting a lot of seeds" but no one was interested in learning more. After about 4 hours of knocking on doors one interesting moment happened after we finished at the doorstep of one home and as we made our way to another. We were about to cross the street to introduce ourselves to the people outside who were across the road, as we got to the pavement on the other side of the road we heard a loud "bang"! Not putting much thought into it we went up to the door and knocked. A few seconds roll by and the door was promptly opened in order for the owner to have just enough leverage on it to give the door an impressive "thud"! No formalities. No words as in, "Go away! " or "We aren't interested!", just the sound of the wood hitting the framework echoing in our ears. All of a sudden I realize... that noise from before we knocked on the door was them slamming the door! It was a "pre-slammed door!" Hahaha... I've just learned to laugh at instances like that. Everyone warns you before you go on a mission that people will throw doors in your face, but when it actually comes to pass I just think to myself, "Wow! They were right! How neat is that?" 

Last week was my birthday. It's strange to think that I am now 21. If I want to legally become an alcoholic now I can! 

Thanks everyone for all of your support, letters, and prayers.

  

Love, Elder West

My sisters and I are now 21 years old!  Crazy! Miss you!

Drawing I made...(its an inside joke).

I'm a Grandpa...kinda

October 15, 2018 

"But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth."

-Doctrine and Covenants 93:40

Elder Pugmire and I received a call from President Browning last Saturday... We will be training a new missionary as a trio! It'll be interesting, Elder Pug got his visa to go to Mexico for his mission in Torreon. He will be staying here for a little longer but exactly how long we don't know. So technically I'm a grandpa, because my "son" I've been training, Elder Pugmire, will be training with me. We are both super excited! Our new missionary will be the most loved kid in this mission, haha.

Our work has been going well. We had a super cool experience the other day. It was raining real hard, and we are on bikes this week, so we got drenched. We went to the family history center (which is about a 15 minute bike ride) to fill out some paper work for Elder Pugs he needed for his return to Mexico. After we arrive, we sit down, and then realize that Elder P forgot some information he needed at our apartment. As we were leaving to head back to our apartment this older woman and her friend asked us if they could take our seats because they wanted to be next to each other. She was very nice, she is a member in a different ward. We talked with her for a little but then went on our way. Before heading back to our apartment we decided to wait-out the rain in the parking lot and make some calls to our Ward, set up lessons etc. After making some calls and trying to build on our work for the coming week, we decided to ride our bikes to In-n-Out burger; we didn't have a dinner scheduled that night, (they canceled on us). The rain didn't stop, but we're hungry and we needed to get going anyway, so we ride our bikes, arrive dripping wet and go inside and little be known... the same lady and her friend we met earlier were sitting inside having dinner! They paid for our dinner (members are always so nice) and we ate together. As we talked with them we found out that they are both converts to the church. One of the ladies has a son who less active, that married a non-member and his kids are not baptized. We had a great conversation, got to know them better and found out her son is actually in our Ward boundaries! So we will be visiting them next week, hoping to put on a "good look" for the church and build a relationship with them. Such a cool experience that wouldn't have happened without rain and a couple mishaps. 😇

I'll send some pictures of the past week, including our drenched faces from the rain. Love everyone! 

Elder West

Love 💗

A couple of gems from the scriptures:

"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."
-Isaiah 40:29

"And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed." 

-D&C 1:3

"And he has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and AS YOUR LORD AND YOUR GOD LIVETH IT IS TRUE."

-D&C 17:6

Doctrine and Covenants 1:3 has been a scripture that I've remembered most of my life. It has influenced me over my life time as I try to improve. The principle that our sins will be shouted from the rooftops and our secrets will be known to all if we do not repent is frightening! If there is anything disingenuous or "embarrassing" about your past you should put your knees to the ground and figure out how to make restitution for what you have done. I would much rather work out my difficulties in this life and move forward now than have to wait for the day of reckoning when all my hidden works are brought to light and I am ashamed. "Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with [God] under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that Holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell" (Mormon 9:3-4). 

Gratefully, "... the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom" (2 Nephi 3:5). "...I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance" (Alma 42:29). "Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved" (Helaman 12:23). "And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things" (3Nephi 23:5). 

It only makes sense to repent now. Don't be so ignorant as to believe that you will live tomorrow! "And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety EVEN UNTO PAIN, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance" (Alma 13:27).

The Book of Mormon shows us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, yet also has expansive reach. These profound truths are precious. In President Nelsons address in the October 2017 General Conference, he spoke of a king that when confronted with this added insight in the Book of Mormon he exclaimed, “You could have given me diamonds or rubies, but nothing is more precious to me than this additional knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

As my time in the mission field is coming to a near close, I've wanted to finish the Book of Mormon one last time before I leave. My current study of the BofM using "Questions of the Soul" has been taking me a long time, I'm only half way through and I started in May! If I continue studying this way I wouldn't be able to finish at that pace! But as the Prophet encouraged the women (men also) in this last conference session to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, it was an answer to my question. My "study" can resume afterwards, but now is the moment to seek and learn more of the grace and love of Christ and I'm going to read the good book and finish it as our Prophet has asked.

Love is a tough subject for me. I stress and strain myself as I try and recognize my emotions. This internal battle compels me to put up barriers and to desensitize my feelings, to avoid being hurt. The importance to love people in the mission field and especially at home towards my family, friends, and my future companion is critical. I know this. I'm afraid to be beaten, battered, or bruised as I struggle to show my love. I'm still working on how to implement Moroni's admonition to, "perfect love casteth out all fear" (Moroni 8:16). I feel the pure love of Christ at times, for others predominantly. Recently, as my companion and I were sitting in the living room of a man with his three children, or as I voiced a blessing to a struggling daughter of God, or as I "[prayed] continually for [those I care about] by day" ... "mine eyes [watered] my pillow by night, because of them" (2Nephi 33:3) and I have felt unrestrained love. Like Nephi, I I have felt love beyond my own capacity, so much so that I cry because of it. It becomes impossible for me to constrain my emotions that it all comes out in one burst of compassion. I can't help but love people that I get to know and associate with. I know the Lord is helping me with this. He is there by my side, just as much as He is by yours. 

Keep fighting the good fight.
Love,
Elder West