Dear mom,
This week has been awesome! I got to baptize a kid named Mercelo this past Sunday who was the kid of the woman we baptized last Sunday. It was pretty cool feeling to be the baptizer.
It sounds like everything is going really well at home. Sounds like Maddi’s BBQ was good and it’s awesome that you guys finally got a new couch! Haha and the organ...
That’s nuts that in less than a month we’ll have a new member in the family!
This week I’ve been studying a lot about Divine Nature and I realized that all of the attributes kinda go in a cycle or like they circle back around. I figured out that all the attributes feed into each other. First there’s faith then then knowledge, virtue, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, and diligence. And then I read a quote from an apostle that said personal integrity is the foundation of faith so tack that on the front there. And then I started thinking, what is the foundation of personally integrity? And after thinking about it a lot I figured out that it is self-esteem. So tack that on in the very front. And what is interesting is that if you are diligent with all these other attributes then it will build your self-esteem. So it’s like a never ending cycle. I found a scripture I liked a lot in 2 Peter chap. 1 that talks about these things. I like verse 2 a lot cause it says your grace and peace will multiply through the knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ and it lists all these attributes and then in verse 8 it says that if these things abound in you then you will not be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Then also in verse 10 it says if ye do these things you will not ever fall. So this past week I’ve began to study these things one at a time and try to apply them in my life and I can already fell a lot more peace in my life. Anyway you guess should look this up and study them because I think they are important.
I also like that quote you gave me. Conversion really is the focus and as you love people the work really is a lot easier haha and you will be better at helping a person to be converted. And I think if you mesh the last two together it might work better, teaching truth (doctrine) with the spirit is the key.
I love you guys! Have an awesome week and tell dad I love him too. And tell heather I’ll be praying that everything goes well with the baby.
Love,
Elder Raleigh
Ps. here’s the kid that we baptized this week and his family! And I just thought this was a sweet picture of me and my companion.