October 31, 2011

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! i cant believe it is here again... its crazy! sounds like you guys have had a busy week... i do remember end of term last minute assignments... always fun. sounds like you are all doing good though and i am glad to hear that.

Mom its kind of funny how you mentioned distractions... i have had a few thoughts lately about distractions. alright so the part of your mission prepares you for the future right? well i have thought about the future (which i hate doing because i feel like i am going to have an anxiety attack) and one of the big things that comes up is that i dont want to have distractions.... because i know what i want and i am going for it i have alot of goals that i want to accomplish... some are short term goals alot of them are long term ones. we will probably talk more about it during the Christmas call because i might have you guys do a few things for me so i can just get right into it... i guess the big thing is that i dont want to be idle. right now i am going a hundred miles an hour always having something to do and i love it... do you kind of understand what i am saying? i hope you do.

ok so one of the things that i feel i should share is about something i have learned and i have been learning it and am still learning it... it means alot to me though thats why i am going to share it.

Mom a couple weeks before i left... you said something to me that has stuck with me, but the way i look at what you said has changed.... you were talking to me because i... well i was a piece of work and had probably done something dumb or was just being rude about something and you were upset with me and you said this " i cant wait for you leave here and go on a mission" for a long time i didnt understand why you said that and i was just kind of like whatever because i was not very nice and i didnt care, but it has always stuck with me since then.

throughout my mission i have had alot of humbling experiences that have helped me become stronger. since i have been out i would say that i dont see a huge change in me... but what has changed is my attitude, my mind set, my people skills etc. all those kinds of things have changed, but im still me. The biggest thing that has changed is my conviction that Jesus is the Christ. i know more now than ever before that he lives and loves me and he loves everyone. i have come to understand that this life is meant to be like him... how could i become perfect like my father in heaven or the savior if they did not live? you cant become a perfect nothing. i know that this is not just another religion... i feel that it is a way of life... by us taking on the name of Jesus Christ at baptism and everytime we take the sacrament... we are promising that we will be like him. when we "remember him" we want to be more like him. and that is what we are suppose to be doing... this life is a time to prepare to meet God. i feel that i need to ask myself everyday "what am i going to do to prepare to meet God?" i get emotional talking about this, probably because of the different experiences i have had to understand this... also its probably what you said to me "i cant wait for you to leave here and go on a mission" because you could see my future and all the little small mistakes i was making were putting up walls for my progression or what i was to become. you could see what would be best for me and i was throwing it away, and so you were hoping that me going on a mission would teach me these things and help me for the better... i wish i would have understood that then, but i am so happy that i have learned it and i thankful that you sent me out with faith and those words stuck with me because i feel that if i didnt have any success out here with people... the one thing that God wanted me to learn was that... you have to convert yourself before you can help convert someone else.

i seem to be out of time, but i love you guys and i am thankful for everyone of you and i hope you love every second you have in life because Life is Good!

you are always in my prayers and i hope you have a very successful week in all that you do!

Love you as big as the bags of candy you get tonight!

Love Elder Emery