I have been realizing a lot about my purpose here in the last few weeks. I have realized how important love really is. If you get the chance I would recommend reading all of John chapter 15 but I especially love this excerpt. It is one of my new favorite scriptures.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
this is what I am here to do. Men are that they might have joy. By helping others to have joy we receive the BLESSING(because that is what it is) to have joy. How do we help others and ourselves to have joy? By increasing our love in following the commandments of the Father.
I don't care what you are going through or where you are in life, this is the answer! How often do we look in other round about places for answers when we forget about where we come from! How can we forget about our creator! Who loves us so much that he enables us to grow, progress, have life experience, and ultimately return to live in his presence and receive a fulness of joy. Who better do we have to thank, to love, to follow, and to remember than our Eternal Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. When all that they do is for us. Christ gave up all that we can partake of that joy! We cannot make a mockery of it. We should be HAPPY!!!
(may or may not have told this story but this is the coordinating picture) Something that helped bring about this great change in me and my reasons for doing what I do has been when Elder H and I were on an exchange and we had plans to visit certain people, but Elder H had a prompting to visit somebody else. We visited him. His name is R. We soon found out it was his birthday and he had basically mowed his lawn and gone to work and thats it. A little lonely... So in the course of our conversation he mentioned ordering a chocolate malt from a carvel with a chinese worker who didn't understand what that was. So he went with a milkshake instead. I had the prompting to go buy him a malt. so we did and he could not contain his joy. at all. 3 hugs and 4 handshakes later he was still high pitched 'aaaaahhh'ing and all he could say was "You guys got me a malt" It was the greatest and most awesome thing ever! He was just soooo dang happy it was really cool to see. You better believe I walked away from that a happier person. a changed person. with more desire to love and to show my love for people with service. Motives improved :)
Elder M and I have been doing really well. We have been preparing hardcore for the celebration of families we are having. R has been doing alright but we are still trying to figure out how to help him... A and N both got jobs and are working a lot. We also were able to meet with this less active and give him and his buddy a blessing. His buddy has a crazy background. He is a crypt member who just got out of jail. He has tattoos all over and chains and everything. But he is a child of God and it humbled me to talk to him and feel of who he can become. Hes got a hard life that is for sure. He wants to change and come to church so we will see what happens.
I just want you to all know that I love you and that Heavenly Father loves you as well!!!
You are the greatest you there is! So keep it up!
LOVE,
Elder Clark
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