The End.

Well, the time has come...

my mission is coming to an end.

It's not something that's horrible really,

just a big change.

Don't get me wrong,

I am going to miss New York a LOT!

I mean I even bought this shirt

just because I am going to miss it so much!

I don't know what I'd do without these two years.

I don't know what I would do without meeting

all of the incredible people that I met!

They have taught me lessons that will bless me

for the rest of my life!

This isn't my quote but I love it, 

"Your call is less about geography and more about the relationships."

-Elder Hamula

It's SO TRUE.

Think about the millions of lessons you have learned 

from those around you.

And if you haven't learned millions of them

then you better start getting to know more people!

I know God will always give us what we need 

to be happy in this life when we follow Him.

I know because I chose to give him these last two years

He has made me happier than I have ever been.

Ever. 

If you are one of the many that made my mission what it is,

THANK YOU!

While I may not be able to keep in touch with all of you in this life,

we'll definitely talk in the afterlife. 

So until then, God Speed!

May you see His hand in your life every day

and make those choices so you can come to know Him,

and His son, your Savior, 

more and more each day.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

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The Universal Valentine

Whether I like it or not my mission is coming to a close.

With just about three and a half weeks left

I've been thinking a lot back on my mission

and am coming to realize what truly has mattered to me.

The People.

From a green meal on my first Monday at the Owen's,

to attending the open house for the now Elder Steven Cordon,

to sharing meals with friends,

to training Elder Van Wagenen.

It has always been the people that have made it so special.

I know that my mission call was less about the geography

and more about the relationships.

It's the moments I spent one-on-one

with those who were in desperate need of Christ's grace.

It's the moments that I saw Christ's grace

work miracles in others lives.

It was the moments when I didn't know if I could continue on

and then His love and mercy were manifest through

an inspired person who knew Him as their savior. 

It's those moments that brought me to know

that Christ is truly our savior.

It was the moment when a man turned his life around

and found himself worthy to be sealed to his now wife.

It was the moment when a man bound by addiction

broke free and thanked his Savior for the power to do so.

When we realize how much we need Him

He shows us how much He loves us.

Whether you have a valentine or not

you know someone loves you.

You have the best valentine anyone could ask for.

Look for it in those you love.

Look for it in those who will reach out to you today.

and most importantly,

Show it to those who may have forgotten this perfect valentine:

that is given to all of us,

personally.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

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Cool People and Spiritual Moments

Recently we had the cool experience of meeting the one and only...

JJ!

Yeah, he's a big guy, I know!

When we first met him we were walking down the street

and he called us over from his car,

a Crown Victoria that was lifted and had 24 inch rims.

You can imagine how excited we were to get over there!

From then, for the next few weeks, he brought us out to dinner

and even went with us to visit someone we knew in the hospital!

Why is he here in New York?

He's an NFL football player who plays for the Buffalo Bills.

In his free time, the one day a week, he comes out with us.

We asked him why?

Because he wants his family at home to be blessed.

Who, pretty soon, is going to be sealed to him for all time and eternity.

Here's a man who is living a lifestyle that many American's dream of

and who's most important part of life is his family and religion.

Last night he met us in Palmyra on the temple grounds.

 

 

He quickly took out his phone and took pictures of the temple while there was still sunlight.

 

We then took the time to walk through the sacred grove.

 

As we walked in he said,

 

"I know you guys get to come here all the time, but it really feels special here."

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is restored on the earth today.

 

And I can testify, along with JJ,

 

that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in that grove.

 

No matter what lifestyle we live

 

we can find happiness in the comfort of our families,

 

in the comfort of the scriptures,

 

and especially in the comfort of our Savior Jesus Christ.

 



JJ is a man who knows who his savior is.

 

And you can tell by how happy he is.

 

Seek Happiness!!!

 

And share the goodness.

 

Christ is at the head of His church on the earth today.

 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

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Spiritual Giants

I often try to notice what I really look up to someone for and try to mirror it in myself.

As I've done this I realized that these characteristics fall under the characteristics of the Savior.

When we try our hardest to make our lives in line with the Savior's perfect example, we begin to become spiritual giants and are able to bless other's around us, here are some examples I have seen in my life:

Faith: Growing up Bishop Oldham was bishop of the ward (church congregation) and his unwavering faith was a great example to me. Even when things in  his life didn't seem to go as planned he still moved forward with a smile on his face, i'm sure he had times when he was down, but he never questioned the faith.

Hope: Click Here for the example.

Charity and Love: My Mother is a great example. Growing up I was not an angel child and I put her through a lot of hard times. However she always welcomed me back with open arms. A mother's love for her child is very similar to the love the Savior has for each and every one of us.

Virtue: My sisters have always been a great example of this. No matter what people say to them or what is going on around them they always stay strong because they both know who they are. They both know they're a daughter of God and that He loves them. They don't allow other thoughts not in line with their eternal nature to enter their minds.  They both have a testimony that blows me away every time.

Knowledge: I always love listening to my dad when he would give talks because he had studied out the scriptures in his mind and had a knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He knew of it's importance and made it apparent by his actions.

Patience: Nathan, a childhood friend, stuck with me through everything, no matter what I did! He had patience. He would spend time with the little kids and no matter how they acted he always loved them. No matter what, he was slow to frustrate and quick to love.

Humility: Our current mission president, President Francis, always relies on the spirit. He truly recognizes that without the spirit he wouldn't be able to do what the Lord has asked him to do. He truly is humble enough to align his will with the Lord's.

Diligence: My young men's president growing up, Brother Taylor, was always working hard at improving. He made it through a few years with us and kept with us the whole time. He was willing to work at loving, serving, and bettering us and himself in his calling at every moment. He diligently worked at being the best he could be.

Obedience: I recently taught someone who we would teach a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ and he would accept it and immediately follow it to his best without questioning of it's truth. He knew that this was the restored gospel and that the Lord had commanded him to do it, so he did it!

Finding these traits in others made Christ come much more alive and real to me. He really did walk on this earth and led the perfect life for us.

Seek the traits and learn to apply them in your life.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

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Missionaries for YOU, YES YOU!

All of the new products coming out are all about giving the customer something that is aimed to them personally.

Businesses are all about customer service and catering to the needs of the customer.

Well guess what else is catered and here just for you?

Missionaries! :D

We dedicate 2 years of our lives to come and be your missionaries, yes YOUR missionaries.

We are here for you!

How personal is that?

No matter how hot!

No matter how cold...

No matter what project...

No matter what question, whether deep or simple, 

We can help!

Just ask!!

Find out who your missionaries are and get to know them! 

Click Here to get in contact with your missionaries.

Do it! Do it now! I promise you wont regret it! :)

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Saying Goodbye's

As a missionary we get to call home on Christmas and Mother's day, so it being Christmas this last week, I Skyped home!!!!

The hardest part about the whole call was saying goodbye.

I really really really REALLY don't like saying goodbyes! (I'm not going anywhere, so this isn't a creative way of saying goodbye, just got to get that out of the way.)

Before I came out on a mission I was sharing my dislike of goodbyes and they came up with a good point.

We need to say goodbyes because that's when we realize what they meant to us.

I didn't truly realize what my family meant to me until I said goodbye and walked in to the MTC.

Every day out here I realize more and more how much they mean to me.

Think about it, when we say goodbye and realize that we are really going to miss that person, we realize why we're going to miss them.

From then on you miss them for all the reasons you liked being with them in the first place!

You realize right then how much they truly mean to you.

That's why goodbyes are so hard!

We come as close as we can on this earth to realizing how much we truly love them.

I've seen this happen every time I left an area and moved to a new one, they each hold a special place in my heart for a special reason!

Imagine what the goodbye must have been with our Heavenly Father when we left his presence and came to this earth.

He knew perfectly well the pain and hardships we would go through and he knew that we may not return.

Step in to your Heavenly Father's shoes, imagine how hard that would be!

Our mortal minds can't even comprehend the love He has for us, yet I know my heart would break if I had to say goodbye to my children and send them to have an earthly experience knowing that some wouldn't return.

However I know that same love would push me to allow them to go, because I knew they would have teh chance to grow and benefit from it.

Our Heavenly Father misses us!

His heart aches when we go through hardships as I'm sure His heart ached when He had to say that goodbye.

We are His work and glory.

We are a huge part of his Joy.

The next time you kneel think of the love he has for you. Thank him for loving you enough to say goodbye for a short time.

Then let him know that you are trying your hardest to return.

And then do it. :D

He is waiting with open arms!!!

Keep this in mind and love your God and Heavenly Father above all things!

That's what he asks.

Love him!

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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People in our lives

It's great how the Lord put's us with people for a reason.

We all are unique and each were made differently.

Think about how many people have lived on this earth and will still live, none of them are the same!

Think about how many people you interact with compared to the insanely huge number of total people who will live on this earth.

You are meant to be with those around you.

It's part of God's divine plan!

His Plan of Happiness includes all of us.

We are happy because we learn to love those around us and they learn to love us!

Charity is Joy!

I have been so blessed to spend the last 6 weeks with such incredible missionaries!!

They have taught me so much and brought me so much joy!

I wouldn't be the missionary or person I am right now without knowing them.

God prepared all of us to be in Canandaigua at that time.

Now I go to Lancaster and know that I will grow and find a unique joy that I can find nowhere else!

God is great and loves us enough to put us exactly where we need to be.

Ask him why you are where you are and why your with the people your with.

It's definitely not coincidence :)

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

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