Thursday, April 4, 2013

E-mail Address

I didn't get to e-mail with Daniel this week, but he did make a very interesting announcement in his initial e-mail to let everyone know he was on...

Hey Everyone! I'm on! And an announcement has been made that we can now e-mail anyone outside of the mission boundaries! Regardless of whether they are family or not!

So, if you've been wishing and praying to be able to e-mail Daniel, but haven't been able to because you're not technically his family- Wish Granted!! He can still only e-mail on Monday's and he doesn't have a whole lot of time on the computer, but I'm sure he would LOVE to hear from you!

If you would like his e-mail address leave a comment here with your e-mail address and I'll send you his!

White as Snow

Here's another awesome conversation between Dad and Daniel...

Dad: Okay… so I’m going to respond to your “why white” email here instead of from my gmail because it’s too slow…

The field is “white” as in “pure” because they’re prepared!  The Lord is saying, “Hey, I’ve prepared these people, now thrust in your sickle and get to it!”… LOL.  I’ve never really thought about it until this last Sunday when I was in gospel doctrine… I totally branched off on this deep dive and forgot all about class, but it was awesome.  In HPG later I asked Dave and he just looked at me like I was an idiot… “duh, Al… you know that!”.  LOL… ummm… actually, no I didn’t but I do now!

You mentioned the Olive Vineyard… wow, we’re firing on all cylinders together!  Just last night I studied this.  It was awesome.  Did you know how symbolic the whole olive vineyard is in the garden of Gethsemane?  The way olive oil is made, they crush olives under this huge wheel… that makes a ‘mash’.  Then the take all the mash, put it in wicker baskets and place it under a ‘press’.  The press squeezes out the water and the oil from the olives.  When the first drops of liquid come out of the press they’re actually red – like blood – and it stains whatever it touches (this isn’t folklore, it’s fact… and I confirmed it with a talk from a GA).  Think about all the connections there… the garden, the ‘press’ or weight of the world, the drops of red – blood, the stains – our sins… I never knew this!  As I study more and learn about this infinite atonement my eyes are opening to the depth of pain and suffering the Lord endured – because of us.  And He did it out of love, honor, and respect… and we all benefit from it every single time we’re willing to avail ourselves of those blessings.  Amazing.

Daniel: Haha that's awesome!! I'm glad you're getting a lot out of your studies and ponderings! The Atonement, The Savior, His teachings, they are all amazing. I love it! It's crazy how much you learn on your mission, or rather, when you study!! Hahaha, I was such a loser and never did that before my mission but now, I would almost rather do that sometimes. The way The Savior taught and the stories, symbols and parable he used definitely go a lot further than most people realize. Like the Olive Vineyard! I never knew any of that about how they make olive oil and all that jazz. It's crazy. I did a lot of that type of studying, well... not a lot but some, while reading from Jesus The Christ. I LOVE that book. I use a lot of that information when I'm talking to people in OYM's and especially in Zone Trainings. When I need to make an impact, teach as The Savior taught. When I need to bare testimony, testify as The Son testified. When I need people to realize the importance of our message, be bold as The Great and Last Sacrifice was as He bore testimony of the Father and invited all to come unto Him, as He gave up his life by bolding telling Pontius Pilate, "I am The Christ." When I need to show compassion, I look to The Light and Life of the World to see how He told His disciples to sleep another hour as He suffered for their sins. I love The Savior so very much. I KNOW that He lives. That when we face times of trial or peril, tumult or strife, we stand beside the greatest life to have ever walked this earth. Christ is there, shoulder to shoulder, with us in every aspect of our lives, if we allow Him to be. He knocks, ever so patiently, at each of our doors waiting for us to beckon Him in. I love Him to an extent I didnt realize was possible.