July 25, 2011

Dear Family,

It sounds like things are going pretty well at home, and that makes me happy. That lesson you gave in Primary mom sounds like it was a really good one. I wish I could have been there to hear it. Pioneers were amazing people, and its true what you said we all have the opportunity to be pioneers in our day. We effect so many people around us, a lot more than we sometimes than we even realize. If we can effect these people in positive ways we can change so many peoples' lives for the better. I've realized this a lot on my mission just looking at all the missionaries around me and how much they've changed my life for the better. As they're positive towards the work and notice all the blessings it really helps me notice all the blessing and enjoy the work with them. It's so hard to move forward when people are negative or focused on things that aren't that important in the given moment. We need to try to be the person who's a good influence and not the one who drags others down with them. Now that I'm thinking about it there are different kinds of pioneers, because the word pioneer doesn't automatically mean that they were a good example. This makes me think of Laman and Lemuel from the Book of Mormon. They were definitely pioneers... They traveled to a new world, they taught by example, and they greatly affected the lives of so many people, but it was in a very negative way. It just shows us that our examples are so impactful, what kind of impact do we want to make? We're all pioneers we just have the choice to be like our great ancestors, or to be like Laman and Lemuel. Thanks for the great lesson you helped me just learn mom :).
Our investigator Tanya is still on the right path towards baptism, she just accepted the word of wisdom and is doing everything she can to follow it. Tanya even came to church a full hour early yesterday in order to avoid the bad influences of the people in her home that smoke and drink. She's taking all the necessary steps and progressing really quickly. It's amazing to see the desire that the Gospel gives to people. As we learn more our desire grows, and as our desire grows we change. Change is the miracle of this Gospel, and I've seen that so much out here in the Baltics. No matter who we were, or what has happened in our lives it doesn't matter, all that matters is who we are today, and what our intentions are for tomorrow. This week Elder Waddoups and I had a great opportunity to go to Riga for a leadership conference (it feels like we're traveling every day somewhere) We learned about the importance of Gospel study, and ways we improve our studies. Not just now but for our whole lives. My mission is funny to me it's changing my whole outlook on everything. Before my mission studies were so lame and boring, but now I find more joy from studying the bible dictionary and Jesus the Christ than I ever did from video games or t.v.
Thanks for all the support and for all the good stories that you tell me on your email. Have a great week, I'm excited to talk to you next week.
-Elder Pack