12/09/07

Yo Boyeeeeeeeee,

How’s it? It’s Saturday at 5:00 PM. I wanted to get a head start this week so I don’t have to send a rush e-mail Monday morning again from work. Sorry about that last week. Things are hectic as usual. Work is off the hook. I got to absorb all of the companies worker’s comp, meaning I have to deal with every injury around the country. Wherever we have a store, trainer, seminar, etc. I have to deal with it. So from our Los Angeles retail store who stepped on a hypodermic needle on the beach at a work party, to the New Jersey based trainer who got hit by a cab in Manhattan after giving a seminar there. And everything in between. It has added considerable work load on top of my already busy schedule. I actually had to upsize my planner from the compact to the classic size because I can’t fit all of my to dos and appointments on one page anymore. It’s been crazy.

It snowed like crazy last night and only just stopped. We got at least a foot and a half or two feet of snow here in the valley. I was dreading having to shovel that action since it’s way more than the last storm and that about killed my body last week. We went to the Ward Christmas breakfast this morning and came home and I was going to do it then, but we were all tired, so we decided to have family nap time. We did so and woke up and I was about to go out then and saw that someone had taken their snowblower and did the whole neighborhood at once and I mean, drive ways, side walks, everything. I was pretty happy about that. One of the very rare times that procrastination pays off. Ha ha ha. But I don’t know who to thank for it, since I didn’t see anyone do it. Oh well, they will receive their blessings for their service and that will be good.

We are still on to close on the sale of our house on the 26^th, the day after Christmas, and Aynslee’s birthday. Then we close on our new house on the 27^th and move in the 28^th and 29^th. Should be a busy week with all of the holidays, closings, moving, and then New Years Eve and day. Then back to work on the 2^nd. I won’t have to take any more time off than I’m already getting for the holidays, so that is great.

Here is Brinlee to add some love… “Thank you for more speesghetti. And… please for more speesghetti… and I love to give me hugs. And take turns with the computer. And… take turns with the… with the… with that cursor. And give him some juice and my juice. And… give presents to him when it’s Christmas. T: What presents? B: ummm, some slippers and… and angel. T: what else? B: and give him gifts. My drawings. And give him a toy. The… Christmas tree toy. You hang it up on your Christmas tree. And that’s everything. Can I watch Dora? Dad? Dad? Dad? Can I wrote something? Bmjkqrthhhgnj81/aaogggttttniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiqujkl;

‘ok’ikj]llllllltbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb4zasgfdvws32766/222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222////42m,mk,,yotiggkgk,hmbnhbsdfnmgv;m;xsgt/’pl;[uilij;uhlnj,,mbg, 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444b

K, there you go. She wanted to type you her own letter in her own words. She is up watching Dora now. Let’s see, what else is up? What do you want/need for Christmas? I guess we’ll be talking to you again soon. That will be cool. It seems like forever ago. What are your plans for Christmas?

Let me get into your last letter and reply to that…

So your transfers brought you your old MTC pal back huh? That’s cool. I wish I could have served with any of my MTC buddies. It’s sad that they all got sent home before I could. I was the last of the Mohicans from that transfer. The only other missionaries that came out with us were a bunch of Sisters from another district, so after 18 months, I was the lone man on campus from that transfer. You guys will have a great time together and I’m sure you’ll rock the joint! Now that you have another new companion, here is your new companion bio questionnaire for the blog…

Full name:

Where are you from:

Where did you work before the mission?

What are you going to do after you get home?

What are you going to be when you grow up?

What was your favorite Movie/TV show?

What kind of music did you listen to?

What do you love most about your mission?

Girlfriend?

Hobbies?

Favorite scripture?

Favorite cold cereal?

Favorite place to eat out?

Favorite book?

Does anyone tell you that you look like Al Roker?

What do you want to say to Mike’s fan club who read this blog?

I’ll need this filled out in full on Monday since I promised your peeps a new companion bio since they all know you got Elder Newton at the last transfer.

Aynslee is almost walking around on her own. She gets on her walker and cruises around pretty good. She seems to be getting close to braving it out there on her own. We’ll see. She’s standing here looking at what I’m doing right now. It sounds like you have been having some sweet success with investigators and the finding effort and setting some baptismal dates. That’s awesome! I liked your realization last week too, about how this is the Lord’s work and his mercy and help that gets it done with you acting as the instrument to execute the work with his guidance and support. Keep that action up.

Let’s get to your quotes of the week. I promised you two this week since I couldn’t look one up last week. So here are your two quotes. This week, straight out of the Scriptures:

D&C 80:3-5

3 Wherefore, go ye and preach my gospel, whether to the north or to the south, to the east or to the west, it mattereth not, for ye cannot go amiss.

4 Therefore, declare the things which ye have heard, and verily believe, and know to be true.

5 Behold, this is the will of him who hath called you, your Redeemer, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

I found this one as I was doing my research on Prayer I was telling you about last week. It came up when I was digging further on the word amiss. I’ll get to that in a minute. Let me finish up your quotes first. I like this one, because of how it exhorts you to declare what you have heard, believe and KNOW! Then getting back to what you learned last week, that this is the Lord’s work, vs. 5 says it like it is, you have been called by He who’s work this is, the Redeemer, even Jesus Christ. Powerful scripture. Gotta love it!

Second quote this week, also from the scriptures, this one is short and sweet and to the point:

Ephesians 6:10:

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

That is my little exhortation to you and Elder Newton this week. Be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His might. I love powerful scriptures and this is a short but powerful one. Interpret this how you will and live by it as a theme this week. The two of you are powerful servants of the Lord and can stand strong in the Lord’s power and might when you need it.

Now let me expound on my prayer epiphany since you have been sharing your epiphanies lately. Just a little background. It’s been difficult for us to comprehend what the Lord really wants us to do with regard to moving. We felt really good about moving when we made the decision. We made it a matter of earnest prayer and not just once or twice. It was a multi-time/day type action. So when we felt good about it, we moved forward and found this place in kind of a guided by the hand sort of way. I swore with an oath that I would never live in Stansbury to Suzanne on a few different occasions and ended up eating those words after the way I had some prayers answered. Then when we were going to go make an offer on this house, I felt like we shouldn’t because it was a Sunday, so I told Suzanne we would go the next day after work. Come to find out, someone had made an offer on this house just the day before (on Sunday) and we lost it. We felt devastated because we felt that this was the only right house that we had looked at out of the many dozens we had been through already. It was confusing. I prayed about as earnestly as I could wondering if maybe we were off. If maybe I was AMISS. I wanted this house more than I have wanted anything in a really long time, but mostly because I felt like I every other house we would look at, would be the wrong house. It was a weird feeling. But I needed to do more than just pray for this house because you don’t just have someone come in and put 40,000 bucks on a house and then walk away from it. This contract was SOLID! I needed to pull out the big guns and make a covenant with the Lord that I would do certain things that would be difficult for me, but something that the Lord would want to have me do, and I made that covenant. Knowing that if it was a suitable agreement, if I could keep that to the very word, the Lord would be bound to help me as well. I have only made very few covenants, like one or two outside of the normal covenants we make because I take them very seriously and I would hate to disappoint the Lord by breaking my end of the agreement anyway, which I always feel will be the case. But I went ahead with this one and felt very good about it when all way said and done. Sure enough, the contract opened back up a couple of weeks later and everything worked out for us to get the house. But then the emotional roller coaster continued with even bigger twists and turns and dips and hills. We went through 5 offers before accepting this 6^th one. With each acceptance, it felt like a blessing answered. With every drop out, it felt like doubt and questioning again. I went through an incredible learning experience with this because my faith has never been stronger, yet never been tested as hard in probably ever! I felt so strongly about the fact that I’d get my prayer and request granted, that it really did cause some confusion and doubt in the sense that I always would throw in the caveat that “thy will be done” and I would abide by where we were supposed to go. I had some frank conversations with my Father basically saying, to help me accept the fact that this isn’t the place you want us, or help us to get it, because I felt so sure that this was the place, that if we don’t get it, I’m going to need some hard core inspiration and revelation given me to find the right place. Because I was 99.9999999999999999% sure this was it! I kept feeling like “where is your faith?” I mean, it’s tough when you want to have faith that this is it and stay strong, when you know that Heavenly Father will exercise His will at any time for what’s best for you. So I kept holding out and keeping to my covenant till this 5^th contract fell through. Even Dad was saying, Dude, have you considered that maybe this isn’t the right move? How many signs can you get that this isn’t the right move? We actually decided to let the idea die and stay here, but I just had this nagging feeling like NO! we have to move to that house. I knew it was a long shot because Richmond had already extended us beyond what they wanted to and would not be in the mood to extend us again because we had kept this new house off the market for how long now and other people couldn’t buy it. Especially for how low we negotiated them down on it. But I felt like I should try to get the extension. To make a long story a little less long, I got the extension till the end of December and bought a month to get this place sold with no prospects on the line and the slowest time of the whole year to get someone who would be willing to close by the end of December which meant around Christmas time and new years. So I put it back in play one more time with all my faith riding on it. Within days, we had 3 people who called on it, I asked if they could close by the end of the month, all three could, I asked if they had a place to sell, none of them did, I asked if they were pre-qualified and would not lose their financing for anything and all of them had been pre-qualified. What the… ???!! where were these people in the beginning? They came on the weekend and by Monday I had 3 offers from all of them. I was in a position to accept the best one and negotiate a good price which was 6,000 above our asking price and got guarantees from their financing that they won’t fail. So it is solid for the move now and feels like such an answer to prayer and the power of faith and covenant making. So I have really delved into researching prayer. That is why I went deeper into asking amiss as mentioned earlier, because I was paranoid about praying for something after my own lusts and asking amiss from what I should be praying for. The word amiss only comes up 2 times in the scriptures pertaining to prayer. 4 other times total about doing something amiss. Here are the two scriptures about asking amiss in prayer…

James 4: 3

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

After reading this one, I was nervous that I was doing this to get the house because it was after my own lusts for such a nice house. But really, it wasn’t about the house for what it was, it was for why I wanted it. It felt so right, it is just what we need, we downsized from what we were going to buy when this one became available because it wasn’t about size, status, or anything like it. I wasn’t pursuing for my lusts, I felt OK that I was not amiss on this.

2 Ne. 4: 35

35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

I pretty much cried unto God and can relate well to this scripture. I feel like God is certainly giving LIBERALLY to me in this case. It was a big request and I feel like I’m getting my prayers answered in a very generous fashion. My faith was tested to the max, even to the point where I gave up for a few days before making one last play. I felt like I was in my realm of asking in righteousness. And I believe that as long as our heart is pure, our request is reasonable, and we are asking for something that coincides with God’s will, we will receive our requests liberally. I liken it to kids asking their parents for stuff for Christmas. Every commercial that comes on right now, Brinlee is screaming “I WANT THAT!” She has made some pretty demanding pleas for stuff recently. She has been a little wild and out of control at times and has been having a hard time minding when she gets like that. Christmas is a crazy time for kids. However, when she is being good, and she puts together a reasonable justification for why she wants one of the things she wants and how it will benefit her (more or less) I am much more inclined to get that for her. Out of all the hundreds of things she has said she wants lately, one day she made a very reasonable request for a Barbie laptop computer and was very sincere about why she wanted it and was being very obedient to us over the last few days. It was the most expensive thing on her extensive list, but do you think I got it for her? You bet! We are even taking some things back to make it affordable, but that was what she asked most earnestly for and put together a pretty good justification for her desire. I think this song and dance goes on with EVERY family and I think it is a great similitude of our Father and his desire to give us what we ask for if we are obedient, we put together a good justification for why we want it and how it can benefit us and/or those around us, and if it is within His will. Well, that begins to get me into my next tangent I’m going to dive deeper into and that is to align our will with the Fathers. I think there is great power in having our intentions exactly the same as the Father and aligning our will with his. I think it’s much more difficult than it sounds, and a life long quest, but once we get to that point, we get closer to making our calling and election made sure, thinning the veil, and drawing great strength and power from the prayers we offer and the things we ask for. I may or may not get studying that soon. I don’t go off on these topics too often. Just if I get a bee in my bonnet and want to know more about it. But that is kind of my next topic I’ll hit up when I get that burr in my saddle if you will. My other topic I will hit up is the Enabling Power of the Atonement. I’ll get on that one day too.

Anyway, I’ll end on this note. I have a strong testimony of the atonement of the Savior. I know he has a great love for all of us and wants us to have all of the blessings he has made possible for us to receive. As distant as it can feel to have a relationship with a person who you have not seen face to face in this life, it sometimes feels like he gives us way more help than seems fair sometimes to win at this game of life. I have an unshakable testimony of the book of Mormon. I know that is it true. I know that Blue and Yellow make green. I know this because I have tried it. Likewise, I know that the Book of Mormon is Holy Scripture, translated by Joseph Smith who is a true prophet, and everything else I know to be true, stems from the fact that these things are true. And I know that this stuff is true, because I HAVE TRIED IT. The more I try, the more I find out what is real. The more my faith is tried, the stronger it gets. The more my testimony gets tried, the stronger it gets. The more I don’t know, the more I learn. The more I give, the more I’m blessed with. It’s crazy! I love my savior and seek to gain a stronger relationship with him at every turn. I love my family and the eternal bonds we all have together and it motivates me to do good continually so I can take advantage of that blessing of eternal families. I’m thankful for callings. I actually will get released on Sunday and won’t have a calling for a while and I already miss it. I passed the torch on Wednesday night to my home teaching companion who is replacing me in the Elder’s Quorum presidency. I had a sense of sorrow and emptiness. Not incredibly bad feelings, mind you. Just felt like my burden was lightened more than it needed to be and now I desire to have more burden placed on my shoulders and more stewardship given so as to carry my load. I have been far to blessed to not pull my weight and I can’t wait to get a new calling and give it my best to magnify it in the new ward. Much the same as you will feel way too light in the burden department when you are released from your leadership callings and your mission eventually. You will want that weight and stewardship you have on your shoulders now. There is much fulfillment in service to the Lord and our fellow beings. Human nature wants to be released of more responsibility, but the spiritual man desires more responsibility when it involves serving the Lord. I’m truly blessed beyond what I deserve and I hope to keep up my meager attempt at some kind of payback, but I know I’ll never get close. I love the gospel and the blessings it brings, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I hope this transfer treats you well with Elder Newton. I’m sure it will. How great is it when you have a love for your companion and it just reflects in the work.

Drop a little knowledge on us Monday with what you have learned or what has struck you this week. Keep sharing your testimony with us too. It strengthens all of us and we appreciate it. You are a giant among men as you are out there standing out from the world and pulling those up who need it most or who have been lost for this long. Keep embarking on this great work which is greater than any one can comprehend.

I love you.

Trav