Elder Ethan Crisp

Well this week was good and bad at the same time. I´ll start with the bad--i got sick with a stomach infection which included some leakage so we didn´t leave thursday thru sunday. We did leave Fri and Sat in the night because we had an activity in the stake. It was called "Trip to Hawaii." It started off with the passengers getting on the plane--the plane crashes, and everyone dies--at this point they go thru three rooms, one the Telestial, one the Terrestrial, and the Celestial, and they learned what they are and what you do (or not do) to get to each one. It was pretty powerful and there were a bunch of investigators there, including many of ours. But because of the sickness we haven´t been able to go back and see how they liked it. But we´re going to do it this week. I couldn´t take any pictures of the other rooms cause i spent the whole time in the Celestial room, which looked pretty much like the temple which was cool. But you can imagine it for yourselves.

Well, here´s a thought for you. This week while i was in bed with amazingly painful pressure from the gas in my innerds (? spell check), i listened to all of Conference which was cool. I especially liked the talk by Elder Holland in the priesthood session--i love how he starts off," well i´m gonna be rather candid tonight." Like he´s not always candid. When he was talking about worthiness, i loved how candid he was when he said, if you´re not clean "get clean." But i thought, that doesn´t just apply to missionaries, or prospective missionaries, although more so, but everyone. If you´re not doing what you´re supposed to be doing, change it now, and get clean. Repentance is an awesome thing. I love the verses on it in D&C 58, Dice, "42 Behold, he who has arepented of his bsins, the same is cforgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.43 By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will aconfess them and bforsake them." That´s an important part--he will confess them. It is important that we confess our sins, whether to the Lord, or to the bishop when necessary--especially then. That´s really what he´s there for--its not a punishment to talk to him and confess those sins. Many people think of repentance like a bad thing, but it´s really the good that changes the bad. And there is real joy when we change..."18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, ahave mercy on me, who am bin the cgall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting dchains of edeath.19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my apains bno more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. 20 And oh, what ajoy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! 21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy." Always remember that our Heavenly Father is always willing to help us when we are willing to change. (And the bishop is always there too).

Some answers...To Amy, every night when we get home, we plan what we are going to do the next day. Every Friday morning, we take the morning to plan the following week--the people we are going to teach, what we´re going to teach them, and what goals we are going to work for. Its really a perfect system. And i´m sure that it´d be good for the real world, though there´s a lot more room for laziness and unplanned events than here in the mission. I loved psychology when i was in high school--i would follow it but it doesn´t really do anything for ya in the world today jobwise, unless i would be a teacher or something. But all those classes seem fun--i´m really gonna need an english class when i get back--you have no idea how hard it is to write!....To Mom (and everyone), I´ll be praying that the Giants win haha jk. To just Mom, thanks for the thought:i was thinking about David, and he like Samson had super high potential and let his guard down and fell--what a sad example for David--he is now infamous for that sin and in fact in D&C there´s a part that specifically mentions that he can´t receive forgiveness for killing Uriah (i think that was his name). That´s pretty sad. But when we fall that bad, we´ll always be an example of how NOT to do things. To Dad and to all, Thanks for those prayers. I really feel them. And i really hope that you guys can always be proud of me, even when i make stupid decisions or mess up the potential, talents, and blessings (like Samson and David) that God has given me in rich abundance.

¡Espero que tengan una semana bien chacalosa y que puedan reconocer que las experiencias que tenemos son para ayudarnos a progresar, incluso tener mas paciencia, amor, y entendimiento de las situaciones de las demas personas! (and for you not spansih speakers) Hope you all have an awesome week and that you can recognize that the experiences that we have are there to help us progress, including having more patience, love and understanding of the situations of other people. Disfruten el Super Bowl! (Go Giants haha).

--Elder Crisp
PS Thanks for the news about the card though i haven´t really had to use it and don´t think i really will that often but i know its there. Thanks :)