Week 6

你好！

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday! Tuesday's are probably my favorite days of the week because not only do I get to write to all of you, but we go to the Temple!! The Temple is truly the best place in the world!

     So this week has been very fun! I got to dress up a little on Halloween, I'll send you the picture, and I've been plowing through the Book of Mormon! I love to read that book so much! It's incredible the power that it can have on our life when we read from it daily! I challenge all of you to read 1/2 an hour each day from the Book of Mormon, and keep track of the differences you feel in day to day life! I promise it will bless you more than you could ever imagine!
     This last week I've been studying in the end of Alma, all the Moroni chapters which are incredible!! But I decided that I wanted to study some New Testament stuff one of the days, so I was reading the story of Christ walking on water. I went to each Gospel and studied the story from the different perspectives and my favorite by far is in Matthew 14. It starts by talking about John the Baptist dying, and when Christ is told of this he is exceedingly sorrowful. He goes up to a mountain to be alone, but a large multitude follows him. As he turns about and sees the multitude, he "is moved with compassion towards them." Isn't that an incredible sentence?? Our Savior, who knows that these people in just a short while will deny him and crucify him, is moved with compassion towards them! Christ loves all of us SO MUCH!! So he is moved with compassion towards them, and after that, he commands that his disciples should feed them. His disciples look at him and ask him how this is possible?? They've only got 5 loaves of bread and 2 little fishes! How are they supposed to feed thousands?! Christ tells them not to worry about it, but he blesses the bread and then passes the basket around. Everyone ate and was full. Everyone ate and was FULL! That's incredible! It's so different if we start to try and imagine these settings isn't it? Can you imagine being in that multitude, and eating the bread and fish that Christ himself has blessed and brake? So incredible! Once the multitude is full, Christ tells his disciples to send the people on their way, and that they should go and he will meet them later. Now he is finally able to be alone for this small moment in time. He goes deeper into the mountain where, we can only assume, he prays unto his father. For what? I don't know, but I can imagine he is praying for John (who by the way is Christ's earthly cousin by birth) and strength and praying to know what His father wants him to do. After praying all night, he comes down and sees his disciples out on the water, being blown all over the sea! He sees their trouble and decides to walk out to them. Let's say that one more time. He WALKS out to them. Yes. On top of the raging sea. No boat, no floaty toys, he simply walks out to his friends. As his disciples see them, they are afraid and think that it's a spirit! He tells them to be calm and that it is him. Peter asks Christ if he can join him on the water. Imagine the faith it would take to ask that question! But as steadfast as Peter's faith was at that moment, it faltered once he was out on the water and then he began to sink. Does the Savior reach out to him then? No. He cannot take our agency away from us. He must wait, as painful as it is for him to watch us sink, He will never force us to use his Atonement. He waits until Peter redeems himself and cries out: "Lord, save me!" And the scripture says, "Jesus IMMEDIATELY reached out" and he pulled Peter to the surface. At this point I can imagine the Savior embracing Peter and softly telling him, with a loving manner, "oh ye of little faith. Wherefore did you doubt?" The Savior will always save us. He always wants to, but it is ALWAYS up to us to take that step toward him. We must let him in.

    On a different note, I went and saw Brother Glazier yesterday, and I think he has a little surprise for all of you! ;) Jessi, we were talking a little bit about you! He told me he wants to take you to the MTC maybe one day, but you have to do something first! You gotta cut that hair! haha. Your doing great man, from what Brother Glazier tells me, and from the letter you sent the other day, you sound really good! I love you man! I just want to continue to tell you to focus with all your heart, might, mind and soul on the things that are truly important. Do you know what those things are? I bet you could guess! Did you say a mission?? That's right! Mission is at the top of the focus list for a young man at your age! Keep yourself worthy, but do more than that. PREPARE. I know that I'm preaching to the choir here, because you are one of the most incredible young men I know, but I want you to ALWAYS have your mission on your mind. Work on scripture study, work on normal school study, and work on giving of yourself to all others! I know that you're already great at these things, but we can always improve! I know Brother Glazier wanted you to maybe take some stuff out of this letter to share with the Priest Quorum this week, so if you want to share this then go ahead! This can apply to anybody! I love you more than you can possibly know, and I can't wait to see you again!

P.S. The sisters in my district saw the football picture of you with Jake and they honestly thought that it was me. Maybe we do look a little alike!

 Zaijian!

Dear Mom

How are things? I want to write a lot more, but I'm over time as it is! I'm going to write you a personal letter today but I just wanted to let you know how much I love you! There isn't an hour that passes where I don't think of you and all of the things you have done, and continue to do for me! I love you SO SO MUCH!!