Week 54-September 6, 2021

Week 54 Inbox McClain Easton Mon, Sep 6, 2021, 4:42 PM to me Hey everybody! We had such an awesome time this week! Early last week we picked up elder smith from the mission office, and he is in his first week so elder Martinez and I have had a great time training him this week. We were really grateful he was so willing to jump right into the work, because we were super busy. First night he was here on tuesday, we headed out to Alpaugh looking to teach a friend named juan carlos. He feeds horses, and wasnt home, and considering there is virtually nothing in Alpaugh we figured we could find the horses. And we did! However. The horses were very protected by a lot of sleeping dogs. So we decided to be extra quite and go knock the door of the house next to the horse pen, and one small little dog came out barking, and you know that means?? Big dogs woke up, so we got chased away from the houses by some pretty vicious shepherding dogs. Probably one of the scarier moments of my life and we were laughing so hard. Then on Thursday we got to go to the temple! The temple is similar to a church, all are welcome! In order to qualify to enter the temple, an individual needs to be keeping the covenant, or promises made at baptism, to follow Jesus Christ and live the standards of his Gospel. In the temple we make more covenants, promises, with God and in return recieve incredible blessings. Because of Covid, going to the temple has been just about impossible, so this was the second time I have ever been, and it was incredible. Spent most of Thursday out in fresno, we all ate lunch with the other missionaries after our session, and then a long way back. Great day to re charge. Then taught a ton of lessons this weekend. We have upped our lesson goal every week for the last month and keep hitting it! We were so excited to teach 15 nonmember lessons this week, making it the busiest week of the mission so far! I have loved these two scriptures recently, the first in 1 Corinthians 13:11: 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. And the second, Mosiah 3:19 and Mosiah 4:30 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. 30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. Decided to add in that third one because it all starts with thoughts. Self image, desires, and thoughts influence so much of who we are, our ability to become more thru the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Thanks so much for reading, have an awesome week!! Elder Easton