Got to go to the Temple!

Hey guys! 

My mom told me that my emails are "far and few between" so I figured I'd update you guys on what's up here in Texas! 

I got transfered here to the Houston East Zone (which probably means nothing to you guys) I basically live on the most West side of the mission, the area is called Broadway, it's a little west of Deer Park for those who know of the area. My comp is named Elder Dyer and he's way lit! He's from Draper and we've been learning so much from each other and the area it's really cool! 

The area was kind of on a downfall when I got here, but we're seeing so many miracles. It's awesome, because it's SO clear that it's not what we're doing that helping us find people, but the Lord is doing His work and it's awesome to be able to be a part of it. 

We always have funny experiences here, there are a lot of homeless people so we had a bunch of stuff to hand out in our car, but whenever we give them stuff they always ask for money or stuff. Also there are so many Spanish people here! It's sweet, we go to Apt complexes and more people speak Spanish than English! 

I also got to go through the temple for the second time ever! It was SO amazing and I feel like I learned so much. I didn't remember much considering it'd been over a year since my first time, but it was truly amazing to feel the presence of the Lord once again!!!

I would like to share this sort of long quote from Jeffrey R. Holland: 

To those who stagger or stumble, he is there to steady and strengthen us. In the end he is there to save us, and for all this he gave his life. However dim our days may seem they have been darker for the Savior of the world.

In fact, in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, our Lord of this sacrament table has chosen to retain for the benefit of his disciples the wounds in his hands and his feet and his side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and perfect. Signs, if you will, that pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn’t love you. It is the wounded Christ who is the captain of our soul—he who yet bears the scars of sacrifice, the lesions of love and humility and forgiveness.

Those wounds are what he invites young and old, then and now, to step forward and see and feel (see 3 Ne. 11:15; 3 Ne. 18:25). Then we remember with Isaiah that it was for each of us that our Master was “despised and rejected … ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”. All this we could remember when we are invited by a kneeling young priest to remember Christ always.

The ordinance of the sacrament is directly tied to all events of the atonement. From the suffering in Gethsemane, to the excruciating scene on the cross, to the glorious, empty tomb. Just as each sacrament cup is filled individually, I know Christ suffered for each of us individually, that he drank not from 1 aggregate cup, but from billions of individual cups. 

I'd like to invite you guys to study the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the bible this week and ponder on reflect on it during sacrament meeting. I love yall! 

Elder Jones 

Here are his Pay adventures from today...Gingerbread House decorating and grocery shopping.  Elder Dyer and Jones designed their gingerbread to look like a Temple...They did a pretty great job!