The weeks are going by so fast now, I can't keep track.
It's amazing how God works with his missionaries, and we are all sincerely blessed here in the Provo Mission Training Center; our teachers are amazing and thoughtful, and we have one of the most special districts out there. Our zone is awesome, and I'm honored and glad to serve and prepare to serve next to such faithful and awesome missionaries.
Today we lost a good portion of our zone, 6 missionaries off to the Canada Montreal mission and 1 to Washington DC, Elder Zocca told us he's going to go baptise President Obama, he's rehearsed his opening statement with him many times already.
Haha, we'll miss them a lot, but our zone is about to get a whole lot bigger! We received 5 sisters 2 weeks ago, and they are all awesome. We will then be receiving 10 new elders, all called to Canada Montreal, this Wednesday. So tomorrow we'll meet them and I hope we can make them feel welcome! We are in such a loving branch and zone, our branch presidency are all amazing men, and I feel honored to help lead these awesome people here.
I had a very fun week. It was the fastest yet, I'm losing track of time here. We had a fun 4th of July with a good speaker and devotional, and the next night was even better. We heard a recital by Jenny Oaks Baker, Elder Oak's (one of our twelve apostles) daughter. She's a professional violinist, and played with all her children (who are amazingly talented) and the music was beatiful. I really enjoyed it, and want to get better at the violin a lot more when I get back! I'm quite terrible at the moment, but hey, its never too late.
I'm having a fun time with the Elders here, and got to spend some time with my friends from BYU, Elder Sawada and Elder Summers.
I'm only 2 weeks away and will receive my flight itinerary this Friday at the latest I believe.
To share a spiritual thought of the week, I want to speak on the Atonement, and specifically the comforting power and love of Jesus Christ. I have learned of myself that he can comfort us and help us in any situation, in his wisdom that we will be strengthened by Him. In Alma 7:12 Alma speaks of Christ and how because of his atonement, he suffered every pain possible, physical psychological emotional and spiritual, and therefore he can "succor" his people. This means that He knows how to run to our aid. so He can, because he has been through anything we have and will go through, know exactly what we are dealing with, and perfectly how to best help us in any trial. This week at one point I struggled with a depression and sadness I remember and have fought often when it comes throughout my life, and as I began to dwell on it for a moment I decided not to, but instead I turned my thoughts to Christ. My troubled heart was sad, but I focused on Him, and remembered and thought on his love. When I focused on Him, my sadness in at one moment immediately swept away, reciprocally and proportionally replaced with a potent joy and happiness. I can't explain it very well, but I was so happy that I couldn't be sad. As Nephi said so long ago, "I glory in plainness, I glory in truth, I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul.." (2 Nephi 33:6), we can glory in Jesus, and put our joy in Him, and if we do nothing can bring us down because he has been through everything for us, for me, and for you. I know He lives, His love fills my heart when I seek it, and I have felt his presence in a love so strong I cannot deny his existence, His care for us all. I know that if we are ever troubled, we can take our burden, and lay it at his feet as we take upon ourselves his light burden, to pray and to seek him in our lives, and He will take away all our pain. We may struggle, we may have trials, but we will be lifted up and our heavy burdens in life will be made light, so we can't even feel them. I feel that now, and this is why I'm so happy, happier than I have every been before.
Love you all, and I hope that the next week is awesome.
Elder Laney (Josh, not Nick)
Je suis content and heureux, remplis par l'esprit de Dieu toujours au tant que je le trouve vraiment, et je sais que je suis ou je devais etre. Au revoir, et passe une bonne semaine!
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