Understanding Our Heavenly Father

Hey Greene Family!

How's everything going out there? Sorry about your toe mom, I've been praying for you. It sounds like everyone is doing well though. You'll have to record a bit of Taggert's volleyball games so I can see some of it later on! Taggert probably has a higher vertical than I do, haha. Jared seems to be doing well, from his letter, he has a flourishing college life!

Smaller medical report: I'm doing good, my numbers have been pretty good and my diet helps me make good decisions. I got my A1C this morning so we will see, I'll let you know next week. Thanks for doing research on the CGM thing, sadly I can't do that kind of research. But yeah if it isn't covered and it doesn't even work well than it's a no go! Oh also my cold is basically gone and I put lotion on my legs and it helps a ton with the pods, much less itchy and red, if at all. And trust me, health doesn't get in the way of missionary work if I have anything to say about it.

Last P-Day we went to the driving range! It was a blast. Elder Green played a ton in high school so he was teaching me some things. We had a 50 yard chipping contest and I won, hahah. I bought a $3 "Golden Bear" P-wedge at Goodwill, definitely one of the better purchases of my mission. I believe I mentioned that we have a gym as well and this week I ran a 14:52 two mile, I was quite proud of myself.

And the painting practice still keeps coming in handy! This week we helped a family paint their bathroom, it was a bunch of fun! They didn't have any painter's tape so they just said go for it. So we freehanded the ceiling, the bottom, and the door frame. So when your house doesn't get done until early May and I am there to help you move in and paint free hand, hahah.

One cool miracle that happened this week was "D". We went over and talked about what he had read and then he started having questions. He opened up a ton and talked about how he believes that God exists but doesn't know if he believes in Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost. I could also tell that "D" didn't understand who Heavenly Father is. So we talked about prayer and the Holy Ghost. He actually has even told us about an experience where he felt prompted to comfort his Dad, which he realized may have been the Holy Ghost. He made a lot of progress in that visit and it was amazing how much the Spirit guided it all!

I wanted to write a short note on the part about not understanding who our Heavenly Father is. I've thought a lot about how my mission has changed me and I believe my relationship with my Heavenly Father is one of them. I heard a quote from "Lectures on Faith" recently that says that we can't have full faith in Someone who we don't have a correct perception of (or something along those lines). After a lot of time in prayer, I know that my Heavenly Father is my Father in Heaven. He loves me so much that He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer for my sins. He listens and he encourages. He doesn't get angry when I make mistakes, but wants me to repent and improve. He gives me trials to make me stronger, not out of a lack of love. Above all, he wants me to succeed. Now, no one can come to have faith in our Heavenly Father if they misunderstand who He is, and so my calling becomes so much more important to me. We are the only Church to have the full, restored truth of who He is and people need to have that!

Another blessing I saw this past week was when Elder Dutson made the call to go to a certain area before dinner to look for more people to teach. We went and we didn't walk a block after parking our car before we met "R"! He's a real nice guy from Mexico. We started talking to him about life and he says he doesn't belong to a certain religion but that he believes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He seems pretty prepared as he just quit drinking a couple years ago. We're excited to go teach him next Saturday in between conference sessions with his wife! Tender mercy from the Spirit that's for sure.

Well I love you all! Have a great Conference weekend in Utah! I'm so excited to listen to the modern day prophets!

-Elder Greene

Awesome quote I heard two weeks ago: "If we regret the past and fear the future, we never live the present." 

There Is A Green Hill Far Away

 

It's like a Spanish Thanksgiving! Don't worry I didn't eat much of the pie (but they made it sugar free none the less, I think I may have been low after!)

Mis Canas (My gray hairs) Got paint in my hair and went straight to proselyte... I had a good look going all day!