I can´t believe that Andrew is a dad. Katie sent me a picture of him holding Olivia and his smile was just great to see. I am so excited for him.

 Things are going good in the mission and I am learning so much out here.

   Ever since I was called to be one of the assistants I have began to lose the excitement, energy, and smile I had before. I know about all the problems in the mission, it is all on my plate, and the success or failure of the mission is depending on me and the other three assistants. So that was my state of mind. I felt that I couldn´t be happy unless everything was going the way I felt it needed to go.

    Being that everything nearly never goes the way you want it to, consequently, I just wasn´t very happy. I couldn´t just be happy like I was before.

    This week I went on a division with my ex-comp Elder Fa in his area in Pouso Alegre. While I was there we worked hard and had a good time.

    The next morning as my comp and I were walking to the city bus station, I started to do something that I had never done in my mission. I began to say hello, good morning, or how are you to every single person that I passed. Me and my comp did so with a smile the whole walk and we didn´t miss one person.

     It had an amazing result. I was happy. Really excited and happy for the first time in a while. The smile truly has a power to bring the spirit of the Lord.

       As I pondered about this in my personal study, more truths came to me on the matter.

   ´´Adam fell that men might be, and men are; that they might have joy``

    or even shorter

   ´´Adam fell that men... might have joy``

  Interesting I thought. How could we have joy in a fall. Whenever we sin, go through a difficult time, or suffer to do our acts or the acts of others we ´´fall``.

   We too fall that we might have joy. But the joy doesn´t come in the fall. The joy comes when we you use our God given agency to get ourselves up. We weren´t made to be happy fallen on the ground, we were made to be happy standing up and looking back to where we were on the ground. This brings joy.

   Being happy doesn´t have to do with your health, your social status, your financial situation or anything of the sort. Being happy is a personal choice made with our agency and our faith in God.

    Being happy a smiling a midst deep trial is the sign of true faith and hope in God.  Enduring trials is good, but joyfully learning in trails is celestial.

   I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for this mission that he has given me, the great opportunities to learn and grow have brought purpose and happiness to my life. I have learned how to serve and how to love. I have much more that I hope to learn in these last months.

   I love you too so much and I hope that you too seek the lord through fervent scripture study. Pondering, reading, and prayer will make you see the Lord in you life, instead of just expecting His presence.

 

I love you both,

    Elder Nothum