From February 6

Dear Family,

For the first time, the idea of training in front of 80 people without using a microphone does not terrify me. Pre-mission? Absolutely. A month ago? Yep! Still, but now I can do it with confidence and poise and take my time. Elder M. and I had a good talk about what makes us nervous in front of a big group, and we looked at all of the trainings of President B. and even the talks of the general authorities and how calm, cool and collected they seem to be while talking to the masses. It is because they know their message is true…so is mine, right? I had trouble with pausing during trainings because I just assumed people would think that I didn’t know what I was trying to say. I caught myself thinking that a couple of times and realized how dumb it was. Pausing is what makes the really profound statements stand out. Every time I hear President pause, I know that whatever he says next will be profound.



The mini-mission is always fun to be a part of. We don’t get to have one of young men come with us, but it is fun to see them all and see how nervous and excited they look. This time it was my turn to give a talk on obedience and I had to mention the white handbook and cell phones and iPods. I prepared during personal study this morning, but as I sat there on the stand, something just didn’t feel right. So, I offered a silent prayer and decided to abandon what I had prepared and just get up and talk with no notes, no papers, no nothing. It was great…scary at first, but great. I ended up talking about something I learned from mom and something I learned from dad. From mom it was "a friend is someone that makes you your best self."…the white rule book is our best friend because it helps us to become our best selves. My dad taught me through baseball how to be able to pick his whistle out of a crowd and follow its instruction. I then related that to the Holy Ghost and how our Father in Heaven whistles to us sometimes and we must be ready to heed the instructions. I mentioned that when I went to play baseball, I left things in the dugout like my phone and iPod and they should do the same. It was a great experience for me, not because my talk was great, but because it built my testimony of the importance of preparation…I prepared and then the Holy Ghost gave it to me in the moment that which I should say. Just another chance to grow :)



Santa Monica is still there…We hadn’t been there in so long that I was starting to wonder if it really existed anymore, but I am pleased to report that it is still there and has not sunk into the ocean…yet. Today was just a great day. The weather in Santa Monica cannot be beat…It was 70 and sunny with a slight breeze and for the first part of the day we were right on ocean by the overlook of the beach. Talk about beautiful. We had a lesson with a woman from the ward who is on the 5-5-5 plan and it went really well. Her name is Sister J., and we aren’t totally sure, but judging by some of the responses she gave us, we think she is on the semi- active side. It was the first real lesson that Elder M. and I were able to teach really and it was fantastic. Now the location was another story.



We couldn’t find a male to come with us, so we had the lesson on a bench at this overlook of Santa Monica beach. The problem is that it was hot and right next to a running path. Can you say spandex!? Ah, the entire town is crawling with women in barely any clothing and the stuff they do have on is spandex on top of spandex on top of spandex. It is a nightmare. So sad that Heavenly Father's children choose to dress so immodestly. So while we are teaching about the restoration of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Satan ran by on multiple occasions. What a great way to practice staying focused and self-control haha.

The members of this ward are so loving and non-judgmental and caring and it is a real example to me. Today after church we had the usual outstanding correlation meeting and then we had an appointment with Mr. H., a guy who was a referral from the bishop of a guy that came to church looking for help. Well, he might be getting more help than he bargained for, but he needs it whether he knows it or not. He told us his story which is quite tragic to say the least. He worked in the music industry with a lot of big names and then his wife got cancer and they had no health insurance and had to sell their home in order to pay the medical bills to keep her alive. She died and then they were left with nothing. He and his daughter were driving their car…pretty much the only thing they had, and they crashed because his heart failed and they went off a 100 foot ravine. She was in critical condition and he screwed up his knee pretty bad but he refused to be treated because they said he might lose his daughter…She lived, but his knee is permanently jacked and she went to college and to help pay, he sold everything and was homeless for 2 months and now he has a tiny apartment but came to the bishop for help. Talk about a roller coaster of a life. He just sees it as part of life, but that is quite the story don’t you think?

 

Anyway, we met and talked with him about life and what he wants and he said that he doesn’t have a lot of time right now but he has a lot of questions and wants to "know why and how there is a light around us and in our eyes and smile." I think he is really good. He is a son of God who needs the gospel and we are going to give it to him.

 

The largest miracle on my mission that I have seen is the hand of the Lord working changes in me to become more the priesthood holder and son that He needs me to be. These past 20 months have been such a blessing to me. The church has a great system of sending the youth through the spiritual boot camp that the mission is.

 

I have learned so many lessons on my mission, but one that comes to mind is lifting where I stand and being willing to stand wherever the Lord asks me to stand. That means whether He wants me to be an assistant or whether I have been called to work landscape at the temple, I will lift the best I can from wherever I am. I try to be the best assistant I can be, or the best grounds keeper I can be and, to the Lord, both efforts are equal. We must all be humble enough to accept the fact that we cannot lift from where someone else is standing, only from where our two feet are planted. With the Help of the Lord, we can lift more than we could ever lift alone because with Christ we enter into a perfect companionship. It's like in the movie "Remember the Titans" when Julius says that he is not perfect, but the team is perfect and he wants to keep it that way. It is up to us to invite the Savior into our lives in such a way that our companionship with Him can be perfect. It is about having both feet into the gospel, doing it half-heartedly won't cut it...all or nothing.

 

Love you guys! Thanks for putting up with me for 21 years now! Crazy I am that old, huh? :)

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From January 30

Dear Family,

 

Where to start!? This week went really well, really busy but really well...I think really busy is just the norm now. I can't remember what it feels like not to be stressed and have a million things to do. This next week is going to be Zone Conferences tomorrow through Thursday and then Friday is a mini-mission for the Downey Stake that we haven't even begun to prepare for. Like I said, a million things to do, but I am loving every second of it.

 

In some ways it seems like an eternity since I last Emailed all of you and in some ways it feels like just yesterday. I can't really describe the way that time works as a missionary, but it is odd to say the least.

 

Monday was our final day to catch up from transfers making sure that the board was updated and everything was current for the senior couples so that they could do their work. When transfers hit like the bomb that it is, it is our job to make sure that everyone gets stuff that is up to date so that their work day isn't brought to a screeching halt until they have what they need. It kind of skews the large priority list that we have been juggling because lists and updates end up taking priority over something of a lot more value just because it is vital if the seniors are going to be able to function.

 

To answer your question about senior missionaries, a lot of our work is inter-related. We help them with a lot of things and they help us with a lot of things. Part of the pattern switch that I described last week had to do with shifting a lot of tasks that we had been doing to the senior couples so that we could do more proselyting...or at least that was the hope. Lately it has been working out more and more, they just have a lot of questions on the processes of things which is fine and expected when any kind of transition like that is made.

 

I am so grateful for them and all that they do for us and the other missionaries. They are the behind-the- scenes workers that get little acknowledgement, but the work could not go forward without them. Elder O. especially is such a good guy, and such a good example to me and to all of us. Sometimes when he can tell we are getting really stressed, he pulls root beer out of I don't know where and says "Elders you need to sit down and have a beer." We then all three just stop and sit and take a few minutes to enjoy a root beer and breathe. He is the coolest. He always tells us stories from his ranch in Utah and gives us life advice on stuff to do with our boys and stuff not to do and what his dad did. Great guy. Elder W. is just funny...There is not time to Email all that I would like to about that man so I will leave it at that, but he is a funny guy. We mess with him quite a bit, but he throws it right back, all in good fun.

 

So Monday we finished getting updated and prepping for ZLC, and then Tuesday we actually had ZLC and it went pretty well. We rolled out the training that the Zone Leaders will be giving at Zone Conference and reviewed some stuff from pervious ZLCs. The focus of Zone Conference is mostly reinforcing what we have been working on, namely lesson plans and the mobile area book. It will be good, I hope.

 

As far as the rest of the week, it has been quite the blur. Days run together, and I don't stop thinking about all I have to do and get done. Even when I go to sleep at night I am thinking about it and dream about office work and training and trying to keep our area afloat and all that jazz. Is that what they mean when they say lose yourself in the work? I don't even feel like I have a self anymore, it is just whatever I need to do next.

 

We have had a little more time to work in the area and spent a good portion of it contacting members of the ward which has been really good. The work in Santa Monica will be different than any work I have done thus far. It will be a lot of referral work and working with the members which is good on the one hand, and bad on the other. In my Spanish areas I would be able to control how many people I would find and teach because I could go knocking and street contacting and find legit people, here it seems almost out of our hands.

 

Tracting is not effective in beach communities so we are completely at the mercy of the desire of the members to share the gospel with their friends. It is good though, because like I said last week the ward is way solid. Bishop is so awesome and all about missionary work and very good even though he has only been bishop for about 4 months, and Brother W. is the best ward mission leader I have ever seen. We sat down at correlation yesterday after church and I felt like I was in one of the District DVDs about how everything is supposed to work. He had a chart with the 555 listed out, the recent converts and their statuses, and people we should try to reactivate as well as part member families that have a lot of potential. He is so great, I really look up to him, too.

 

My mission has really given me a lot of people to look up to. A lot of people that Heavenly Father has placed in my path to help me grow and learn as much as I possibly can while I am here, and for that I am so grateful. We have some really terrific members in our ward. I am glad to be where I am.

 

Something that I have learned this week is the importance at taking things a little at a time. Line upon line, precept upon precept. That is what our Zone Conference training is about, actually...well kinda...I will have to give you the lowdown on that next week. Joseph Smith didn't get the sealing power in the Sacred Grove...not even when he got the Aaronic priesthood; rather it came gradually bit by bit until he was ready to receive the greatest power God had to give.

 

May all of us strive to be patient with the Lord and patient with ourselves as we wait for the greatest blessings to come. Each day is to prepare us for the next and each day is a chance to grow and be better than the day before.

 

I love you guys!

 

Love

Elder Molinaro

From January 23

Oh, boy! Am I glad for the chance to Email, finally. This morning we had some crazy stuff to deal with -- emergency transfers and car logistics and fixing the TMR entry process, and sheesh! Nothing like working on your day off haha. Not complaining though, glad to let the Lord pull me in all different directions and allow me to see how much I can do with His help.

 

I have found that life is like a violin in several ways. First, life is like the strings on a violin. They make their best sounds and chords when the strings are stretched to the limit...that is where miracles happen. Always makes me think of that talk by President Eyring when he talks about President Hinckley and how he had grown accustomed to pushing himself past his physical limits when he was reviewing a document at the end of a long, hard day. Missionary life, and life in general, is sweetest when I am being stretched and tried and pushed beyond what I think my limit may be.

 

Second, life is like a violin in that sometimes one of our strings breaks and we are forced to improvise while still making the sweet music that can come if we put our mind to it and don't ever give up. Great musicians will compose on the fly, if need be, after a broken string and no one will ever know. To be the great musicians of the strings that compose our lives we must: one improvise, and two do it with a smile on our faces. God knows our string has broken...in fact, often times He broke it, but the real test of our talent as a musician is the ability to take that broken string and carry on in spite of it...Just food for thought to start off my Email today.

 

What a week! It was actually one of the best weeks of my mission because it was the busiest days of my mission/life hands down. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we worked from waking up at 5 am to 10:40 at night with about 20 minutes for each meal...Nothing like an 18 hour work day on 5 hours of sleep! They were honestly the greatest days though because I got to see what I am capable of...Now I am not saying that I did a terrific job at everything I did during those 18 hours, but just on paper I never would have thought I could do that! I would have laughed and said you were crazy if you would have told me that I would work for 18 hours straight on little sleep, but we did it and it felt great. At the time it was absolutely exhausting, but looking back we can see how much the Lord helped us to accomplish everything we needed to do.

 

It was really weird dropping Elder H. off at the airport (he finished his mission), but Elder M. and I are doing great together. He is such a good companion, and we have been working hard to fix a lot of the patterns left by our predecessors that were creeping into office life. We have everything much more organized and efficient, and we are constantly doing something, never taking a break or stopping to just sit...We are talking diligent to the max...We have seen a large number of blessings as a result and have been able to spend a lot more time actually proselyting, which was the main goal. We want to be able to just go into Santa Monica and tear it up and find and teach and baptize like never before.

 

The area is amazing. It has had sisters in it for the last 3 years so Elders are a switch for the area. Just good to get new blood in there, I think. We are now in the Santa Monica First Ward, and our ward building is the second church building constructed in California and is only a few blocks from the beach. We met with our new ward mission leader on Thursday night and talked with him about the vision for the ward and what we can do to help lift it and stuff and he is the best ward mission leader I have had to date on my mission. He is so cool. His name is Brother W. and he is in his late 20's. He's way excited about missionary work, way excited to just help us in any way possible, and perhaps the greatest part is, he understands that we have been called as full time teachers and that it is the ward's job to be finding investigators for us. He is quarterbacking all of that effort and we text him nightly to update him on how things are progressing; he is the man.

 

Speaking of the man, there are actually two...Bishop M. is awesome, too. We met with he and Brother W. yesterday. Bishop M. is a young guy with young kids and definitely knows what he is doing, even though he is a fairly new bishop. He said the ward will take care of reactivation and retention and he wants us to baptize. That is like music to a missionary's ears! He is willing to help with whatever we need and is excited for missionary work in 2012. He said that 2012 is a great year for missionary work and to talk about the Church because it is so easy right now, which is so true.

 

It is a time to be out and vocal about the gospel because it is now that the Lord has given us to use the media, and the election, and Broadway and tons of stuff to our advantage, so we gotta do it! He has a great ward mission plan and we will be working more with him as the work progresses. We have met a few members from the ward and they are excited to have Elders and it just seems like everything is going our way right now. We are being very blessed.

 

Transfer day, like I said, was busy juggling between logistics and getting everyone where they needed to be and coordinating cars and rides and training, and new missionary orientation. Pretty much Wednesday morning we pushed the "go" button that we had been prepping for a week and there were no phone calls so that was good news. Crazy that we think up what everyone will do and then they just do it...It doesn't make sense to a lot of them, but as long as it makes sense in our minds (those who have been staring at maps and the transfer board for hours) then it goes well. Kinda like us and our lives. Sometimes we do not understand why something is happening or why we are asked to do something because we are in a forest and only a few feet from a tree right in front of us. It is important to remember that Heavenly Father created the forest and can see the whole thing and is guiding us where He needs us to be.

 

Had a great personal study this morning about the Plan of Salvation. I realized today that yes, God has one big plan of salvation for all of us combined, but at the same time, He has a plan of salvation for each of us individually. Each event that occurs in our lives is part of this plan of salvation He has made for each of us. Therefore, when we are prompted to talk with someone about the gospel, we are being led by the Spirit to do something that God has planned in that person's individual plan of salvation.

 

Don't make Heavenly Father use His backup plans because you, who are His primary plan, fail to act on a prompting. We must live in such a way that the Lord can trust us to do what we are prompted to do -- the first time He prompts us to do it.

 

This week we also had the opportunity to make what is called the "Mobile Area Book" which contains all the ward information and has our area broken down into more manageable sections to help with planning and make us more effective as we concentrate in one area rather than traveling all over creation trying to do something effective. I have attached a few of the pages if you wanna take a look...It was fun to come up with and we name every area something different. We named them after Book of Mormon Prophets!

 

Another perk of being in the office that we recently discovered is that in Microsoft Publisher you can put pass along cards through the printer and have names, numbers, church meeting times, locations and a mini map on there... It looks pretty cool, actually. We are just trying to use all of our resources and work our fingers to the bone and the Lord is blessing us so much for it.

 

I love you guys a ton and I am so grateful to have served the Lord for 20 months and can't wait to see what else He has in store for me!

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From January 16

Hey Guys!

 

 

Yes, the blaze up here on Temple Hill was quite the ordeal (the under-construction home for the mission president went up in flames on Tuesday). We saw the charred ruins the next morning as we came up to the Westwood field for morning sports. No one was hurt, but there was no electrical equipment in the building so the reason for the fire is fairly certain...I will let you do the math...There are people who just don't like the church!.

 

 

Our planning is coming along well...to tell you the truth, we haven't even touched it with the pending transfers...It is going to be a terrific transfer! I can't even tell you guys how excited I am! Elder M. and I have talked a lot about how there is a belief in the mission that the Assistants don't baptize because they have so many other things to do. Starting now, that will no longer be the case, and if there IS anyone who believes that, they will be proven wrong.

 

 

This transfer brings lot of change as Elder M. and I will be "whitewashing" into the area of Santa Monica and into the Santa Monica 1st Ward. Guess who lives in my new area starting Wednesday?! S. and S. How cool is that!? (S. and S. are dear family friends we have known and loved since before Justin was even born!).

 

 

Sorry I got sidetracked from answering your questions...To make those conferences happen, there is a ton of planning and prep work that takes place, and there is a large opportunity for error, so we have to make sure that all of our bases are covered and we have backup plans for worst case scenarios and such. We schedule buildings, test equipment, plan training, give training. We set up mics and speakers, video equipment, organize rides and who goes where. We also call out assignments for other things like other training, talks, spiritual thoughts, prayers, etc.

 

 

It is quite the process, and with Elder H. heading home Tuesday, I will have my work cut out for me to do it while Elder M. is still learning the ropes. He is doing a really good job though, and I love him to death. He loves "24" and "The Office," and country music so there are a lot of things we have to quote with each other.

Speaking of "24", last night at the departing missionary fireside, we were running special ops it seemed like...had a crazy experience that got our adrenaline pumping and made us feel like secret agents which was pretty cool...Can't say too much about it, but I will when we talk about it in person. Crazy!

 

 

We won the clean apartment award! I had to throw that in there! Elder H. and I cleaned the heck outta that place and it paid off with a lunch at the President and Sister B....the pic should show up on the CLAM blog soon.

 

 

We work with President to plan different meetings and topics and themes, but like I said this week has been transfers, transfers, transfers! Crazy puzzle, but we got it done and it rolls out on Wednesday so we will see how it goes. It is kind of a "cross your fingers and watch all the pieces move" kinda thing.

 

 

As far as things happening like the fire, I have come to learn that bad things just happen. The real test is simply how we react to them. We cannot do anything about something that has already happened, but we can control our next move or the reaction and that is where you find out what you are made of...When life gives you lemons . . . Just take what life gives you and learn from it, grow from it, and show life that there is nothing that can be thrown your way that could possibly shake your faith in Jesus Christ and your desire to act on that faith. In the end, that is all that really matters.

Man, oh man, do I love you guys! Have a great week!

 

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From January 9

Hey Guys!

 

So glad you had such a good time in NYC and celebrating Grandma's birthday, those three holidays (Christmas, her b-day and New Year's) are some of the most fun with the fam so I am glad you kept it that way. Merry Christmas, happy birthday, Grandma and Happy New Year! :)

 

As you can probably tell by the title of this Email, the weather does not feel like any January I remember living through haha. Dad will be able to back me up on that one when he gets here. So last night I found out who my new companion is and right at this very moment, he is sitting next to me Emailing, too. His name is Elder M. and I have served around him for a little bit in Metro Zone. He is so solid. He is from Kentucky and was never a Zone Leader, just a District Leader for a while so there will be some learning curve, but he is more than capable of handling it and is such a good missionary. I have actually wanted to be his comp for a long time. Ever since I went on exchanges with him like 8 months ago. This transfer will be so good, I can't even explain how pumped I am!!!! YEAAHH! We are going to tear it up! Haha

 

This week was the still before the storm that we have coming up that will keep us on our toes until the end of February or beginning of March. In between now and then we have two transfers to plan, two transfers to carry out, two ZLCs to plan, two MLTs to plan, a Zone conference to plan and actually do, and about 8 exchanges with Zone Leaders...AHHH...I wrote on our white board a good reminder..."breathe in, breathe out" haha

 

This past week we were able to teach quite a bit and talk to some awesome people from Guatemala to Austria to Australia...LA is such a melting pot; so cool. Elder H. and I taught a Book of Mormon class at the ward as well during the week and it was really fun to dive deep into it and the chapters and get some different perspectives on things and stuff.

 

This week we will be working on transfers and it promises to be just as crazy as all the other ones...seems like this one will have a common theme of boundary changes as far as areas and stuff to try and stimulate some growth in the Chinese Branch in Palos Verdes. Oh boy, gotta love it, right?

 

Awesome books I have been reading? Well, I have been working through the Book of Mormon again really slowly and breaking down each verse and stuff and it is really awesome to be able to just slow down and take my time. I have also been re-listening to General Conference on the computer as I do different things which has helped me a lot as far as teaching and just learning in general...I can recall things I have heard in different talks and things...love that living scripture :)

 

Goals? That is a loaded question that I probably couldn't share any insights on that you don't already know...but I have come to realize that there are patterns in life...patterns that we fall into whether good or bad, and there are two kinds of people. Those who are put into a new situations and follow the pattern - this can be very good at times when patterns that are established are positive like if you join into a group of friends who has a pattern of going to the temple weekly...great pattern. The other type of person (and I say person but it is more like each of us fall into both of these categories at some point or other) are those who seek to change old patterns and reestablish new ones...For example, you join a group of friends with a pattern of going to the movies every weekend. Often times we must choose between good patterns and changing them for better patterns. For example, going to the movies every weekend is good, but if that is taking the place of going to the temple weekly, a new pattern should be established.

 

In the office this past week, we have been reevaluating everything we do and figuring if it is a good pattern ad then if it is the best pattern and changing them accordingly. I am very exited for this pattern of evaluating patterns to continue and I invite all of you to evaluate the patterns in your lives and see if there is need for a change...there is no time like the present :)

 

Love you guys!

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From January 4

Hey Guys!

 

This week went really well. The temple this morning was awesome and I learned a lot. This past week and a half has gone so fast and new years absolutely flew by. To celebrate we had a new year's conference in the north and south parts of the mission where President rolled out the new Standards of Excellence. We also all shared our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and how they have grown since we recently finished reading the Book of Mormon.

 

New Year's Eve we had a Zone activity where the Zone Leaders rolled out the new Zone goal for the month of January and then we played basketball and kickball and ate chile rellenos. It was so fun. We went to bed at the usual 10:30 then woke up at 11:55 and watched the clock turn, then went back to sleep haha.

The week was good and ZLC was yesterday and we learned about he importance of lesson plans and how the Atonement is infinite in depth of coverage. Today is Elder H.'s birthday and we are probably going to head to the Ghetti Museum in not too long.

 

Your questions this week are difficult! Seriously, very thought provoking and because I woke up at 5 this morning, those questions are taking some time to process haha but I will do my best. Brotherly love is exactly what the Savior demonstrated, right? He is our older Brother, and so He is the ultimate example of brotherly love or charity. It really is the greatest commandment to love thy neighbor/brother as thyself and when we not only make that something we know and understand, but something that is a driving force behind the rest of our actions then we receive the blessings from keeping the greatest commandment.

If we love the Savior in the same way that He loves us...or at least as best as we can because it would be impossible to attempt to imitate the love of the Savior fully, that is our motivation for keeping the rest of the commandments...after all, He did say "if ye love me, keep my commandments."

 

My perceptions of the meaning of a lot of things have changed since being on my mission. I think before, I thought that brotherly love meant giving service and doing it with a good attitude...and that is definitely a way that we can show our brotherly love, but a simple one-time act cannot in itself act as the definition of the word. The best thing that comes from service or a sense of brotherly love is a glimpse of how the Savior felt.

In the moment we act (give service) because of our brotherly love, we feel towards others the same way that He feels toward them. The best way to develop brotherly love is really a flash card answer. We must first desire to love others in the same way that the ultimate example of a brother loves all, then we must study His life and as we study and try to imitate what He did and do what He would do, then our will is swallowed up in the will of the Father. Christ always did the will of the Father, so if we think "what would Jesus do?" and then act accordingly, we are doing the Father's will. That's all I've got for now, but I will definitely keep thinking about it.

 

I am going to attach a copy of the "CLAM Chatter" (see "If You're Happy and You Know It" below) which is the mission newsletter that comes out once a transfer. I had the chance to write a short column in it...lemme know whatcha think!

 

Love you guys!

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro

 

 

 

If You’re Happy and You Know It

Elder Molinaro

What attitude-altering message can be found both in the Book of Mormon as well as in the Children’s Song Book? That question may seem quite daunting upon an initial reading of it; however, similarly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is simple. In my recent study of the Book of Mormon, one of the central themes that I have encountered is that the people of the Lord are a joyous people. In the first book of Nephi, we see that the difference between Nephi and Laman and Lemuel is that Nephi finds happiness in the journey with firm faith in the Lord and the trust that He is guiding them to better things. In contrast, Laman and Lemuel mentally dwell on what activities and riches might have occupied their time were they not in their current circumstance. Elders and Sisters, are we finding the joy in the journey?

With hands firmly grasping the Iron Rod, we are not only heading toward the fruit that will bring us unimaginable elation, but we are holding to the Savior Jesus Christ and His Gospel. With such a priceless treasure in our hands, what better way to express gratitude to the Master than by doing so happily and with smiles of assurance upon our often times dreary faces? We teach of the life changing joy that the teachings of the Savior bring, but too often by the looks of us it would be difficult to convince even the most elect of God’s children that that is the case. Elders and Sisters, we know where we are going. We are marching to life eternal, inviting all who wish to partake of exaltation with us to grab hold of what is made available to all through the atonement of Jesus Christ. With the New Year approaching, may we all resolve to allow the smiles of faith and hope permanently reside on our faces as a beacon of optimism to those whom we encounter. In order to have His image in our countenances, we would do well to remember that like us, Christ is a helper to our Father in Heaven in bringing about His great and eternal plan. After all, we know that when “We’re Helping We’re Happy”, and if “you know it, your face will surely show it.”

From December 26

Family!

 

It was so great to talk to all of you and hear how everything is going. Sounds like you had a terrific holiday and that it was great to have the whole gang together. I am so happy that you all are doing well and are happy.

 

The experience I had teaching that woman in Spanish was definitely a great one though. She was just not getting all the gospel terminology in English, so I just started asking her questions in Spanish and she lit up and started talking and I invited her to be baptized and she agreed! What a miracle.

 

Speaking of miracles, M. (K.'s sister from Huntington Park) got baptized yesterday. I taught her for a while with Elder H. It is so cool to see the areas that I have been in doing so well after I leave them. One of my on-going goals is to leave the area better than I found it, and Fox Hills was the second highest baptizing area in the mission in 2011, so that is pretty cool.

 

The Lord is definitely blessing me for my service and all the blessings that He gives me just makes me want to work harder and harder. I won't slow down for anything. One of my new favorite quotes that I heard at church the other day that sums up a large portion of what I have come to realize on my mission is that "There is nothing noble in being better than some other man. The true nobility lies in being better than your previous self." I can't remember if I had already told you guys that, but it is so true.

 

This life is a life of progression, and personal progression. Remember when I said that there are no winners or losers to God? Well, the instant we start comparing ourselves, we cease to see others as children of God, our Brothers and Sisters. Just something I have been thinkin' lately.

 

Well Guys, I love ya' and I am so grateful for the chance that I have had to dedicate 100% of 2011 to the Lord...make your Mormon.org Profiles! :)

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro