Dear Family and Friends,
The month has flown by! I can't believe that October is already almost over. This week we got to go to the temple! That was really awesome. It made me think of when we went to the Portland Temple. It made me feel a lot of joy because I realized again how lucky I am to have the amazing family that I have. You are my best friends. I feel so blessed with the knowledge that we have the opportunity of spending eternity together. It gave me so much peace and joy. Just think, we get to hear mom tell me to take my vitamins for eternity! ;) hahaha! Just teasing Mom, I love you. Truly I feel so blessed to have you guys.
We are getting into the winter season here, it's getting a lot colder. It's not near as cold as Utah, but it rains every day. This week it rained like crazy! I was so happy I was in a car this week haha. Next week we will get our turn with the bikes!
On Thursday it was raining like crazy! We showed up at H's house and got to spend time with him. We talked to him about changing and becoming better. I told him that now was the time to make changes. Not just for him, but for all of us. I related it to wrestling for him, because he was a wrestler when he was young. I related his matches that went 3 rounds and how tough they were but how much joy he felt after - related that to the atonement and changing. I tried to help him see that the decisions he needed to make weren't going to be easy, but they would be worth it. In the end they would make his best memories and be something that he will always remember and be grateful for. He said that he knew he needed to go to church. We kindly agreed haha. He can't right now because of his foot. He has them all cut up because of diabetes and is in a wheelchair, but as soon as they got healed he would come. We are going to try and get him a ride before then.
Friday was the Temple with our Zone! And after H had us try and help him figure out some paperwork. We helped him interpret the paperwork and explained how to fill it out, so he appreciated that a ton. He is so funny! He calls us his boys. He will be on the phone when we go over and he will straight up tell anyone he is on with, "hey gotta go, my boys are here! Yeah, the Mormon boys."
As I was reading this week I read in Alma 38 about when Alma the younger was giving his son Shiblon council. I read vs: 3 and 4 which say:
"3 I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites.
4 For I know that thou wast in bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word’s sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee."
When I read this I thought of Sam. I was completely overcome with Sam's experience but more importantly Sam's response. To realize then that he may have suffered quite a bit of pain and the time but to completely direct it outward and be thankful for our Savior and for Joseph Smith is a testimony of Sam's dedication to The Lord and this work. It is very natural for us to look inward when we have things go wrong, or get drilled in the head by a rock. That is the natural man, that is not Sam. Sam has always been a great example to me as a friend and continues to be an example to me in this great work. I love what Alma says to his son. He tells him the he has had great joy in Shiblon because of his hard work and patience. I can say the same thing about Sam. I know that our Heavenly Father is proud of him and his hard work and patience. I know that he is proud of all of my great friends and their great service. I am so grateful for the great friends I have who are amazing examples to me!
Well, family I love you guys so much! Please keep up the great work and know that I love you all so much and pray for all of you!
Love,
Elder Redding
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