Happiness is a Choice!

Dear Family and Friends, 

This week was another crazy barn-burner... haha! The weeks fly by out here.  It honestly feels like just yesterday we were sitting here doing emails.  

This week started off great.  We met with a family.  We met them a week and a half ago.  We were riding our bikes by the husband and he was outside washing his car.  I automatically thought about baptism and washing away our sins... haha. (naturally)  So we pulled up by him and I related baptism and washing our cars to him... hahah he seemed to have interest.  So we set up a time.  Sure enough sunday came around and we met with them.  It went great.  We shared the first and invited them to pray about joseph smith.  We saw them on saturday as well, and we shared the Joseph smith video with them and talked about baptism and the sacrament. It was really special.  The husband seems to be a pretty devout Buddhist... but he said he would be willing to read and pray about the book of mormon with his wife!  

English Class of High School Students

About a month ago as we were biking a lady approached us and told us that she was a teacher at a local high school and heard about our English class.  She wanted to know if we could come to the

school.  I told here that we could... but that we would also need to share the gospel as well.  She was great with that.  She wanted to give us money... haha but we told her that we would like to do it for free.  I think that she was surprised! haha.

So this week we went to their class and taught them.. It was really fun!!  at the end we took about 20 min and taught them about the gospel.  We asked how many had met missionaries before... out of about 30 of them only about 1 or 2 had.  We shared about Heavenly Father and Prayer.  I think that it touched their hearts.  It was so cool.  We will be going back in a couple weeks.  I was really grateful for that opportunity to share the gospel with these students and let them feel of the holy ghost.  I have full confidence that they will have opportunities in the future to learn more about our church and about Jesus Christ.  I believe what we are doing now is preparing them for a future day.  Although we cannot see the immediate fruits of our labors we must have faith that the things we are doing now are not going unnoticed.  No act of goodness no matter how small, is ever wasted. 

Alma 27:

16 And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.

 17 Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, evento the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.

 18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness. 

I love this scripture!  As I read about Ammon in my personal study it inspired me to become a "humble seeker of Happiness. Happiness is a choice and it is up to every single one of us.  We get out of this life what we put into it.  So what ever we are doing in life let us find happiness therein. It is there.  There is happiness in this gospel.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy.  He has given us countless tools to find happiness in this life.  It starts within us... it starts with a decision.  I hope and pray that we can all DECIDE to be happy.  I know that if we come to our Heavenly Father in HUMBLE prayer... he will illuminate our minds through the Holy Ghost.  He will help us know what we must do to receive this happiness.  In the end... no one can force us to be happy.  That is a decision we must make and I know that the creator of our very souls is more than eager to help us find a way that we can receive more happiness in our lives.  It starts by coming to him. 

Love, 

Elder Redding     

PDay