Beware of the Groove!!

Hey everyone


So, the last couple of weeks have been kinda weird for me. For awhile, I was not feeling very comfortable because of all of the "different" situations I was in, and it kinda threw me off my "groove". I now know why the old man was so afraid to throw off the Emperor's groove...because no one likes being interrupted in their routine that they are used to.

But, with that being said, I learned a great deal about relying upon Heavenly Father to guide through these last couple of weeks. I have, many times, went to my own personal liahona and sought for direction as to where I should go and how can I accomplish what I have been commissioned to do. I know that many of you, if not all of you, know what I am talking about. None of us like to be taken out of our comfort zone; none of us enjoy the trials that come to us unexpectadly. But, I was reading today in the 2 Book of Nephi, where it speaks of our first parents, and the scripture "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy" brought me to contemplate on how the life we have here on earth should be one centered on the Lord Jesus Christ because we know that through His atonement, all mankind may have that "joy". So, that should be our quest everyday. Also, in 2 Nephi, it spoke about how, "there are things to act, and things to be acted upon" and that "men are free, according to the flesh" so that we may choose for ourselves to have joy in our lives or misery. Now, as we choose the first, we can enjoy all the blessings that our Father in Heaven has for us, but if we choose the second, we become more ensnared by the "angel that fell from heaven" and who became "miserable forever" and thus, becoming miserable like him.

So, moral of the thought: Choose to be happy today. Even when someone cuts you off while you are driving, or while you are waiting for someone to call you that you love, or while you are trying to find a job, or while you are overloaded at your current occupation. Remember to choose joy over misery when the Bishop asks you to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting when you are petrified of speaking in front of people, even when you cannot handle the pressures of having to go do home/visiting teaching.

Remember to choose joy.

...I am sorry if that sounded "preachy". I just read what I wrote and it sounded very very preachy. That's not what I'm trying to do.

Anyway, the work has been going well. We had dinner last night with an investigator family of 5, and we ate Puerto Rican rice and pork steaks...ohh it was so goood. And then, we watched Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, and it was really great! They have been reading he Book of Mormon daily, along with the New Testament from lds.org...so, they have the audio of the scriptures playing while they read along from the books! And they have read the entire Gospel Principles manual(by the way, if you want to give a non-member ANY kind of literature, First: The Book of Mormon Second: The Gospel Principles manual).

They have a lot of things they have to overcome, but they want to change and they want to be an eternal family.

Oh, and something cool I read today: So, in 2 Nephi 1: 10-12, Lehi is speaking to his sons Laman and Lemuel, and lets back up to verse 9 as well. In v. 9 , Lehi says that he has "obtained a promise" from the Lord that those that are brought out of the land of Jerusalem will, in essence dwell in the land and shall prosper in the land, IF THEY ARE RIGHTEOUS (ok, duh...that's the big theme in the Book of Mormon), but in the following verses, it states that if Laman and Lemuel's posterity are not righteous, OTHER PEOPLE will come, "and he(the Lord) will give them(other nations) power, and he will take away their possessions". So, this is a prophesy of "nations" coming over and taking over the people that inhabit the land A.K.A. the Lamanites.

Ok...so from these few verses...we have just proven the Book of Mormon true

I do not know what was taught in schools in the early 1800s (i do not have the textbooks at my disposal), but I do know the history of the United States at the time Joseph Smith was translating the gold plates. Andrew Jackson was president. The Louisiana Purchase had barely taken place, and not much of anything past the Rockies we owned. The Mexicans were fighting with Texas. The "Trail of Tears" would not be taking place until AFTER the saints were already in Missouri (1838). HOW COULD JOSEPH HAD KNOWN ABOUT ALL OF THIS BEING A FULFILLMENT OF PROPHESY WHEN MUCH OF IT STILL HAD NOT TAKEN PLACE? Now, Coronado, Cortez, and Columbus, and others had come over...but that was more Central America. Young Joseph, at 20 years-old, in Pennsylvania, probably did not know much of what was happening with all of these things. Anyway, just some food for thought.

I love all of you, and I pray for all of you constantly. I am so happy to be serving a mission, and I am excited to see all of you sooner rather than later.

Elder Brad Fellows