15 June 2015 Tons of Fun

Querido amigos y familia,

This week was tons of fun, just like all the rest. Here's what made it special.

First, we started out with a temple trip and our last zone conference with President Swapp. It was amazing. The president showed us a slide show of his life and told us about some great experiences he has had. I would like to briefly share one of those: As some may know, President Edward Swapp spent a good part of his life climbing the ranks in the oil business. The president of the company at the time of this experience happened to be an inactive member of the Church who had fallen into trap of hating the church and its standards for the sake of a negative experience or two. Because of this, he had a habit of trying to get the various members who worked with him to give up their standards for fear of their jobs. In this instance, he pulled over to buy wine in Nappa valley while him and Prez Swapp were traveling for business. President told us that he stood firm to his standards (partly because he knew of the mans intentions) and he would NOT drink with his boss. The boss ended up speeding away in a huff and the pair sat in complete silence the rest of the 45 minutes.

Prez swapp went on to tell us that this experience, along with a number of others were ultimately rewarded with a great happy family and many opportunities to serve as a faithful member of the Church. 

I can testify of the principle taught here. I know that faithful perseverance and a desire to fulfill our responsibilities with God will bring about incredible blessings and rewards. Even though I am far away from home, I can see those blessings all around me.

We ended the week with a carne asada with a recently reactivated member and various members of the ward. David (the host)s wife, Erika, is not a member and we are working with her. She continues to come ever closer to fully knowing the blessings of the gospel.

Sé que el Señor Jesucristo vive. Sé que el Libro de Mormón tiene un gran proposito en nuestros vidas y en el mundo.

I love you all,

 

Elder Lambert