Hola a todos! This week was quite interesting! I had an interview with my Mission President and I asked to stay in Payson for the rest of my mission which is four more months. He said its possible but he honestly doesn’t know if I really will. It’s been fun up here in Payson. We have been teaching members and members and members and helping them gain the confidence to reach out to their neighbors to see how they are doing and if we are able to share a message with them. So far we have had no success but recently we thought about having a ward fast for the Mogollon ward here in Payson. That is a work in progress. On another note, two of my most favorite scriptures are found in Joshua 24:15 and Alma 48:17: 

[JOSHUA] “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

And 

[ALMA speaking of MORONI] Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. 18 Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.

Both these scriptures talk about having a strong faith and belief in Jesus Christ. Both Joshua and Moroni were familiar with mountains—both actual physical mountains and spiritual mountains that exist in the Holy Land and in the Americas. They used their faith to ascend to the top of the mountain and have spiritual experiences. When I think of my life’s experiences – of climbing mountains as a young teenager and later skills training at a mountain man rendezvous, and now serving a mission literally in the mountains where I have lived for half my mission, I believe that I have become a mountain man in many respects. I see life from a higher and different perspective. I have paid a price to climb this spiritual mountain – much study and service and much sacrifice. And those who travel with me whether as mission companions or friends have become accustomed to life in the mountains. Together we strive to bring glorious spiritual experiences to those around us so they can experience the joy of viewing life from a higher, more noble and even redeeming perspective. Such is life in the mountains.

I know that Christ lives and that He loves each and every one of us. I have been out serving for 19 months now and I truly feel like this has been a dream. The lesson and trials I have had here have taught me that Jesus Christ still loves me. As I get into the last couple months of my mission, I would like to thank you all for the support and love I have received. It’s truly hard to be out serving away from family for two years but in the end it will all be worth it. Thanks for listening in and tune in to next week when I share more of my experiences! Enjoy these photos of Elk and service!