Jordan: 10/8/2012

From: Jordan Schouten
Sent: Monday, October 08, 2012 8:36 AM
Subject: my letter 10/8/2012

 

Well, conference was great. I was just as blown away as all of you about the announcement about 18 and 19 yr olds going on missions. It doesn´t really affect me much, seeing as i´m on a mission already and by the time most of the 18 yr olds start getting here, i´ll be going home. But, i was mindblown too. I´m kinda glad i´m not in your shoes, Austin. That´s a hard decision to make, but, if you rely on the Spirit, you can´t go wrong. Do whatever God tells you to do. But, like you said, START PREPARING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It doesn´t matter if you go on you mission when your 24, you need to start preparing now. No one is ever prepared to serve a mission, but, the more you know and more you study and come to know the Savior and His Atonement BEFORE the mission, the easier the mission is. I think it was Ezra Taft Benson that gave a talk called "Flooding the world with the BoM" and in it he says that he has the vision of thousands of missionaries going into the MTC with HUNDREDS of scriptures memorized from the BoM. So, that would be my biggest piece of advice to all of you thinking about missions: Austin, David, Phillip, Annie, Alexis, and Lauren. (and Ashley, I don´t know what she thinks about a mission. She could already be on a mission, but nevertheless, memorizing scriptures is good for anyone). But as far as mission preparation, the most important thing that you can have is an UNSHAKABLE testimony of the BoM and the Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith. Other things don´t really matter too much. If you have that testimony, you can withstand anything in life. Maturity and real life skills that living away from home gives are really important and help a ton, but the only thing that really matters is having a testimony and desires to serve the Lord. Like D&C 4 says, "if ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work." So, after all this, i guess my advice to all of you, brothers and cousins that are thinking about missions, is to study the BoM like you´ve never studied it before. Then, ask the Lord what he wants you to do. Then, listen to the Spirit. He can´t mislead you. Another suggestion for studying the BoM would be that in PMG, at the end of CH 5 about the Book of Mormon, where it says "ideas for study and application," it says mission presidents, and it says that mission presidents should give copies of the BoM to their new missionaries and invite them to read it and mark all references to Christ´s name, his doctrine, his words, and something else. DO IT. Doing that activity literally changed my life and who i am. I always thought of the BoM as the stories of Nephi, Ammon, Alma, Heleman, Moroni, Mormon, etc. But as i did that activity, i learned that it´s the story of Christ. That literally EVERY PAGE of the BoM testifies of Christ, that He lives, and that He is our Savior and Redeemer. So, that´s my advice.

The week here was good. We taught a good amount of lessons for not being able to do anything saturday or sunday because of general Conference. We had to leave our area and there was no way to get back between sessions to teach. So, it was good. We have a 9 yr. old that is getting baptized this saturday. He´s pretty excited and we are too.

Dad- i hope you enjoyed your conference in vegas and then, the real important conference on Saturday and Sunday.

Mom- i hope you get feeling better. I´m glad you could work, but don´t kill yourself. I don´t know if i´ll see austin before he leaves on his misison, but i don´t want to go to your grave my first day back. hahahaha. Also, i got the package you sent. Thanks a ton. You´re the greatest.

Austin- don´t stress. That´s the biggest thing i could tell you other than what i wrote at the beginning. And, don´t fight revelation/promptings. Do what the Spirit says. If that´s going to a year of college at Colorado School of the Mines, then do it. If that´s go straight on the misison, then do it. If it´s go to BYU, then do it. Just pray and fast, and go to the temple. That´s the best place to recieve revelation. The veil is thinner there.

John- be of good cheer. That´s one thing i´ve learned in the mission. They´re  is always enough bad things that happen in the mission that you can choose to be miserable, but you can just choose to be happy. Don´t stress about stuff. (it seems like you were ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS saying that to me). Well, just trust in the Lord and do what He wants to you do. Don´t do what you want, do what He wants. Don´t put a pavillion between you and him. Go and ask Him, then do what he says without waiting.

Tasha- did you like conference? Hope you did. it´s the best.

Shaylee- what was your favorite talk?

The church is true. That´s the only thing i can tell you. For all of you that are kinda confused right now about what to do with missions, girls, college, work, whatever, Just remember that the Church is true and that God loves us more than we know. whatever trial he gives us is for our good. I know that He changed the age for missionaries 1. because there are a lot of ready 18 yr olds and 2. because he wants all of you that have to make this decision so you can learn how to recognize the Spirit better. I didn´t have that. 19 yrs. old was the age for me. I didn´t have to think about it or recieve revelation. But, he knows you all are ready and he wants you to learn to trust him, starting right now. So, don´t worry. He never leads us astray. He will guide you all to the right decision. I love the Gospel. It´s the greatest. It makes life so much easier.

Love you all,
Elder Jordan Schouten