May 13, 2019

 We were blessed and got to talk to Elder Trezise on Sunday and Monday.  Sunday was Mother's Day so not only did he talk to us but he spoke with his Nana and Papa as well.  Here is his letter:

I am so glad I got to talk to you yesterday, and so glad I got to talk to Nana and Papa and Shawn. That was awesome. Anyway, things are going good here. Zone Conference was awesome, and very inspiring. Then Elder Legas came down for exchanges that night. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun. Not too much new. I did talk to Elder Legas a little though, and he's in charge of transfers now that he's an AP, and I'm a little nervous for the upcoming transfer.

I can definitely see prophecies in my setting apart, and my Patriarchal blessing coming true already. It's amazing and is just another witness of the truthfulness of this work and this Gospel. I am so glad the Gospel has influenced your life for good. And change is not a bad thing. President Nelson has advised us to 'repent daily.' And the Lord Himself has told us that repentance is the key to the gates of Heaven. 

Anyway, the message I wanted to share with the family is an important one. This week, in our Book of Mormon reading, we got to Helaman chapter 5. Which is the chapter that changed my life. I would invite all of you to read this chapter, and watch for a few things. Mark how many times the word "remember" is used. There is a vital lesson to be learned there. We are taught things, often over and over, and still we forget. We are human. We make mistakes. But if we just remembered the teachings of God, and sought to execute all of His commands, we would never be sad or discouraged. Remembrance. That's the issue of mortal life. But in this chapter, Lehi and Nephi remember the words of their father. They remember the words of king Benjamin. They remember God. To remember God, we must have some sort of knowledge to begin with. We have to know Him.

My favorite verse in this chapter, and my favorite verse of all time however, is verse 12. This is what our faith, our foundation is built on. Jesus Christ is the only way by which any of us are saved. He is the only way to eternal life. He is the way. The light and the life. Now that's sounds a lot simpler than it is. And that is why I love this verse so much. Life is hard. Life wasn't meant to be easy. It is hard. It's full of difficulties, trials, tribulations, and strife. It pushes us to our knees, and bends us to it's will. It causes us to give up. Or, in more real terms, the adversary does all of that. But "when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall HAVE NO POWER OVER YOU, to drag you down to that gulf of misery and endless wo, BECAUSE OF THE ROCK UPON WHICH YE ARE BUILT." Yes it's going to be hard. Yes, trials are going to come. The devil IS going to send it forth. But if you are built on Christ, it has NO power over you. If you are built on Christ, "you cannot fall." Why can't you fall? Because He is there for you. Christ isn't the light at the end of the tunnel. Christ isn't waiting at the finish line for you to cross. Christ is pushing with you the whole way. He is carrying you when you feel like falling. He makes it so your body never hits that floor. He makes it so your feet stay under you. He bears the burden that is just too heavy for you to carry. He lifts the pains that drag you down. He takes the sorrow that discourages you. He has born your pains, your sicknesses and your trials. He has paid the price, and His arm, yea, His merciful hand is extended ALWAYS to ALL! He is there to pick you up when you fall. And all He asks, all He asks is for you to believe in Him. To trust in Him. To turn to Him. Are you willing to? What worldly addictions, and worldly cares are holding you back? What riches are you withholding? What is stopping you from taking up your cross and following Him? Fear? Doubt? What are you afraid of? What are your doubts? You're afraid it's going to be hard. "But it's so hard to live the Word of Wisdom. It's so hard to live the standards of the Gospel. The expectations are way too high!" Does God expect a lot from you? Yes. God sees your divine potential. God sees your capabilities. You are a child of God. The Highest, Most Powerful, and only Omnipotent Being out there. You are HIS child. And you have the potential to become like Him. To inherit the kingdom of God. To create worlds and life. So yes. It is hard. By the looks of it, you have every reason to fear and doubt. But the reason not to is right in front of you. Whether you see Him or not. Christ is there. Christ has paved the straight and narrow path. Christ has laid out the exact way to inherit the highest degree of Glory. Christ has set the perfect example. So when the trials come. When the doubts come. When the pain comes, you are standing shoulder to shoulder with the greatest life this world has ever known. You are standing shoulder to shoulder with a Being who has inherited exaltation and eternal life. You are on the path toward eternal happiness and toward living with God again. Your reward on that path outweighs your pains infinite times. Your happiness at the end of that long, painful road, will make you forget that you ever struggled in the first place. So for all of you who have a Gospel knowledge. For all of you who have heard the truth, ASSUME YOUR ROLE. Assume your position. Take up your cross and follow Christ. And for those of you that either don't know the Gospel, or who have strayed away from it. Read the Book of Mormon. To remember something, you must first KNOW it. So my invitation to you is to find out. To read, and KNOW for yourself. And if you really do desire to know, God isn't going to hold back the truth. But if you're reading because I told you to, or you're reading with a hard heart and a sceptical mind. How can you expect God to reveal it to you if you don't really want to know? I know. I let Him in. I know this church is true. And each and every one of you can know too. This is my testimony. I earned it. I payed the price for it. And my Savior, my Redeemer gave it to me. And all these things I testify of, in His name. Even the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Elder Trezise
 Later in the day he sent me these pictures:

Of course I freaked out.  Here was Elder Trezise's explanation on what happened:

Yeah, no Elder Smith didn't try to beat me up. I was backing him, and I went to open the door, and it was locked, and he sped off super fast as a joke, but he didn't realize that I was still holding the handle, and I flew onto the asphalt. He feels super super bad and is buying me new clothes though.