May 25, 2020

Here is Elder Trezise's letter for the week:

Hi family! 
Sorry for the lame email last week. I know. But hopefully this one will be a little better. It was an AWESOME week here, and honestly I'm really enjoying life right now. I get to teach a ton, and we're still working hard, but I have more time to also focus and set goals for who I want to be after the mission. Or I guess what type of missionary I'm going to be after the mission. Because being a missionary has changed me so much and made me so happy, and I just want to continue to change and continue to be happy. Honestly things are going really good though. I hope home life is going good as well. :) 
 
This week in my personal study I was able to read a talk by President Nelson where he says, "I am optimistic about the future. It will be filled with opportunities for each of us to progress, contribute, and take the gospel to every corner of the earth. But I am also not naive about the days ahead. We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation." 
 
I've seen this become the most important thing in my life today. There are plenty of people all around us who can have amazing positive influences in our lives, as well as many who will have negative influences. But what is more important than anything, it creating a connection with the One who will have more of an influence than anyone else. Our Father in Heaven WANTS to speak to you. Wants to help you. And amazingly, it isn't that hard to receive His help. Our church is the only church that I know that believes in a 2 way communication process between us and deity. We can speak to God, and He will speak back. How amazing is that. More important than anything else is learning to recognize the revelation God gives you. Because He will never lead you astray. Sure sometimes, most of time, the correct path seems to be a hard one, layered with thorns and thickets. But, He will guide us through the path. He will strengthen us to keep going. Learn to rely on Him. Learn to trust Him. And the way to do that isn't hard. Read the Book of Mormon EVERY DAY. Pray EVERY DAY. And you'll feel the change start to happen in your life. I promise you that you will. 
 
In a talk by Elder Christofferson, he quotes an Elder of the Church by saying, 
"“Life offers you two precious gifts—one is time, the other freedom of choice, the freedom to buy with your time what you will. You are free to exchange your allotment of time for thrills. You may trade it for base desires. You may invest it in greed. …
Yours is the freedom to choose. But these are no bargains, for in them you find no lasting satisfaction.
Every day, every hour, every minute of your span of mortal years must sometime be accounted for. And it is in this life that you walk by faith and prove yourself able to choose good over evil, right over wrong, enduring happiness over mere amusement. And your eternal reward will be according to your choosing." 
 
Begin with the end in mind. Where do you want to end up? What do you want to get out of your life? And are you currently taking steps to be there? We had a training during our zone conference this last week where the Stake President giving the training said, "Imagine your ideal life in 5 years. Where do you want to be? What do you want to have accomplished?" Then he placed a pencil down on the lefthand side of the table. "Now imagine worst case scenario in 5 years?" He placed another pencil down, a foot to the right of the 1st one. Then, placed a final pencil at the bottom of the table, making it face right in between the 2 pencils. "Now, where are you? Is your life pointed toward the best case scenario or worst case scenario." I think most of us agree it's not pointed straight at the best case scenario. He then asked, "What small changes can you make to tilt the pencil slightly closer to the best case scenario." And immediately I had thoughts of things I need to be doing, or not doing, to point towards my best life. And I've been working on those things since. So what's holding you back? Is it a lack of desire to study the scriptures? A lack of motivation to pray? An attitude that you don't need God in your life? Justification about why you can't live a Gospel centered life? Whatever it is, look to the future. And trade your allotment of time for the correct choices.
I love each of you and pray for you every day. I really do. I pray that your lives are good. I pray that you're happy. And I pray that you can feel God in your life. Let me know if there is EVER anything I can do for you. I love you all so much! 
-Elder Trezise

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