Weekly Letter -- Elder Adam Edwards in Nantes, France 28 Sept. 2015

This is the father and son tie we chose today, the one on my shoulder.
Whoo go Edwards and Walton

It is so GREEN thisis a park right by the train station

Hello my dear, beloved family and friends! 

I have a lot to tell you about this week so I'll just get started!! I'll number them so it's easier for us all to keep track of. 

1. Captain Moroni--wow. So I have been reading pretty much all of the war chapters in the Book of mormon this past week, just the past few days reAlly, and boy, it is so cool!!! All right, first of all, Captain Moroni and Helaman are such bosses! So cool. I learned a lot recently about how I can be a strong, great man. I wanted to do some of that this past week, you know, learning how to be a great man with the example of great men from the scriptures, so there you go! Have loved learning lots about him, great times. Man and that story of the war in between about chapters 45 through 63 is just so intense! Boy you just see all these cool strategies and i just love it! Don't know why some people don't like the war chapters. I kind of have a warrior heart though so it's whatever. :). The Book of Mormon is great and it's true. It was so cool this week to just feel so compelled to read that a couple times. I just really couldn't put it down--man so great! You just get so into it, especially for those who can read it for their first time, please take the chance and read it! You,ll never be the same!

2. Testimony -- Well, I just wanted to share a story or verse in particular that I've read recently in study. It's in Helaman 3:29-30 and also Helaman 4. I challenge you all to reAd those two chapters. It is basically a call to all the people in the world, the truth that YOU CAN HAVE A TESTIMONY IF YOU WILL SEEK ONE. There may be many, many, many people who mock this Church, or who have left it--we learn a lot also from the chapters concerning Lehi's Dream, see 1 Nephi 8--but that does not mean we have to doubt or leave those testimonies behind. There are plenty of people who go against God in the world. I see that EVERY DAY in France. It isn't paradise over here. But I know something--that the people who will, who want to, will lay hold upon that Word if God, upon that rod of iron, and they will cleave to it and will not let it go. I testify that NO MATTER HOW HARD THE DAY SEEMS, no matter how cold or dark or bleak the situation may be, no matter how many people go against God and His work, there will always be a way through. We can always keep our covenants--in the end, you know, it's really what we DO with what we receive that counts, not so much what we receive. I mean yes, that counts too, but think about it:  

- I've received my Patriarchal Blessing, now what am I going to do about it? If you just receive it and never read it again (you might think that's crazy but I've met people like that), what makes you think that will bless your life or help you every day?! You're going to wake up one day in the spirit world and be like, "Oh, whoops, that would've been nice to apply." So do you see what I mean? It's what you do with it that counts. 

- Temple covenants and ordinances (this also applies to baptism and receiving the priesthood): you've made promises with God, you've told Him you'd do certain things, you're in this situation and you can't just forget about these sacred oaths and promises. But those things, the wearing of the garment, those things won't do you much good if you don't stay TRUE to them. There are people who stop wearing their garments and fall into inactivity every year--that stinks for them! Ask yourselves, everyone, "what has God given me, what promises have we made, and what can I do to live up to them?" 

I've found that, ultimately, for me at least, the best life is lived in taking your situation the way it is now, and making positive choices, taking action, and making the best of it. You will never find fulfillment in the living of past deeds, the crowns of bygone eras, if, in the end, you are not NOW willing to get your life in order and seek to act, live in the present, and make the best life you can out of the life God has given you. ACT. So, so important. I have seen so many people who are less-active and it's because they forgot this promise in Helaman 3 and 4. Please take a minute to read it, it's so amazing!!!

3. Repentance is real and powerful. We were able to share the lesson or message for the YSA activity we had on Wednesday night, and boy, so cool, check out Alma 36:12-13, 17-20 and 3 Nephi 11:8-10, 12-14. Realize that Christ calls to YOU too!!! This call to repentance, to come to Him, is unto ALL THE EARTH, and He will make good his promises. If we come to Christ in true repentance, without hypocrisy, on His own conditions, He will help us all and make it all right. Never give up hope, the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for everybody, and that means you, too. We were able to share our testimonies of Jesus Christ and His power ro redeem there, and it was awesome. I need to keep repenting, too, we all do. We won't be done repenting and persevering until Jesus is come again, even until we're like him!

4. Okay, now I'll tell you about Djenyce, our 11-year-old ami or investigator who has been learning about the gospel for quite a while--missionaries have gone to see him for at least a year, and i think much longer than that--but he's part of a slightly less-active family, they're great people, but they can't always make it to church and stuff, and his baptism has been delayed for three years so we've been receiving very specific instructions from the Lord on that to get it moved up to the 10th or the 17th of October, rather than the 31st. Boy, the Lord really wants that kid baptized. So we are going to try to get him baptized soon, the Lord needs to get this kid in the water, so this week we've spent a lot of efforts going forward with the details of that and just making it so that it could work sooner. His dad will be baptizing him so that will be great. We can testify that the Lord gives revelation to His missionaries, even if we are just his humble servants. There you go. May not always talk to as many people as I should or testify with as much power as I should, but I know that to be true. 

5. Zone Conference-- we had zone conference this past week and it was awesome. It was actually a lot on repentance so it was good. We talked about how if you've sinned and the guilt of that sin has left you, you feel no guilt from it, but you still remember it, sometimes the Lord does that so we don't hurt ourselves by repeating that sin again, so it's pretty cool. Zone Conference was awesome, saw a lot of people, weird that Elder Baldwin, my trainer, wasn't there. Anyways, there you go.

8. My desires for this week-- I really want to live in the moment, just take the life I have that God has given me, and you and Dad have given me, (thanks so much!!!), and just do the best with it that I can. It does no good to reflect too much on the past, so it's best just to move forward with the future, thanks for telling me about that lesson mom, it was awesome. I know that the Lord is willing to forgiven even sometimes when I,m reluctant to forgive myself. 

Even on the tram, with lots of bars to hold onto and lots of blue and green seats with lots of people to talk to, I can live in the moment and take a hold of each chance I have to be there to talk with someone. Cool stuff, huh? The Lord wants us to move on and take life and make it the best we can each day! i love that. It's better to be cold or hot, as the scriptures say, better to take action and be a fiery spirit on the Lord's side, been feeling like I'm a fiery spirit lately.

Our other amis are doing well, we have another referral or two to contact and then after that we're good! So we're almost done cleaning out all the referrals we,ve received online, ten total or so, in the last few years that haven't been taken care of yet. So yeah. The lord's work moves forward, it's not for me to doubt but to get the strongest testimony I can and then to move forward working with my whole soul. We're going to work on getting out to do contactng and door to door more, less time planning and stuff. Will be good. 

Okay, now I,m going to answer your auestions, Mom and dad!  

Principle in study--Captain moroni, that guy is a boss! Helaman too, that guy's awesomel loved the war chapters in the book of mormon, super cool. I like that idea of how to study the scriptures, that's cool! I just don't know if I have the resources to do it, don't really have a lot of cards and stuff like that. Great for your class though! Thanks for sharing that with me Mom!

Conferenece plans--well apparently lots of members who understand and speak English actually come with us to the English room too because it,s better to hear the direct English oration and also you can hear the peoples' real voices. So...I don't know if we can still bring lots of food? Haha I'm assuming yes... By the way how much money did Grandma B. Send? Maybe I can use a bit of that for some candy or something :) yeah don't worry we'll have fun at conference!

Zia still remembers me, whoa! I read that last week and was really surprised, that is so cool! So glad she still remembers me. If she forgets before I get home, oh well, I really appreciate Malia and Austin's efforts to help her remember though!

Dad is a great example of doing his duty, thanks Dad! Mom, don't be too hard on yourself, you're always doing great things. But way to go out and do your duty, great story, loved it. 

Love you, I need to run, but thank you so much for all you do, Mom and Dad. Still miss ya sometimes, it's good though and life is good. It's good to learn to be my own man and be independant. Thank you for financing this Mom and Dad. Love you so much. I know the gospel is true. In the name of Jesus christ, amen.