{Letter #4} Boring Assault Rifle Greetings

Hey everyone!

I'm in Portland now!!! 

Well technically not Portland, but in Boring.  So yeah it's a pretty exciting place. It's a bit outside the main city of Portland, so it's super pretty out here and everything is kinda spread out.

On our first day here we got to go to the Portland Temple, which is absolutely gorgeous!!!

  

 Then we met our trainers for the next few weeks! My trainer is from the Chicago area so we have two people from big cities serving out in the middle of nowhere. Fun times all around.

A couple days after we got there were some serious wildfires a ways away from us. Thankfully they were able to get them under control within about 2 days, but the smoke still turned the sky some fun colors.

The food we have been eating is mostly not great, unless it's food from the members. But we did get to go shopping today so hopefully it'll be a bit better now.

 

The members are mostly pretty nice and happy to see us but there have been a few that weren't quite as excited to see us. For example, we were visiting an inactive member's house and once we pulled into the driveway he marched out of his house with an Assault Rifle! He was actually pretty friendly, just thought we were people coming to intrude on his property. He did still tell us to leave though.

Even out here on the west coast I've been able to make connections to people from kinda all over which is super awesome! It really is such a small world.

Anyways my spiritual thought from this week is 2 Nephi 2:6-8 which reads:

"6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise."

I just love the powerful testimony that Lehi gives in these verses of all the things that the Savior has done for us. He also says in verse 8 "how great the importance to make these things known unto the children of men". These verses have just been a powerful confirmation to me of the importance of sharing the message of Christ's Atonement to all the world. I know that it is only through Christ that we can return to our Heavenly Father.
Hope y'all are doing well and I'd love to hear from you!
Make it count
Love,
Elder Goold