April 11th Email !!!

Hey Everyone,

So I have some bad news. Elder Spendlove has gone home. He had been talking to Elder Olsen and I and felt that he had some things he needed to take care of back at home. It was a great experience to be able to talk with him and let him know that I know exactly how he was feeling and what he was going through. I'm so grateful to the Lord for His tender mercies and Him putting me in places where I need to be and help those that need help. President called and told me that that wasn't the reason the Lord told him to put me here but the Lord doesn't always reveal every reason why and he was glad I was here with him. We are teaching a guy named Bill, back in the 70's he brought his family into the church but couldn't get baptized due to probation and now wants to come back. He has some temporal things he needs to overcome but has the right attitude and can really recognize the Spirit in his life. After teaching him this week I was able to give him a blessing and I hope you takes the Lord's counsel and applies it because it will be the only way for him to do so. We were at another family's home this weekend and their 18 yr old son has addiction issues and was on probation and came home a wreck. Couldn't stand up or focus and tried to hurt his sister. We were asked to intervine until the police officier showed up to check if he was home. He was rushed to the hospital and almost died...crazy!! The Doctrine and Covenants emphasizes that the first assignment from the Lord to Joseph Smith was the translation of the Book of Mormon. All other work he was to accomplish was dependant on his fulfilling this assignment. (D&C 5:4)
After losing the 116 pages of manuscript, Joseph’s power to translate was taken away for a small season. When that power was restored, Joseph began the translation once again starting on April 7th and finishing the translation on June 30th. Joseph felt an urgency to complete this assignment for the Lord. As a mission, we are reading the Book of Mormon within this time frame, underlining the REquirements in red and the BLessings in blue. These are the promises within the Book of Mormon. I have felt the power of this ‘book of books’, the ‘most correct book on the earth today’. It has changed my life as I ponder, pray and ask with real intent about how these promises work in my life. It will instruct me in what I need to know, and how to use these scriptures to build up the church.

I Love You All So Much!!

Elder Salmon