We had a really good/busy week full of lessons and miracles...

Dear Family,

First of all I want to thank you for that poster! That really was so fun and I had a blast reading everything from all yall. I have it hanging up in our room and it really adds to the decor. 

Also congratulations Branton and Melodie!! That is really exciting and it sounds and looks like it was a fun and special day. I am really happy for the both you and I am looking forward to meeting Melodie. 

It is hard to believe that everyone is heading home from their missions. Taylor is back, Collin is back, Jay is back, Jake is back, Peter gets back within the next two months and then... But no need to worry about that yet.  Good luck with all the missionaries coming back and I hope that everything goes good with them adjusting back to home life. 

A couple highlights from the week:

1. We had a really good/busy week full of lessons and miracles. People we saw are: Patrick, the Freebairns, Longoria's, Klumpps, Russell, Ernest and Anna, Costins, Rex and Kay.

2.I was able to go on an exchange with Elder Bennett and it was a lot of fun. It was fun to be able to talk to him and I learned a lot about things that I can work on. 

3. We were able to be a part of Jacob's baptism this last sunday, he is 8 years old and he asked me to baptize him. That was really cool. 

4. Had interviews with President Wall and that is always good. There will be some changes this next transfer and it will be fun to tell yall about them next week. Remind me to tell you guys about the story about the "Sad Bear" sometime.

5. It was just a good week.

I better get going, but here is a little expert from my Presidents letter,

I decided one study that I was going to use my imagination and dig deep into some scriptures in Alma 17 and 26. So some of this is what Elder Soper feels like could have happened to the Sons of Mosiah. It first starts off the story with a failure, they try to go to the Lamanites to preach repentance and peace, but they get rejected and scorned. They are feeling pretty bad, they even say, "our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back" they were ready to give up the fight and for good reason. It says "for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit." But even though the Lord gives us burdens, sometimes heavier than we feel that we can bear, he always increases our capacity. This doesn't happen immediately, most of the time we feel like the burden is always heavier than we can bear, but that weight strengthens us it creates lasting roots the dig deep into the gospel soil. So the Lord came to the Sons of Mosiah and he comforted them. This is where my imagination kicked in. I thought about what the Lord could have told them to comfort them, what he let them know. I think he told them how proud he was of them, I think he told them how much he loved them and even how much he loved His Lamanite children.. I think he told them their strengths and the gifts that they would be able to use in their ministry and how much they would be able to help these people by bringing them to the Savior. Cause in the end he promised them "success" and I wouldn't be surprised if that promised blessing came with a testimony of the good that they would do. This makes me think of the countless times that we have been promised these same things through the scriptures, through our patriarchal blessings, through other blessings, through conference talks, through things that people say and the little revelations and confirmations that we receive from the spirit daily. We too are promised that if we are "patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls." If we carry our burdens as best we can we will become better personally and better be able to lead people to Christ. If we ever get discouraged, the Lord is ready to comfort us through the many different means. We just have to listen.

And to end I will share one of my new favorite Scriptures: 1 John 4: 19

"We love him, because he first loved us." Heavenly Father loves us so much and he wants us to be happy.

I love you! Hope you have a good week.

Prayers and thoughts always 

Love,

Elder Soper