Blessings from Boston: This transfer

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Another Transfer Gone....Still Same Place :)‏

Hello everybody! So T-Texts happened this past Saturday, and i will be STAYING in North Brookfield for yet another transfer. This area now ties with the longest i have stayed in an area. I wonder what will happen next transfer....hmmm who knows. So on Sunday Ursula, her mom and one of their friends came to Sacrament meeting! That was pretty cool since that hasn't happened since R.J. got baptized :) so that was exciting for E. Knight and I, o ya E. Knight is staying as well. Well lets see what else happened this past week. So i just realized that i have the wrong planner on me. Well its the correct planer, i just started a new one so my old one is back home so i will have a much harder time remembering what happened this past week. So this month E. Knight and i may be getting a new apartment. So that may seam odd to a couple of people wonder why in the world would we need to leave. So the main story is this. Ever since i have lived here there have been people who smoke in all of the other apartments...not a big deal you would think because there are no smoking signs everywhere. Well that is quite the opposite of what happens. So every now and again will see somebody just walk out of there apartment smoking. Also there is this horrible smell that filters up into our apartment, seeing as we live on the 3rd floor all of the smells come to us. And now there is a safety hazard. Don’t get all scared though! We found this apartment yesterday that is really nice, and in a nice neighborhood. As of now we have the OK from prez that it is ok for us to move, but the apartment needs to be inspected by somebody first, which is going to happen tomorrow night :). Well i think that is about all i have to tell all of you for this week :) so i hope you all have a wonderful week and keep happy :)

-- Love

Elder Camron Foust

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

This transfer

Hello there everybody so I am still in Somerville Mass for another 6 weeks :). This transfer is going to be fun and very interesting i think. I'm sure not many of you know this but this transfer the Hartford Connecticut mission got closed and joined with the Boston Mass. Mission. We are gaining around 70+ new missionaries and will have a grand total of 220 missionaries in the Boston Mass. Mission! WOW that is a lot of people to watch over if you ask me. Anyway i was really hopeing that i was going to get sent to Connecticut, but like i said above im staying here in Somerville. I'm not going to lie but when i found out that i was staying (E. Lystrup is staying as well) I was a bit pissed off, and im using those words because that is exactly how i felt. After a few minutes though of being mad at the world i stopped and though for a second, i can either be depressed this transfer and be in pain for the next 6 weeks or i can just thank God for the opportunity to change for the better and enjoy my self for the next 6 weeks. So thats exactly what i did i changed my attitude and am enjoying my self instead of being depressed :). This really is a good area to be in and the ward is amazing and im learning to enjoy it more every week.

On to other things though, so Avinash got Confirmed last Sunday and it was great :). It was really cool to watch him receive the holy ghost and officially become a brand new member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. We had a good rest of the day but not too much to talk about. Monday was a good day, kind of slow because we didnt have our p-day like we normally would haha but thats alright we made the best of it. We had a dinner appointment with Kendell and it was a good one. He made up pizza and we had some ice cream sandwiches for desert, they were delicious! After words we were able to go help a member, who had been in Germany for a month, move into his new apartment and help him set up his bed, which by the way is quite intense. By then it was time to head home, we ended up going to Harvard T station to get on a bus so we could get home on time. A funny experience happened there and it might shock a lot of you but keep in mind that this is Harvard T station, this is where ALL and i literally mean ALLLLL the crazys hand out. Anyway we were waiting for the bus and there was this guy who was sleeping on the bench and you could tell that he was just waisted, not to mention the wisky bottle that was on the floor rite below his hand. Then he randomly wakes up.....kinda.....and starts saying all sorts of weird stuff and dropping the f-bomb every other word. At this point im kind of laughing because im so amazed at how wasted this guy really is. Then out of nowhere i hear some water hitting the ground so im looking around and what do you know this guy was peeing on the floor while he was laying there on the bench! I was fortunate enough no to see anything disturbing, but i was just so amazed at what was happening to this guy from drinking some liquor. It just made me think of how amazing God really is in giving us the Word of Wisdom so that stuff like that wont happen to us because we arent consuming anything to make us lose control of our thoughts.

So all in all it was really a good week :) some interesting things happened and i even had a cool experience with prayer. So the other night i decided i would test this out and ask god to help me remember a dream that i had that night when i woke up. now the reason why i asked him this is because i hate knowing that i have dreams, but not ever being able to remember them ESPECIALLY when i know i had a good dream and i cant remember it for the life of me. So i figured id give it a shot and what do ya know i could remember what i had drempt for the most part. It was a great experience even though it was a very small one, but it did strengthen my testimony of prayer just that much more. I hope you all have an amazing day and week and i will talk with you all again on Monday :) i love you all and shall talk to you soon!!!!

Love
Elder Camron Foust

Mercy

When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving.” My dear brothers and sisters, not long ago I received a letter from a concerned mother who pleaded for a general conference talk on a topic that would specifically benefit her two children. A rift had grown between them, and they had stopped speaking to each other. The mother was heartbroken. In the letter she assured me that a general conference message on this topic would reconcile her children, and all would be well. This good sister’s sincere and heartfelt plea was just one of several promptings I have received over these last months that I should say a few words today on a topic that is a growing concern—not only for a worried mother but for many in the Church and, indeed, the world. I am impressed by the faith of this loving mother that a general conference talk could help heal the relationship between her children. I am sure that her confidence was not so much in the abilities of the speakers but in “the virtue of the word of God,” which has a “more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than … anything else.” Dear sister, I pray that the Spirit will touch your children’s hearts. When Relationships Go Bad Strained and broken relationships are as old as humankind itself. Ancient Cain was the first who allowed the cancer of bitterness and malice to canker his heart. He tilled the ground of his soul with envy and hatred and allowed these feelings to ripen until he did the unthinkable—murdering his own brother and becoming, in the process, the father of Satan’s lies. Since those first days the spirit of envy and hatred has led to some of the most tragic stories in history. It turned Saul against David, the sons of Jacob against their brother Joseph, Laman and Lemuel against Nephi, and Amalickiah against Moroni. I imagine that every person on earth has been affected in some way by the destructive spirit of contention, resentment, and revenge. Perhaps there are even times when we recognize this spirit in ourselves. When we feel hurt, angry, or envious, it is quite easy to judge other people, often assigning dark motives to their actions in order to justify our own feelings of resentment. The Doctrine Of course, we know this is wrong. The doctrine is clear. We all depend on the Savior; none of us can be saved without Him. Christ’s Atonement is infinite and eternal. Forgiveness for our sins comes with conditions. We must repent, and we must be willing to forgive others. Jesus taught: “Forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not … [stands] condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin” and “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Of course, these words seem perfectly reasonable—when applied to someone else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don’t like it when people judge us. But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, said that those who pass judgment on others are “inexcusable.” The moment we judge someone else, he explained, we condemn ourselves, for none is without sin.5 Refusing to forgive is a grievous sin—one the Savior warned against. Jesus’s own disciples had “sought occasion against [each other] and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened.” Our Savior has spoken so clearly on this subject that there is little room for private interpretation. “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive,” but then He said, “… of you it is required to forgive all men.” May I add a footnote here? When the Lord requires that we forgive all men, that includes forgiving ourselves. Sometimes, of all the people in the world, the one who is the hardest to forgive—as well as perhaps the one who is most in need of our forgiveness—is the person looking back at us in the mirror. The Bottom Line This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it! It’s that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. God is our Father. We are His children. We are all brothers and sisters. I don’t know exactly how to articulate this point of not judging others with sufficient eloquence, passion, and persuasion to make it stick. I can quote scripture, I can try to expound doctrine, and I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw. It was attached to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.” We must recognize that we are all imperfect—that we are beggars before God. Haven’t we all, at one time or another, meekly approached the mercy seat and pleaded for grace? Haven’t we wished with all the energy of our souls for mercy—to be forgiven for the mistakes we have made and the sins we have committed? Because we all depend on the mercy of God, how can we deny to others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves? My beloved brothers and sisters, should we not forgive as we wish to be forgiven? The Love of God Is this difficult to do? Yes, of course. Forgiving ourselves and others is not easy. In fact, for most of us it requires a major change in our attitude and way of thinking—even a change of heart. But there is good news. This “mighty change” of heart is exactly what the gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to bring into our lives. How is it done? Through the love of God. When our hearts are filled with the love of God, something good and pure happens to us. We “keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.” The more we allow the love of God to govern our minds and emotions—the more we allow our love for our Heavenly Father to swell within our hearts—the easier it is to love others with the pure love of Christ. As we open our hearts to the glowing dawn of the love of God, the darkness and cold of animosity and envy will eventually fade. As always, Christ is our exemplar. In His teachings as in His life, He showed us the way. He forgave the wicked, the vulgar, and those who sought to hurt and to do Him harm. Jesus said it is easy to love those who love us; even the wicked can do that. But Jesus Christ taught a higher law. His words echo through the centuries and are meant for us today. They are meant for all who desire to be His disciples. They are meant for you and me: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving [each other], even as God for Christ’s sake [forgave us].” The pure love of Christ can remove the scales of resentment and wrath from our eyes, allowing us to see others the way our Heavenly Father sees us: as flawed and imperfect mortals who have potential and worth far beyond our capacity to imagine. Because God loves us so much, we too must love and forgive each other. The Way of the Disciple My dear brothers and sisters, consider the following questions as a self-test: Do you harbor a grudge against someone else? Do you gossip, even when what you say may be true? Do you exclude, push away, or punish others because of something they have done? Do you secretly envy another? Do you wish to cause harm to someone? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to apply the two-word sermon from earlier: stop it! In a world of accusations and unfriendliness, it is easy to gather and cast stones. But before we do so, let us remember the words of the One who is our Master and model: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” Brothers and sisters, let us put down our stones. Let us be kind. Let us forgive. Let us talk peacefully with each other. Let the love of God fill our hearts. “Let us do good unto all men.” The Savior promised: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over. … For with the same measure that [you use] it shall be measured to you again.” Shouldn’t this promise be enough to always focus our efforts on acts of kindness, forgiveness, and charity instead of on any negative behavior? Let us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, return good for evil. Let us not seek revenge or allow our wrath to overcome us. “For it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. … “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Remember: in the end, it is the merciful who obtain mercy. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wherever we may be, let us be known as a people who “have love one to another.” Love One Another Brothers and sisters, there is enough heartache and sorrow in this life without our adding to it through our own stubbornness, bitterness, and resentment. We are not perfect. The people around us are not perfect. People do things that annoy, disappoint, and anger. In this mortal life it will always be that way. Nevertheless, we must let go of our grievances. Part of the purpose of mortality is to learn how to let go of such things. That is the Lord’s way. Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They are forgiven. And they forgive. Lay your burden at the Savior’s feet. Let go of judgment. Allow Christ’s Atonement to change and heal your heart. Love one another. Forgive one another. The merciful will obtain mercy. Of this I testify in the name of the One who loved so well and so completely that He gave His life for us, His friends—in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Another Transfer Gone....Still Same Place :)‏

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

This transfer

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