Monday, November 22, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Keep in mind that the temperatures he refers to are Celcius. For a reference, -18C is equivalent to 0F, and -40C is the same as -40F.. They're all cold!!

OH MAN IT’S STARTING TO GET COLD! I was tracting the entire first day it snowed...that was different. Good thing I had those gloves. Most of the past week it’s been hovering between -16 to -20. I went tracting in -21 for a few hours too. That's all without windchill by the way. It’s supposed to be -29 (not including windchill) or so in the next few days and then warm up. Oh boy. That is cold. Most Canadians say "oh this isn't cold!", but are shivering and all bundled up as they say it. Yes it’s cold! But of course, it gets much colder than -20, and within the next month or so I probably will have been in severe cold. I am excited to be able to say I have been in COLD. For as long as I can remember, people tell me I do not know cold--which is very true--but I will now! I can finally spit and it will freeze before it hits the ground! (A life goal I have had since I was little) It’s sure different driving on these icy roads and knowing that they will be like this for the next 5 to 6 months. Well, I am seeing the true Canada, that's for sure.

I will answer your questions later in the email...

Yesterday while tracting I saw a man spraying water on an ice rink (for it to freeze) and it just about made my day. I love Canadians who love hockey! Too bad I am not allowed to skate while a missionary, or else I would be all over that!

So I have been teaching that group of Muslims in their mosque and because no baptisms will result, (they listen and ask questions, but are not looking to convert and be baptized) the Ward and Stake advised us to turn them over to members of the ward and stake to visit with them instead. I was so sad!!! I love these Muslims and was heartbroken when I told them we missionaries would no longer be meeting with them! Oh...I have gained so much respect and love for them, and for Muslims in general. It’s too bad we (the Western World) see the suicide extremists, because the Muslims people as a whole are a peace-loving people. They gave me a gigantic book (fatter than my Jesus the Christ book) about their philosophy of the world and some other book. I even asked to have a Quran (for novelty), which I will pick up in the next few days. Too bad I cannot read these books, and I will be mailing them home sometime in the future. Look out!

Mom and Dad: do you notice any blessings or special spirit from having a missionary out in the field? Or Mike and Kim...have you?

As a missionary I have begun noticing little things in the scriptures that I otherwise would not have noticed. An example is in 3 Nephi 18:5, where Christ mentions the sacrament. He uses the word ordain. Now that probably does not mean a lot to many people, but as a missionary we discuss having proper authority from God. Things like that jump out to me.

Dad, I asked you a question a year or 2 ago, that I now have the answer to. My question was why it seemed that Jesus came and set up an entirely new church when he came to the earth? Well the answer it plainly found in the Sermon on the Mount. Before coming on a mission I had never read the Sermon on the Mount, nor did I know where it was. To prove that I do now know, its found in Matthew 5-7, Luke 6 and 3 Nephi 12-14. In Matthew 5 and 3 Nephi 12, Christ mentions that he "came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill". He issued a higher law, expecting more from people, with an example being "whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery in his heart." So Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses and was the ultimate sacrifice, and issued a higher law, which we are all expected to live. He re-established his church here on the earth, with apostles and prophets, with Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Ya, Ephesians rocks. I just read Lesson 1 from PMG and pieced things together. So....that answered that question.

So this past week my investigator Linda Jurgens got baptized! A member baptized her, but he is older and wanted help, so I dressed in white and helped in the font! No worries...I got pictures. Linda was confirmed in church and my companion and I were able to stand in the circle in church. Crazy.

So Mom, does Grandpa Allred have a brother named Orrly? Because I am pretty sure that I ate supper at a 2nd cousin's house last night. Her maiden name is Genny Allred, and she grew up in Raymond, about a block or so south of the Fairbanks, and Lloyd Fairbanks apparently was her bishop. She mentioned Marlin Allred and Reddin Reddick Allred and was like---hold on---those are my ancestors too. She mentioned the Paxmans farm...Her dad's name is Spencer Kim Allred (I think). Does that ring any bells?

Ok, to answer your email:

Grandpa's service sounds very nice. How is Grandma holding up?

Well, Dad, I have wondered about cars, and it is sad to hear that you were not able to go to the car show this year. Shame. You have to let me know how all the companies are fairing. I see a lot of new Grand Cherokees up here and plenty of Camaros and Challengers, but Mustangs (my fave) are strangely absent. Has the new Charger come out? I need to know!

Those Mariners...Good for King Felix! Good thing the M's got rid of Jose Lopez. How did Chone Figgins end up?

I am clearly out of things to say. Good to hear from you, love you much,

Elder Galbraith

So I learned from a member of the Seventy this past week: Terrance C. Smith. He came and talked to the stake, and held a missionary-only meeting. He mentioned A LOT of really good things, and here is one that caught my eye: regarding Creation. The greatest scientists that I know, Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, both realize that the more they learn about science, the more they recognize that there is a Divine Being. Who knows, maybe the Big Bang Theory happened--who knows? But something had to BE there to "Bang". Something had to be there! How can we possibly think that matter exploded out of nothing? That is contrary to our "Laws of Science"! There is a God, and anyone who does not believe so, lives in denial. Just another witness to my testimony.

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