Update from Elder Langford: May 28, 2013
Hey everyone!
Whew! I really don’t have too much time today! Thank you everyone
for those emails you sent! And the letters! Definitely appreciated!
Well, first off, I’m training again!! So now this means that
I’ve been trained, training, follow-up training, training, follow-up training, and
now I’m training again…. Oh the joys we get working with the youth. To feel
young again. They keep my wrinkles hidden. Just kidding. I don’t have any
wrinkles, because in this beautiful area of Fayetteville, I’ve actually lost a
bunch of weight… my pants are starting to fall off! My belt won’t go any
tighter! But it’s ok because I think we’re going to start having more frequent
member meals, so perhaps after a while they’ll fit me again.
I just want to re-emphasize the joy and real power of goal
setting. I know, I know, Elder Langford’s talked about this more than probably
anything else, but it’s so true! It’s literally the thing that keeps you sane
and stable on a mission,
so don’t be afraid to set some good goals, and account for them nightly! Elder
Ballard’s even told us that if we don’t learn how to master the art of goal
setting, we’ll never live up to our full potential, and reach a ripe old age
where we’ll look back and lose that time to progress. I definitely have
progressed at a crazy high paced speed as I’ve really cracked down on the goals…
I can hardly keep up with myself and it may be a little bit of a refiner’s fire
here and there, but there’s so much in store! Progressing towards goals is the
thing that keeps us sane;
think about it! The happiest thing that we can hope for is that the Gospel is
true. When we do little steps towards like, like anything else, we receive this
little glimpse of hope, of what could happen if we stay on this path. It’s an
overwhelming feeling of the
Holy Ghost. He gives us that hope, that helps us
gain the ambition to show faith. Just like anything else, if you don’t have the
hope, than you’ll never exercise the faith towards it! There’s no point in
training for a marathon if you don’t think you’ll be able to make it! Our job
as witnesses of Jesus Christ, is to give this hope to other people and
ourselves!! We literally need to be a reminder to others, that Jesus Christ
does really exist, and that following his commandments gives us blessings. If
you see that someone’s hope has been exhausted and they feel that there’s
nothing else or no other place to turn, inspire them with the hope of the
gospel. The GREATEST gift you can give to someone is hope! You can’t force them
to have faith, and you can’t force them to live in a way that you’d like them
to, but you can inspire hope. So many people look at life like it’s an empty
fire pit, waiting for someone to come and light it for them. Our job is to
kindle that hope, show them how it works so they can gain confidence in
themselves and in the mercy of Jesus Christ. As we demonstrate how we obtain
hope, and how we maintain that hope by faith (praying, reading, keeping
commandments, covenants, etc.) we can CHANGE LIVES. We can help people realize
that there is a light at the end of the tunnel! It’s their choice to begin
walking towards it, but it’s our responsibility to let them know that they CAN
start walking towards it!
I don’t know why, but I’ve felt that there’s been an overall
feeling of a degrading hope lately from
different people. I want to testify as clearly as I can that there is ALWAYS
hope. You can never sink low enough, or fall into too thick of a darkness,
where the light of Christ cannot penetrate. You can feel good and happy every
single day for the rest of your life. Positivity is a correlation to HOPE. Keep
your hope burning and alive by always maintaining it by your acts of faith! If you’re
feeling down, go do something! Go serve someone else! Say a prayer, and get
back to living life to the fullest of your potential and possibility! The
gospel of Jesus Christ is the way that we can literally live with peace and
guidance all of our lives through all trials and hard ships. Get on the
straight and narrow :D just do it! No matter what’s preventing you, just put
your fear, your doubt, and whatever you think is holding you back, and do it,
and I promise you, that as soon as you make that first move, you can experience
a rejuvenating feeling of the reality that Jesus Christ has overcome the world.
He’s over come your trials, and he will always be there. He’s real, and so are
his teachings. Let us not let anything take us off the path of living the Christlike
life we all have the potential to live. Every single one of you is a son and
daughter of God with people all around you that depend on you being your very
best self. Some pray so hard for an answer, for some hope, for some peace. As
President Monson always says, we can always be on the rescue to those who need
us. Be that person. Be that example of what it means to be a witness of Christ,
and experience the Joy in the hope of eternal Life! We can always have a perfect
brightness of hope in the gospel. It’s flawless. It’s like a giant bowl of
cereal that no matter how many times you eat it, always tastes good! (because
cereal always does). Don’t deny
yourselves the blessings that you are privileged to receive. Go partake of the
fruit, or for sake of the analogy, a bowl of cereal. I love you all sooo so much! And I
want you to know how happy and positive I am for the future! There’s so much in
store for every single one of us! Be happy and rejoice in this goodness :D :D I
love you all so much, and pray earnestly that you’ll be able to take some hope
out of this message, and then put it to good use!
Please write if there’s anything I can ever do for any of you, and I’ll do my
best to keep you in my prayers and help you out!!
I love y’all!!!
Love, Elder Langford
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