5-12-14

I can't believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like not all that long ago I was talking to my family on Christmas. Now Mothers Day is already passed and gone.
It was so great to see so many faces and hear the voices of people I love so much. I am so grateful for this gospel and the knowledge I have that I can be with the people I love the most forever. What a sweet and simple truth that is. I can't imagine living without that comforting truth in mind. I imagine things would be a lot harder to cope with and it would be so much easier to become bitter.
I was on exchanges last week with one of our zone leaders in Cape Girardeau where we spent most of the evening tracting. The last door on one of the streets we tracted opened up and we were introduced to a very cheerful man named Matt; we talked to him for quite a while. He explained his accurate belief that church should be for developing a personal relationship with God instead of what man makes it out to be in many cases. He explained how churches have literally asked him not to come back to their congregation because of some of the questions and personal beliefs he has such as: we had "free will" before we were born and we could make choices for ourselves; Satan is necessary because without him we would not have bad things happen to us and therefore we would not be happy; drinking is bad and alcohol should not be partaken of; family is the most important thing.
Obviously this guy is so ready to receive the gospel! He explained to us that he is open to religion and listening to us but his wife is currently very angry at God for "taking her child away". I wanted to go to this woman and give her a big hug. I would recite Moroni 8 to her and bare my testimony of it. We told Matt that we could tell them where that child is and I think that sparked his interests a bit more, so we were able to set up a time to talk with him again. I haven't heard anything from the zone leaders about him yet, but I just have this wonderful feeling that the gospel is going to be a huge part of their lives.
How blessed we are to have these truths and to know that they really are true! I know God loves His children and desires their happiness. I know He reveals truth to prophets so that we can know what His plan for us is. What's more beautiful than that is we don't have to take His servants word for it. We can have that personal relationship with God and receive His truth through the Holy Ghost. I know each and every thing He asks us to do is for our happiness. Everything is stacked in our favor to be happy because we have a perfect savior to redeem us from sin and weaknesses as well as personal revelation from God Himself to guide us. How I hope each of us will continue to embrace the gospel and it's teachings and continue to embrace it more and more so that we may truly have lasting happiness.
I love you all so much.

-Elder Curtis