SNOW!

January 16, 2017

Hey Fam!

Great week here in the diary 'couv! The big news this week is the weather. We actually had sunshine! Jk jk we did, but the big news was the snow. Tuesday evening the snow started coming down and it would not stop! In 24 hours we got like 8" of snow! I do realize that 99.99% of people who read my letters are from Utah and 8" of snow is kind of a sissy number haha but it was more than enough to cause havoc among these Washingtonians! 

Our cars were grounded for a day and a half, and honestly probably should have been for more considering that Vancouver doesn't plow the streets and even today - 5 days later - almost all of the side streets are still covered in ice! But Despite all the bad drivers and the ice, I don't know [Besides skiing of course] the last time I had so much fun with the snow!

Wednesday morning our cars were grounded but everyone wanted to have district meeting anyway so we all walked to district meeting. Some sisters lived an hour and a half away by walking and they still made it! It ended up being one of the best district meetings I have been to and ended with a huge snowball fight!

Like always I wish I had more time to write and talk about all the cool miracles and hints I had learned. But I don't. I'll just sum it up by saying spiritually this has been a really confusing week. I just kinda felt "off" all week and then didn’t get much sleep one night so I was feeling off and really tired and the work was not going the way that I hoped all leading up to Sunday. I ended up going to bed REALLY tired and discouraged Saturday night. Then Sunday morning something really cool happened, I woke up and had one of he most spiritually fulfilling days I have had in a long time and got a lot of answers to a lot of questions I had been asking. It kinda reminded me of President Lorenzo snow's receiving a testimony of the gospel for the first time:

“I laid aside my books, left the house and wandered around through the fields under the oppressive influence of a gloomy, disconsolate spirit, while an indescribable cloud of darkness seemed to envelop me. I had been accustomed, at the close of the day, to retire for secret prayer to a grove, a short distance from my lodgings, but at this time I felt no inclination to do so.

“The spirit of prayer had departed, and the heavens seemed like brass over my head. At length, realizing that the usual time had come for secret prayer, I concluded I would not forego my evening service, and, as a matter of formality, knelt as I was in the habit of doing, and in my accustomed retired place, but not feeling as I was wont to feel.

“I had no sooner opened my lips in an effort to pray, than I heard a sound, just above my head, like the rustling of silken robes, and immediately the Spirit of God descended upon me, completely enveloping my whole person, filling me from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and O, the joy and happiness I felt! No language can describe the instantaneous transition from a dense cloud of mental and spiritual darkness into a refulgence of light and knowledge, as it was at that time imparted to my understanding. I then received a perfect knowledge that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and of the restoration of the Holy Priesthood, and the fullness of the gospel.

“It was a complete baptism—a tangible immersion in the heavenly principle or element, the Holy Ghost; and even more real and physical in its effects upon every part of my system than the immersion by water; dispelling forever, so long as reason and memory last, all possibility of doubt or fear in relation to the fact handed down to us historically, that the ‘Babe of Bethlehem’ is truly the Son of God; also the fact that He is now being revealed to the children of men, and communicating knowledge, the same as in the apostolic times. I was perfectly satisfied, as well I might be, for my expectations were more than realized, I think I may safely say, in an infinite degree.

“I laid aside my books, left the house and wandered around through the fields under the oppressive influence of a gloomy, disconsolate spirit, while an indescribable cloud of darkness seemed to envelop me. I had been accustomed, at the close of the day, to retire for secret prayer to a grove, a short distance from my lodgings, but at this time I felt no inclination to do so.

“The spirit of prayer had departed, and the heavens seemed like brass over my head. At length, realizing that the usual time had come for secret prayer, I concluded I would not forego my evening service, and, as a matter of formality, knelt as I was in the habit of doing, and in my accustomed retired place, but not feeling as I was wont to feel.

“I had no sooner opened my lips in an effort to pray, than I heard a sound, just above my head, like the rustling of silken robes, and immediately the Spirit of God descended upon me, completely enveloping my whole person, filling me from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and O, the joy and happiness I felt! No language can describe the instantaneous transition from a dense cloud of mental and spiritual darkness into a refulgence of light and knowledge, as it was at that time imparted to my understanding. I then received a perfect knowledge that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and of the restoration of the Holy Priesthood, and the fullness of the gospel.

“It was a complete baptism—a tangible immersion in the heavenly principle or element, the Holy Ghost; and even more real and physical in its effects upon every part of my system than the immersion by water; dispelling forever, so long as reason and memory last, all possibility of doubt or fear in relation to the fact handed down to us historically, that the ‘Babe of Bethlehem’ is truly the Son of God; also the fact that He is now being revealed to the children of men, and communicating knowledge, the same as in the apostolic times. I was perfectly satisfied, as well I might be, for my expectations were more than realized, I think I may safely say, in an infinite degree.

Obviously my Sunday was not THAT great but I think the principle is the same. If you are struggling in ways you never have, or if you're not receiving answers you believe you deserve - keep on going and doing the things you know you should be! Sometimes it's not such a bad thing to feel left alone for a little bit so we can see how we have done at developing our righteous reflexes!

Love you guys! Have a great week!

~Elder Tall Paul Thomas