Happy New Years & Birthday Mom

Hello family and friends,

   Glad to know new years and moms birthday was good! Hope you are all continuing to enjoy your lives and do what you know to be right! I included a picture of my favorite place to sit after nightly planning and enjoy a cup of water, and our investigators birthday cake! ha, it is pretty funny. Something interesting I can tell you is that is is not pronounced AUStrAlia, but UStrOlia. ha, It is more just the accent than anything... and a failed attempt at a joke.. but it gets the point across! ha We talked to a less-active sister this last week who works at an assisted living home cooking the food. It made me think of my grandma and how it has been nearly a year since she passed away. It is odd to think that I couldn't just go to the Coventry and see her, besides the fact that I am across the world, she has passed. It was an interesting thought. All of the stories I won't be able to hear until we meet again in the spirit world,or perhaps after we area ll resurrected! I am happy she is in a better place however. We didn't do anything on new years eve. Sat in the apartment after 7 O'clock like we were supposed to. There were fireworks at 10 pm. But we could only see the glow because the trees were in the way. ha oh, well. It was fun to see regardless. 

This week we have been teaching people this week about new years resolutions, about Resolving to be better. We share with them a verse in Doctrine and Covenants 25, saying that we ought to "Seek for the things of a Better." Talk about how we can "seek" for these "things." Afterwards we read the scripture mastery verse in Jacob 2. We show the people we teach that we are promised riches (if we seek them) after we seek for the Kingdom of God. That is what has been on my mind this week. Resolving to be better. That is the goal right? I mean, "Improvement and progression have 1 eternal round." The way to do this is through trainings, listening to the Holy Ghost, and following promptings. I am setting goals for the new year to always resolve to be better, to "Ever more effectively" be a better servant of the lord. My goal is to always live up to our standard of excellence set up by the mission leadership!

  I am still working on always having the spirit in lessons, and by doing so, asking inspired questions. It is a thing I have seen change lessons entirely. I am trying to work on that and help people to understand and realize for themselves the importance and sacredness of the discussions we have, for them! I am trying to teach as Jesus taught... as with trying to follow Christs example in any way, it is harder than originally anticipated! That is why it is always a good goal.

I hope you all enjoy the 2014 as best you can! I love you!

  Love,

    Elder Ford