GUESS WHAT!!!!

OCTOBER 9, 2016

GUESS WHAT!!!!! We passed our Joint Commission Survey with ZERO deficiencies!!!!!  I was assuming that you may have seen my post from FaceBook and I didn't know if I emailed you that night if you would have been able to see it until today anyway. But thank you for your prayers!!! I totally appreciate it.

I have learned from this experience though that the hard things still come no matter what. It was a great relief to have it over but I am still tackling hard things. I am now having to choose a harder right than a easier wrong, and that doesn't feel good at all. But I am so grateful for conference and all the talks about having Joy in the Journey because I am choosing to just keep being happy even though things are a bit stressful and hard. I have a testimony thought that The Lord will help us to succeed thought!!!

 I will say that the Lord is ALWAYS providing and sending little miracles. He has sent us employees at the exact perfect time and provided a time that I could talk about Aspire to our sister company the Legacy Buildings and now we are getting so many referrals we are so busy and it's been a bit crazy. But when you pray for those types of things they are going to happen.

I LOVED your letter last week. I'm so surprised that they let you guys go down there to try and help pack things up for that family. I'm grateful that the Landlord sent you guys away cuz really only professionals should be dealing with that kind of mold wearing the total hazmat suits and all!!

Wow, what an opportunity the Lord gave you to give your talk and do a music ensemble. I would really love a copy of your talk if you are able to send it to me. I love your testimony and you are truly talented to share that. I am missing that I don't get to talk in sacrament meetings anymore this year. I only had 1 this year and it made me sad because it is my favorite thing to do to share my testimony. I know that sounds really weird, but it's what makes me grow as a person and I know that when I am doing that I can improve and become who the Lord sent me here to become. Many people would think I was crazy if I told them that I have always dreamed of getting to share my testimony with the World. Many people want to be movie stars or famous people  but I have always just wanted to be able to share my happiness of what my Father in Heaven has given me. Silly, huh. I'll just settle for what the Lord has in store for me at this time and keep working on becoming a little better everyday. I have a long way to go, but I see so much wisdom already from you in your letters. Many people tell me how much they love your letters and what a great kid you are! I have to admit, I feel a lot of pride with that. You are Amazing Caden, so just keep going and keep sharing you wonderful testimony. 

So, I've got lots of cuts on my hands from helping Dad put together the back drops for the Band. I don't know if he mentioned that I ended up helping him build them after he got all the cement and stuff put together. Talk about Heavenly Father sending blessings, even when you don't think about needing them. As we were assebling the pipes together i had a color guard mom come and ask if she could help me. She helped and then asked how we were getting them to the competition. I said we had to take them all down and put them all up again each time. (Dad put me in charge of that......) She said, no way..... and then got on the phone to her husband and they ended up having a trailer that they will use and keep everything in there for all the competitions. WOW, Miracle. We have become good friends and Leslie and Marc Pett are awesome. Their daughter Nicole is a colorguard. 

anyway, I bet you are tired of hearing about band stuff. but that is a lot of what we have to do this month. 

oh, oh, you have to hear this....... When they were announcing the caption awards, Davis took percussion. West Lake took Colorguard. AF took Visual and then they got to Music........ they paused for a bit and then said it was a tie..............GASP, GASP, all around. The whole stand...... and then they said AF and Davis............... The crowd erupted!!!! I actually was filming at the time so I made a sound bit, clip of it and it is hillarious!!! I'm going to try and attach it to this email in video and sound bite. Maybe you can listen????  (I can't attach a video so just the sound bite)

Ok, Love you so much Buddy!!! You are the best example a mother could ask for and I feel so blessed to call you my son. Hope all is well. 

Love Always, 

Mommy

ELDER SNELL: Hi Mom!

Congratulations on your Joint Commission!!!! That is amazing!!! 

Thank you for your email :) I love your testimony! Thanks for sharing it with me and everyone :)

So, here is my talk from MegaZone Conference. I didn't have a bunch of time to write it, but I actually tried to make it decent hahaha :) Love ya!

Elder Snell

What does diligence in the Lord's work mean to me?

Hello, Elders and Sisters. I am relatively new to the mission, so I don't know most of you and I'm going to assume that hardly any of you know me. My name is Elder Snell. That's really all there is to me :)

Anyway, in preparing this talk, I started out by doing what I have seen done thousands of times; I turned to the dictionary. In the dictionary, diligence is defined as a constant, careful, and earnest work or effort in your duty. In D&C 107, it talks about having diligence in your duty; our duty being missionary work.

D&C 107:99-100 reads, "99 Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.

"100 He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand. Even so. Amen."

This scripture kind of put diligence into perspective for me. There are two completely different sides of the coin. Either you are diligent and work hard, or you are slothful and shall not be counted worthy to stand... Elders and Sisters, being diligent is a choice. I love how Bonnie L. Oscarson put it when she said, 

"Young friends, we live in perilous times, and the decisions which you are called upon to make on a daily, or even hourly, basis have eternal consequences. The decisions you make in your daily life will determine what happens to you later..."

Your decision to either act in diligence or slothfulness will have eternal consequences. These consequences are not just yours to bare. Your decision to act in diligence or in slothfulness affects your companions, your investigators, and your leaders as well as yourself. No one wants to look back on their mission and regret the decisions they made. Before leaving, my Dad told me to "Serve your mission in such a way that you are not filled with regret when you look back at these wonderful two years [or 18 months]". Show God how hard you are willing to work with Him, and then He will bless you.

Sometimes, we try to tell God "I will work hard after you show me a sign that it will be worth it". In response to this type of thinking, Sister Oscarson goes on to say,

"The Savior taught, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” Sometimes we try to do it backward. For example, we may take this approach: I will be happy to live the law of tithing, but first I need to know that it’s true. Maybe we even pray to gain a testimony of the law of tithing and hope the Lord will bless us with that testimony before we have ever filled out a tithing slip. It just doesn’t work that way. The Lord expects us to exercise faith. We have to consistently pay a full and honest tithe in order to gain a testimony of tithing. This same pattern applies to all principles of the gospel." 

This same patterns also applies to missionary work. You cannot just come out on a mission and expect investigators to be put right in front of you begging to be baptized. God does not work that way. He blesses us, as well as the lives of those we teach, as we diligently serve Him with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. As we show the Lord that we are here to serve Him and work harder than we ever have before, He will bless us in ways that we won't even expect are possible. Miracles happen as we are diligent about being obedient to our schedule, as we lovingly pray for those who need the Lord's help, as we diligently plan with God what needs to happen tomorrow for us to be the most effective we can be. Elders and Sisters, true success in your mission cannot happen without being willing to act in all diligence. Show Heavenly Father that you care and truly want to be an instrument in His hands. As we do this, I know that miracles in others will happen. 

I have only been on my mission for just over 2 months, but I know that the things I have talked about are true. I have seen how working diligently in this work brings forth great blessings and miracles. Heavenly Father wants to work through us; we just need to show Him that He can trust us. I know that this unique trust can come through true diligence in the Lord's work.

I would like to close with my personal testimony of this divine Gospel and the holy work in which we have the privilege of taking part in. I know that this is the Lord's kingdom, once again restored to the Earth. I know that it was restored through a true prophet of God, and through that same prophet, we have been blessed with the Book of Mormon. I know this sacred book and this gospel to be true. I get to know it more and more every day. I love being a missionary. How amazing is it to be able to selflessly serve our God, leaving behind all other distractions for 18 months or two years. I know that the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, allows us to be free of our sins and enables us to rise above our challenges and short-comings. I love our Savior, I love our Father in Heaven, and I love being a missionary. These things I testify of in the sacred name of our Savior and brother, Jesus Christ. Amen.

thanks Buddy! I love your talk. You definitely have the Spirit with you. I'm sure you did amazing at giving it.

Hope your day is going great!!!