Simple As That

Family,

Ok, so it is transfer week this week so we have a funky p-day. I've been waiting this whole time to have a p-day on the weekend so that I could take a look at the shops they set up in the market but as usual we don’t have time!!!! Turns out that we will not be able to do our shopping again for the fourth week in a row. It’s driving me crazy especially since we have nothing to treat the mold and different species of fungi growing in the bathroom. Its really cool though, looks like a science experiment...
So I'm now starting my fourth transfer and will be getting another companion! Can you believe it? Elder Enenkel will now be a zone leader for the North Hampton area and I will stay here in the best area in the mission and get Elder Engelbreksson (don’t ask me to say it). He is from Sweden and I haven’t heard much about him except this will be his first transfer as a district leader. I will probably have to drive this next transfer so I ask that EVERY one pray extra hard that I be kept safe. I need it.

Had a bit of a sad day yesterday. We visited Chris and he gave us back every thing we had ever given him and told us he believed that the Mormon’s religion was set up by Americans so that they could have a name in something and stay true to the American way and use various different means to usurp the world in an oppressive dominance. Then he went on a tyrant about the American’s claiming that they had won WWII, when in fact it was the British and all we did was help. I couldn’t help but notice also all the Jehovah’s Witness material lying scattered across the room. I was a bit upset and choose to say nothing but grab my bag and walk out. It was really funny though when Elder Enenkel tried to share with Chris a scripture Chris got huffy puffy and told him not to make it worse. It was like he was breaking up with us. Oh well. That is my venting of the week.

Things are looking up though we have some really promising fresh new investigators that I'm looking forward to teaching. The only difficulty that I'm running into is scheduling our time efficiently so that we will be able to see them all each week. It makes it difficult when it takes an hour to get from one side of the area to another and you have a limited amount of miles per month.

So I read a little story this morning that I just love (Luke 19). It was of the little chief publican named Zacchaeus. He heard that the Lord was coming and because he was of 'little stature' he couldn’t get through the crowd so he climbed in a tree to get the chance to see our Saviour. When Christ came by he looked up and called Zacchaeus down from the tree and set up a dinner appointment with him. Zacchaeus jumped for joy and laughed out loud. This is the best part though. The stubborn blind Jews all murmured about how Zacchaeus was a sinner for collecting the taxes (although he gave half of his money in fast offerings and when he wronged people he paid them back x4) and Christ turned and called him a 'Son of Abraham' . I'm sure that was quite a sting to the proud Jews. I love the Saviour’s example. Some one said that books could not contain all the works of the Lord. If they could I would spend all my time reading and learning about Him.

Two years is such a short time and I'm really trying to cram in all I can. The experiences are so good and the never-ending flow of knowledge is amazing. I don’t learn new stuff all the time every day but I'm starting to internalize things that I have been told all my life and it is awesome. I love teaching children. We have a family that adopted kids a few months back and they want us to teach their eight-year-old daughter. I think I walk away a better person every time I see them. The Spirit is so strong with them. It is amazing how that can fully comprehend principles that I’ve been trying to get grown ups to learn for months. The humility and faith of a child is inspiring. She bore her testimony without really intending to and it is so powerfully simple. She said that she believed it because she loves Jesus and she knew that what we were teaching was true because we knew it and because her parents knew it. If only for a day each of us could be like a little child, forget our pride and selfishness and be faithful it would be amazing. The saddest story of our day is that we cannot trust each other anymore. Guile deceptiveness pride and selfishness ruin everything. I just take joy in knowing that it is only during this testing period that we will have to endure it. It just kills me to see all who fall victim to the natural man and lose their inheritance for temporary gratification and security. Faith is seldom comfortable, but faith breeds trust and trust begets comfort. Perfect Faith in the Perfect Being is the only way to find Perfect Comfort. I love the simplicity of the gospel. It is so simple. Have faith, repent, be baptized receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. That is the Teachers answer sheet to this test of life. Keep the commandments and prosper. That is the advice given to us by those who have gone on before us. Pass the test and you can have all that the Father has. Simple as that. Nothing else should take preference and everything else should lead right back to these basics. It is my hope and prayer that I will be able to remember this through out my life.

I miss grandpa. The more I look back the more I love him. I wish I had taken the time to get to know him better. I know he helps me from time to time. I always think of him when I come up with something witty to say and often times I will use a line of his in the prefect situations. I remember the night before he passed away dad and I visited him. He grabbed my hand and tired to look and me and kept trying to repeat 'I'm proud of you, I'm proud of you.' I’ll never forget it. One day I hope to be half the man he is. Maybe one day in the next life I’ll be blessed to see him again and he will repeat those same words to me. I look forward to that glorious day when finally we will all be together again. London, Grandpa and everyone. No more sorrow no more worldly cares, just peace and rest. What a thought!

Remember 'to be spiritually minded is life eternal'
Send my best to everyone!

Love
Elder Brighton Solomon

P.S.
Thank you Lindy and Meagan and Kassidee for your letters! Taylor I can’t wait to get yours!
Brigg and Sheldon I don’t care what anyone else says you’re alright in my book
Dad is there a chance you could tell me when and where you served? I have people all the time asking me, and who was your mission president?

Pain in the Neck

Hello family! So I took forever to read that amazingly long email that you wrote for me!! Thank you ever so much! Looks like Sheldon is still alive I'm happy to hear from him! Thank you for the picture... Jake Hamblin looks like he fits right in there with the rest of our family. I couldn’t really see Presto as his face was a bit blurry cause he was moving to get ever closer to his squeeze. You guys really didn’t have to get all dresses up for me though! That is so kind. So I couldn’t find my memory card reader thing so I cant send you the pictures of my amazing second trip to Dover castle. Its ok though, I guess it just means I’ll have to send twice as many pictures next time. I'm going to the Canterbury Christ Church Cathedral today which is like the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of England. It’s pretty cool cause as 'Christian ministers' we get to get in for free :)

I love my mission! Although its a pain in the neck to get people to realize that the 'sacrifices' they should make to follow the Lord really are not that big of a deal, it is always gratifying to be able to daily bear testimony and stand as a witness. There really is no greater calling then to teach. Teaching is the best way to be taught. The spirit is always testifying to you and enlightening your understanding - it is amazing!! I love teaching and I really wish that sometimes we just had people who really wanted to learn and had 'real intent'. I would like you and everyone to invite friends to meet with the missionaries in your home. You never know if the missionaries with say the right thing that will strike them to the core.
What ever happened to that police officer in our ward that got shot?

Out of time.

Much love,

Elder Solomon

Thank you Dave Haynes kids for you email! I loved it.