Lack Excuse

Dear Family and Friends,

I am serving with another awesome companion named Elder Gardner. He is from South Jordan UT, and he has served in almost every ward in this stake. We also served in the El Paso 5th ward as our most recent previous area. So that's pretty awesome! I'm excited to be here with him.

As for the area, we just got dropped by one of our main investigators yesterday. That is sad. The other people we are teaching are making slow steady progress. One is named Chris, he is from the San Felipe Pueblo just North of Bernalillo County and has been meeting with missionaries for a LONG time. But he is super awesome. The biggest thing that keeps him form being baptized is that he doesn't feel like he'll be able to keep reading and praying every day. He doesn't want to be a hypocrite basically. How true, I think sometimes we get far too complacent, and let these things slip by with the justification of doing more important things. I read from Jesus the Christ this morning and I wrote this quote on my planner for the transfer: "Never seek to excuse yourself by the despicable but all too common subterfuge of presumptuously charging culpability on another." I think that in any case excuses are such an unsuccessful way to do anything. If all we ever do is offer up excuses for our shortcomings we will remain stagnant, and even digress. If instead we are willing as it says in James 5: 16 to confess our faults to ourselves most importantly and also to those around us, then through effort and substantial and meaningful prayer we can truly grow beyond our own imagination. That I testify of. We all have faults, it's no secret. If we are to become one in mind and in heart, or in fact to reach any level of Zion, we must start by offering our own weaknesses and shortcomings on the sacrificial table. Our own disobedience must be rectified, especially before we go trying to tell another how to move forward. I had the chance to take a departing missionary around for part of the day yesterday and I loved that he told me in essence one of the biggest things he learned on his mission is to live the gospel. It's hard to describe the true sense of that phrase without experiencing it. Some of the results are shown in things like: A deep desire to serve those around you setting aside your own wants and even needs at times, A strong pull to go to the temple and learn of the truths of the Kingdom of God regularly, A necessity and longing to partake of the sacrament knowing our need for the grace of Christ in our lives and still being conscious of the changes we must make in our character to be more like him, and many more things like these.

The teaching will continue to go forth and we will be preparing to do MLC this week and Zone conferences coming up in the middle of May. I am going to have lots to write about, but not much time to write!! But know that I love you all and appreciate your letters and support! Have a great week!

Elder McGarry