Week 2

I don't have much time today to talk due to packing and laundry and departure activities, but I wanted to tell you and the whole family that I miss and love y'all. I will be waking up at 3:35 amand then getting to the airport around 6, so 8 yall's time. When we get to the airport they are giving us permission to call and talk to family for however long we want, I bought a call card that will allow me to talk for about 30-40 min. We then board at 8:41 and arrive in BOISE, IDAHO at 9:52!!! It's getting real real now! I'd also like to share one experience that I've had this week. I've noticed that since I've been on my mission I have been able to see all the things I can do and preform because of the gospel, but before my mission I was so focused on all the things I can't do because of the gospel. Since that epiphany I have felt ashamed for ever thinking that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a burden. I was able to preform my first blessing of comfort this week to a sister (to Jacey) she is a friend of Madie Wilkes, she went to college with her. Anyways, she was originally going to have her District Leader do it, but she prayed and Elder Stevens popped into her head. She said she had been having withdrawals, I don't know which kind but I felt that it was the drug kind of withdrawals. During her blessing I felt impressed to tell her about what my mom had wrote in the front of my Book of Mormon. I later let her read what my mom wrote and she said that that and her blessing was exactly what she needed. I've learned not to believe in coincidences and look for the tender mercies of the Lord. It was a tender mercy that I took my 10 year old, somewhat falling apart Book of Mormon with me, when I was even asked if I wanted a new set of scriptures. Because of this experience, and many others, I KNOW this church is true. I love and miss y'all.

Elder Stevens