Ca-ra-zay Week

Dear Everyone,

Last week was crazy.  We had to prepare for Zone Conference and get that done.  It went well but I'm just relieved that it's over.  For the Zone Conference, I prepared and played "He Sent His Son" on guitar and it was really good.  A couple of sisters in our zone also did a special musical number and it was INCREDIBLE!!!  That's my favorite part of any meeting that includes one, the special musical numbers.

We had the opportunity to assist in a neighborhood cleanup last Saturday and there's a creek that goes through the neighborhood.  AW YEAH!!! I donned a pair of waders and we got in that filthy nasty water and pulled up bicycles, rugs, tires, a desk lamp, a toilet, a (nonhuman) bone (we think), and some shopping carts.  It was a blast!

I got some great news that the Elders in Johnson City (my first area) were going through the area book and contacted one of my old investigators and started teaching her again and she's going to get baptized and I'm UBER excited about that!  Success!

Spiritual thought for the week:  Anyone who truly listened to general conference, and attends church regularly, can see that Satan is not just out in the world, but is even among the Saints.  I ran across this scripture in Mosiah 4:10.  It was super powerful to me when King Benjamin says "if you believe all these things see that ye DO them."  We all know that belief is not enough.  But we can't forget Moroni's counsel in Alma 60:23 as well.  We have to first cleanse the inner vessel.  It does no good to recognize these things in others if we can't recognize Satan creeping into our own lives.  The little things are sooooo important;  reverence in meetings, avoiding inappropriate media, and crude language are some great examples.  Even if you do the other things like read the scriptures and pray regularly and attend church, Satan has begun to gain a hold of your life if he can make you believe that music with poor lyrics doesn't really have any effect on you, that you're better than that.  The prophets and apostles are right to exhort us to live the basic standards of the church in this last conference.  Just as we can fill our lives with good and the bad will be cleared out, if we allow evil to creep in, it will be able to overcome the good in our lives as well (Jacob 5:65-66).

Well, I'm done preaching now.  Things are going well.  I love and miss you all.  Have a wonderful week.

Love,
Elder Grabinger