"Bring Him Home...."

¡Hola Mi Familia!

I hope this week's email finds you all well! This week has gone by fairly quicker than last weeks, but still kind of slow....I don't have a lot of report on this past week, but I hope to fill up the remainder of this email with somethings that have been on my mind.

So last week, I broke out! Yes! We had an escort come pick us up (just an elderly volunteer in his hot ride town car!...HA!) and we left the MTC campus and on to the mall! :) It was kind of fun I guess, quite short. I didn't feel as much freedom as I thought I would...oh well...

Now concerning the shoes, Mom, I would go today, but my companion has to go to therapy. Since he has had the bad migranes, the clinic suggested he go to some tension therapy to help, so today we are going to the BYU Health Clinic for his therapy and won't have time to do anything else. But I will be sure to schedule another trip as soon as possible! And we can't go to Nordstroms...don't you remember me telling you a few months ago that it was closing in February...yeah sad day! As we passed by on our way to Mr. Mac and I saw it all boarded up I shed a tear! So sad!

So Thanks for the package everyone! I enjoyed my St. Patty's day explosion! Also thanks for the cookies from the Bookstore, Mom and the cinch and calling card as well! I think I'm good on food for the remaining 3 weeks. This week I was thrilled; I received a package from the Haslems with bunch of good things including cliff bars--which I have never had before, but I decided that they are really good and I really like them! Aidan and Ava colored pictures for me which I enjoyed and Debbie wrote me a letter as well as Josh! Josh's letter was so great! He gave me 9 suggestions on what he thinks makes a great missionary. It was such great advice and I was really happy to receive it! Thanks guys!

Shocking discovery! You know those Nature Sunshine immunity boosters you sent? Well they have been really good! I was just sitting around one day waiting for class or something and I read the ingredients. You won't believe what is in them....2 TYPES OF MUSHROOMS!!!!! I about screemed! HA! Quite surprising, but no wonder they don't taste good going down. They must be doing some good so I am still taking them, but I was surprised! (For those who don't know, I don't lik mushrooms...)

So last week at the Temple we switched it up a bit! We decided to do initiatories instead of a session. It was kind of nice to go through that again and remember what it was like when I went through the temple. It only took about an hour, but it was really good. Neat fact: the last time we went, they had the chapel closed because apparently some Italian artist is doing a mural in there. That would be nice if it was done while we were still here, but who knows! We will just have to see....

Dad, you've got me really interested in that Doctrines of Salvation book you were talking about! I would really like to read it sometime!

The weather here has been bi-polar....the past 2 weeks or so, it has been so nice in the low-mid 60s! Oh it has been so wonderful! However, just yesterday, it snowed all day! Imagine that! Well, it was more like a rain/snow; nothing really stuck, but yeah, that was all day yesterday...

Good luck with all your pinewood derbying Cole! I hope it goes well if you have another chance to race! Thanks for your notes! I hope soccer is going well for you and that you are having fun! I remember when I played soccer! I had a blast! Mom will have to send me pictures!

Alex taking guitar lessons....nice! I hope you are a pro by the time I get back so I can have an instrumentalist when I make it big! ;) And I thought OYP was doing "Snoopy" this month, not in the summer....they already had it cast and everything during Legally Blonde....hmm...

Speaking of....does anyone know how they did at Competition this year!?

That's pretty awesome that they are shooting a Clint Eastwood movie in Athens! That is intense! You will have to keep it on the radar and find out what it is about.

Happy Birthday to all the Birthday people this past week. Especially Papa! I was thinking about you, and hope you have a great day!

I enjoyed this mission stories this week, Mom! Thanks for sending them! I enjoy reading them!

WE'RE SINGING IN GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!! I'm not sure if it is Priesthood or the special Saturday afternoon choir, but we are singing! I should find out more info this week. They had all those in choir fill out a slip that said "Special choir survey" to narrow those down who can really sing and it said to not complete it if you won't be here for up to April 1. Plus one of the directors let the words "General conference" slip out! I would almost say that it is the Saturday Afternoon since they had the Sisters fill it out too! So, when I get more info I will let you know so you can look for me! How awesome is that!?!

I don't know if I told you about the Argentines in our Zone and having problems with Visas. Three got their visas this week and have left, and now there are just 4 waiting. This will be their 11th week...crazy! I would go mental! Another district in our zone who is going to Mexico was suppposed to leave this week, but again with the visas, only one is going. They were told that they are being reassigned for the time being until they get their visas. That may be us in a few weeks. I think we are supposed to get our travel plans this week, but probably only the 3 going to North Carolina will since they are in the states and the rest of us are going to Mexico. We will see though... Next week should be fun! We should get to host new missionaries! You know, pick them up on the curb carry their luggage around, show them where their class is, and all that fun stuff! We are the big kids on campus now! It feels good! :)

Now to my more thoughtful part.

This week, in my scripture study, I found 2 passages I would like to share. The first is in Mosiah 7:32 (I think that's the verse...). It says something like : Turn to the Lord and put your trust in him and serve him will all diligence and he will bless you according to His will! I love that! It is so great AND applies to missionaries as well!

The 2nd scripture is in the next chapter: Mosiah 8:18. It goes something like "God provided means that through their faith, they might work might miracles!" That is so great! Our sacrament meeting was on faith yesterday! I love the topic of faith it is so important! With faith we can do all things! Including moving mountains and parting seas, IF that is God's will! It is all according to our faith and God's will!

What have you found in your personal study this week?

So I want to testify on personal scripture study! I didn't really do serious personal scripture study until my senior year of high school. Before then, I just read scriptures on my phone like before going to bed and I would just read a few verses to say I did it. Well, I changed that senior year! I seriously read and studied for more than 5 minutes and it made ALL the difference in my life! Scripture study has helped me withstand temptation from the adversary and it was just brought the Spirit more into my life. I think my testimony has really grown this last year, because I started a serious study of the scriptures! I have come to really LOVE the Book of Mormon! It has such wonderful messages for each of us at all times of our lives. But, like Pres. Benson says, it is OUR job to seek out those messages and not think they will just come to us. Studying and reading the scriptures as a family is great, but we need even more! We need to study them on our own and receive our own personal revelation. I know and have seen how personally studying scriptures has changed my life! I encourage and invite all who read this to personally study the scriptures. If you don't already, start now! Start tonight! There is no time like the present! Being the missionary I am, I would like to make a committment: Will you all read and study the scriptures for at least 15 minutes a day to receive personal revelation and inspiration in your lives? 15 minutes really isn't that much--it's like only a chapter a day--you just have to make the effort to make time for it. I promise that if you do this, your testimony will grow exponetially and that you will come closer to the Savior and our Heavenly Father!

Now getting to my "Subject line"being the nerd that I am, I'm going to relate Musical Theatre to the Gospel and to missionary work! "Bring Him Home"! I think Alain Boubil and Claude Michele-Schonberg wrote this song as a missionary's prayer. Like it says in the Hymn "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy", there is a strugglying, wandering sea-man out there, infact there are many, waiting for us Missionaries to come help them be rescued and saved--to "Bring Them Home". Before we came to this earth, we knew and were taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, passing through the veil, we have forgotten it for a time. It is our job as missionaries and members to go out and remind people of what they already know and have learned before: The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are going out there to "Bring Them Home" to the Gospel. This song is a missionary's prayer asking God to give their investigator "rest" because "He is young, he's afraid" at what those around Him might think of him as for turning to the Gospel. "Bring him peace, bring him joy, He is young (in the Gospel), he is only a boy! You can take, you can give, let him live...bring him home, bring him home...." Not only is it the missionaries who are responsible to bring the Gospel throught the world, but the members too! Members play such an important role in missionary work! You can suggest people for the missionaries to teach and you can help teach with the missionaries in sharing your testimonies during lessons with investigators! Missionary work is so amazing! I encourage and invite you all to help the full-time missionaries in your area in any way you can! Even if it is just referring a friend or offering a meal! I know you will be blessed and those missionaries will be thankful!

Missionary work is the greatest! I love it! I love and miss you all LOTS!!!! Keep the letters coming, I love them!

¡Yo sé que vive mi Señor!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Joyner