We can control our attitude

Well Everyone...this past week has already passed by?! Shoot! I swear yesterday was the big announcement day where the mission is being closed to Young Elders next July.........FLIP!!! Where does time go am I right. HAHAHAHA!!!!

Well My new companion Elder Slack is amazing and he is one of the best companions ever. He's super funny and we each make each other laugh along with the rest of my district. I'm just really loving this transfer so far. It's been super fun and I've been having a blast. Elder Slack has also helped me find a more relaxed state of mind which is what I've been trying to find for a while and I'm super glad. He's just helped me open my mind to a new perspective on life and it's really helped because I'm not really feeling my depression and I'm not feeling any anxiety which is also super duper great. 

We are scheduled to do a restoration activity next week and it's supposed to take all day but we are spending the day with President Fenn and a whole day of Doctrine which I'm really looking forward to. Plus we're starting to do sports every other day now and we're actually playing outside! I'm so happy about that. But other than that there's not much to report on.

Spiritual thought: 

So this week my Spiritual Thought is coming from Alma 62:41. "But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility."

Which I take as, We really can't ever control what trials or afflictions ever come our way but what we can control is our attitude towards them. Because the Nephites had gone through a ton of things and had protected their people and families. Some were hardened and gave up on things but other's were grateful for what they had gone through because they knew that they were blessed because of it. What we need to do is not let our trials best us and let them make us have a bad attitude towards everything. We need to try to see the lords hand in all things and we need to use the experiences that we have and allow them to build our faith and to allow us to deepen our roots in the gospel and look towards got for more help.

Well everyone, That's the latest news up here. You all are amazing people and I love you all so very much.

Have a wonderful week, and as always....

Stay Beefy!

Elder Wyatt Gatlin

New Companion Elder Slack

I didn't get transferred, but I did get a new companion. Elder Slack is awesome!

Stay Valiant and use the Play Book

Well everyone I hope that all is well and I hope that everyone is doing AMAZING!!! 

So this past week was definitely better than last week. President Fenn had a few conferences with us that really helped. They weren't specifically for me but they still benefited me tons nonetheless. So that's a big plus right there. YAY!! Easter was actually pretty exciting. We had a huge hail storm during sacrament meeting, which was funny cuz it was sunny outside no less than 10 min before the hail came down and the clouds came in HAHAHAHA!!!! Oh Utah weather how you're so unpredictable.......always. 

I'm finally out of Alma in the B.O.M. Don't get me wrong I love the book of alma and I love all the amazing doctrine that lies within it's many many many Chapters, but it's nice to get out of those war chapters. I am really loving the book (institute manual) that I got from Deseret Book (D.B.) because even though the war chapters don't bluntly tell you about the doctrine inside of them but you kinda have to think about it for a while. It took a lot of pondering on my part to be able to pick out all the doctrine. Even with the help of the book I still had to read over several Chapters several times over so that I would be able to understand the teachings and lessons that are in there. 

It was also kinda funny to see all the people that were going to Fan X (Comicon) and to see all the people getting dressed up in several different costumes for the event. I managed to see Kylo Ren, Boba Fett, a Power Ranger, a Minion (Despicable Me), and even Bat Man. I just think it's cool and funny to see all the people who go.

Spiritual Thought: So I'm going to take my Spiritual Thought from the Book of Helaman. I tried to find the reference but I can't seem to find it. But in one of the first 4 chapters the Nephites are being chastised by the prophets and saying that they failed to remember their god and that they set their hearts on riches and the approval of the world and strength, and worldly praises and other things that god looks down upon and things that he doesn't like to see his children doing. We may not be able to exactly relate this to us but we can still relate it to our day. In this world of standards getting lower and lower, and things just all out not being good. It's very vitally important that we stay valiant and we have our "Play Book" ready for action and know how to react to situations where the adversary is trying his hardest to get us to follow the world when we know we need to continue following the lord. It's also very important that we remember who is all powerful and who knows what is best for us. I really think that we need to make sure that we are doing all that we can to stay on the covenant path and doing all that we can to help people who are struggling do the same. 

I know that it was kinda all over the place but it's important to me and I hope that it all helped you. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful week and I hope that all of you will make everyday better than the day previous.

Stay Beefy, I love all of you very much! You're all Great!

Elder Wyatt Gatlin 

Hard Week

Hello everyone. I hope all of you loved conference and I hope that all of you had a wonderful past week.

So I'm gonna be bluntly honest with all of you. This past week has been really hard and really rough. I've been really struggling with some people in my apartment not doing their share of cleaning and not doing anything for the benefit of the apartment it just really gets on my nerves because Elder Barron and I (It's mostly me) Who does all the cleaning and then I have no time to study in the evening and I have almost no time to relax in the evening because I'm to busy cleaning because half of my apartment mates are slobs and I swear they have no idea how to clean!!!!!!!!!! Plus I'm just having a really hard time trying to figure out how to recognize when the spirit is with me and when the spirit is trying to talk to me and so on and so forth. So yea it's not been fun.  Also it just feels like I'm being forced into this box of discipleship and perfection and how we can't do all these things when there is absolutely nothing wrong and how it's this and not that and this and this and that but I just need  

Something that was super fun was being able to meet with Brother Neil L. Anderson and Ulisses Soares came to our mission Wednesday and it was super awesome to have them come. They told us some awesome things about us being very valiant and how all of the twelve and the first presidency honor us for our service and coming out to this mission because we could've easily not come and just ducked out and no one would ever know. Which really hit me and it proved to me that my work that I'm doing here is actually appreciated and that all the apostles are aware of us and what we're doing. Brother Soares said some stuff about obtaining Christ like attributes and doing all we can to obtain those, and how having those attributes can help us become better missionaries. I personally love hearing from Brother Soares and was super happy to hear that he was also coming along. Everything that he teaches about feels like it was just for me and it always helps me. (Plus I always take way more notes hearing from him than any of the others. Don't know how that happens but hey.) But I would say that was a super awesome part of last week. Also just having so many amazing people with me have helped me thus far make it through from day to day. I'm doing what I can to stay happy but I'm just going mindlessly it seems but still going 

Spiritual Thought: This is going to be a little hard for me but I will do my very very best here.

So I've been reading in Alma in the war chapters and I've been thinking about a few things that are in there (thanks to an amazing study book that I got for 5 dollars at Deseret Book) But it breaks down the chapter into sections and it talks about the doctrine in those chapters and it really helps especially in the war chapters that people just blaze through when there are things to be learned from those chapters. But in Alma 50 it's right after Captain Moroni and the Nephites just won a big war against the Lamanites. 

1 And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.

In the manual which helps with a more guided study but it helped me come to the realization that they had an awesome victory over the Lamanites but it states in that first verse that "Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites" So in there moments of triumph and in their moments of happiness, they didn't stop making preparations for war and they didn't cease to be ready to defend themselves. Which I related to our day in how that We can't ever stop making preparations to fight satan and the whirlwinds that he throws at us. We have to constantly be ready to defend ourselves against him so that we don't fall into temptation that we are doing our best to fight against. We just had a major triumph over sin and temptation. In those moments we will have the spirit to be with us but in those moments we also have to constantly be on guard and constantly getting closer to the savior and do what we can to fight of Satan and to call upon god when we know that we are going to need his help and after all that we've done he will deliver us from his grasp. The lord would do anything for us if we would just ask him, he doesn't want to see us suffering and he doesn't want to see us falling away. We need to keep that amazing companionship with him and always grow a stronger relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and always strive to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost because if we do so we won't ever fall away and we will always be ready to fight against the blows of Satan. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I hope all of you have a great next week, Happy Early Easter!

I love all of you so so much and all that you've done for me.

Stay Beefy, 

Love,

Elder Wyatt Gatlin

General Conference

I enjoyed everything about conference and it was super awesome that President Fenn got all of the young elders tickets to the priesthood session and we were right in the front and it was super awesome to see all the apostles walk in plus all of them waved at us as they passed which was super awesome. Plus our experiences with the Twelve aren't actually over yet. we get the pleasure of meeting with Neil L. Anderson of the Twelve Apostles tomorrow and he's just talking to us young elders which is super awesome and a great blessing because this almost never happens but President was meeting with him, the subject was brought up he was invited and he said yes so I've been super stoked for that for like a week now and I'm super excited to hear what he has to say and I can't wait to hear the counsel that he will give us. 

But this week has kinda been a little stressful for me because I've lately been feeling this unknown force and doubt continually pressing me down making me feel like I did something wrong and making me feel as if I had wronged god or done something wrong in his eyes, but I had a very spiritual experience that put all my worries to rest and put my mind at ease and I felt all my stress leave me and I felt a sense of peace and trust from the lord that I had already repented of all my big major sins and that I was doing all the right things in his eyes and that I had nothing to worry about. I could feel as if he trusted me and that he knew me so personally (which he knows all of us very personally) that he trusted me on this mission and that I was doing all the right things. Part of me knew and felt as if he just gave me a big hug and spoke to my spirit just saying words of comfort. 

But yea that's pretty much all the cool stuff...........Not too many things new happen here we pretty much just do the same exact things. That's why I'm doing all I can to see the awesome experiences in my life and doing all that I can to be the best missionary I can to be able to see the lords hand in my life a lot more.

Spiritual thought: So one quote that I really have been thinking about lately was: "Guilt isn't there to break you down is there as a protection for you to not fall into the same mistakes again." Probably got it all wrong but I left my notes at the apartment on accident along with my camera....well...darn it. But I personally just really liked that because remembering your sins and feeling terrible about them really sucks and you just want to forget about that and never have to think about it again when in reality we should be glad that we remember that as a protection to us so we know how we felt and we know what happened when went down that path so we don't make the mistake of going down there again cuz....yea it's not fun. 

Well I'm super thankful for all of you and all that you've done for me in my life and I'm glad to have such great friends as all of you.

Thanks for everything and I love all of you very dearly.

Stay Beefy!

Elder Wyatt Gatlin

District Photo

District photo from the top of the Conference Center.

Solid Foundation

SSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY AMAZING THINGS HAPPENED THIS WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So First off I had a pleasant surprise on Sunday being surprised by the Terry's coming to see me. It was really awesome to see them and it helped me have an even better start to this week. But it was a super awesome Week this past week has been a super awesome one and I Love it! So....

Spiritual Thought: This past week I've been able to do a lot of studying and I've made it up to about Alma 30 just about and I've been gaining a better foundation of the Gospel each and every day that I study and take the time to ponder and think about what doctrine is in the chapter that I just read which I think is a very important thing that I feel that a lot of us tend to look over and kind of just brush off the shoulder but really that's one thing that I think all of us can do more especially with today and so many changes happening in the church which is why it's super important for us to do all that we can to draw closer to our Father in Heaven and do what we can to create and keep a better relationship with him so that we can keep that sure foundation on the rock which is his gospel and this church rather than on a worldly foundation which is the sands of Satan and his plans and fall away from the church. I know for a fact that pondering is a really vital tool to being open to the spirit and revelation. I know for a fact that it has brought me closer to my savior and it has opened my understanding to be able to comprehend all the amazing doctrine that the holy scriptures has to offer all of us.

This past week has been pretty fun though. I've set up a group of elders that are going to meet every open Monday where we don't have anything planned and we are going to go to the Stake Center field and Throw around my Rugby ball and a Frisbee, lots more people came than I thought were going to come which was actually really nice because it helps all of us bond together better and grow closer as a mission whole. I personally felt all the love that all of us have for each other on this mission and I can feel how all of us are enjoying taking a break from the usual stuff and going outside for some sports. (Cuz that's what guys do, we bond over Sports).

But yea I'm glad to have a super Dope companion and I'm blessed to have the wonderful assignment of being in the discovery zone and helping bringing those lost family members back to life and connecting everything together. It's such a great blessing to be able to help with such a vital part of the mission. 

Well I hope that all of you will have a fabtabulous week and I hope that you all will do all you can to make every day better than the day before. You are all amazing and I love each and every one of you very dearly. 

Stay Beefy!!! 

Elder Wyatt Gatlin.

Terry Family

Pictures from sports night