Fun and excitement continues even after the holidays

This week has kind of been a roller coaster of a lot of things happening but luckily...I survived. 

Kidding, it's been really fun and very enjoyable. There were a few stressful moments and some times where missing family...(Which is expected as a missionary)...but luckily with all of the friends that I have here and all of the wonderful Senior Missionaries made it the best that it possibly could've been. Nothing was planned for the Elders except for the "dinner" (It was totally lunch. We had it at 1:00) But that was the only thing that was planned, so we had to do what we can to make it interesting and fun.

 But other than that, it was really nice to get back to zone. The break is nice and all, but it's nice to get back to the regular routine of things. It was a pretty slow week if I'm going to be completely honest. but it shakes things up a bit from the fast-paced world that we live in now.

Nothing else to report though

Spiritual Thought: So this week for my Spiritual Thought, I'm going to be using Alma 7:15 

15 Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism. 

I read this and I really felt a truth that lies within it. Along with a sense of hope that comes because of Jesus Christ and what he's done for us. 

He is asking that we approach Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through prayer with a willingness to repent and give away your sins and those other trials and struggles that you struggle with. If you have a willingness to repent and to change, he will take them from you and if you will keep His commandments, you will be forgiven and you will be made clean through the blessing of the Sacrament that we are able to partake of each and every week with a willing heart and a new covenant with the Lord that we can and will change for the better. I know that we can be better and I know that we can do better. Through Jesus Christ and through faith are all things possible. I know these things to be true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

I hope that all of you have a great week!

You're all Fabtabulous People and I love you all!

Stay Foxy!

Elder Wyatt Gatlin

Temple Square is SO BUSY!!!

I kid you not! I have never seen this many people around temple square ever in my life! Seeing that it's going to be closing soon, it's probably why everything around Temple Square is so crazy right now. 

Other than that...transfers have happened and not much changed. I have a new companion, Elder Mitchell, and a new apartment (I literally moved right next door), but I haven't switched zones. I keep forgetting that President Fenn has told me that I am going to be serving in this zone for a long time. But this transfer is a 6-week transfer so...I'm going to be in this district for a while, which I'm totally looking forward to that. 

Zone work is pretty slow as usual, not much excitement happening but...such is mission life up here in the Great polluted place of Salt Lake City. We try to make it as exciting as possible because...Life isn't the same when you don't have at least a little bit of excitement. I've been using that to help me get through day to day and to get through the hard times. It has been helping with staying happy and not letting the adversary get into my head. Sometimes it does get more difficult but relying on the Lord and the Savior to help me pull through those times. For the most part, I'm doing good...just hoping things only get better from here.

Spiritual Thought: So my spiritual Thought this week is going to be coming from Alma 44:4

4 Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.  

So I'm gonna change a few things about this to better relate to us. "and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be alone in times of tribulation" Now when I change that up it really hits me in the heart and is very spiritual for me. Because we all have days where we just feel alone and just feel like our efforts aren't meaningful. But to the Lord, they are all he expects of us. He expects that we do our best every day to become better Disciples of Christ. We must only do our best and that is all he requires of us. I know these things to be true and I know that our efforts are recognized by the Lord every day. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I hope that all of you have a Fabtabulous Week and a Merry Christmas!

I love all of you!

Stay Foxy!

Elder Wyatt Gatlin

The work moves on and so do the holidays

Hello, all of you Fabtabulous people. Life has kind of been interesting up here. It's been a little difficult especially with the holidays coming closer, but with the help of a lot of my companions and my friends that I have out here, it's been bearable and I've been only pressing forward. 

          My projects are kind of slow going, but we're still making progress none the less. We have a meeting with President Fenn on Monday and hopefully, that will go well and that we will be able to progress forward in the way that we are needing to. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the best and I'm hoping that we will get the info that we need along with the permissions to finish up this project. It's just really stressful being the head of this project and worrying about everything all at once. I'm really working on that and trying to focus on one thing at a time. I've been really praying and asking the Lord to have the strength, focus, and ability to finish this project and the ability to make this project happen with the help of everyone around me.

          I have been able to feel the Lord's assistance in my life and I have been able to really see his hand in my life and I have been able to have that strength to get through it so far. I just have to continue forward for just a little bit longer and then it should be a walk in the park from there

          Other news; Transfer's is on Tuesday and that doesn't help my situation. I really don't think that I'm going to move or go anywhere just because I'm the project head and I will be staying with this project until it's done. Other than that I'm pretty boring. 

Spiritual Thought: So my Spiritual Thought this week is going to be coming from Alma 43:45 (vs. 41-45)

45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.  

This really hit me hard when I read this scripture study this week. It really made me reflect on my life and made me ask the question to myself..."Am I being inspired by a better cause?" ya know..."What is my better cause and am I living worthy of the spirit to help me recognize a better cause?" This is a question that has multiple right answers, but are we...as members of the church, living and being inspired by that better cause and am I living in line with the teachings of the prophets and the scriptures. Living this principle requires that we have the Spirit of the Lord with us in our everyday lives and requires that we live that higher standard that the Lord has put before us. We need to stick it out in the hard times and we need to look upon past mistakes and learn from those experiences that we've had. Those several Trials and Afflictions that we have in our lives are to test our faith and to help us focus more on "The Better Cause." They help us build each other up and to help strengthen our faith in these trying and hard times of conflicting opinions. Let us be inspired and be focused on the "Better Cause" each day and allow us to better walk in the steps of the Savior. Let us strive each and every day to continue forward and to continue doing our best to be better and to change towards Perfection. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Well, that's it for me!

You're all Fabtabulous people!

I love all of you so very much! Do what you can to have the Best Day Ever every day!

Stay Foxy!

Love,

Elder Wyatt Gatlin

Good week with slow moving progress

HELLO, ALL OF YOU FABTABULOUS PEOPLE!!!!!!

This week has been pretty good. My project hasn't moved or gone forward at all...which is kind of annoying, but it's getting there. So since that's been going nowhere I've been helping other people with their projects. The air up here as been terrible and it's been killing my lungs...luckily it hasn't stuck around too long and it's clearing up each day.

I've had some pretty spiritual experiences this week that have helped me continue going forward and have strengthened my faith. I know that the power of prayer is real! One day I was not doing well and I was really struggling, but I poured my heart out to God and Sincerely asked for help and this overpowering feeling of peace come over me and this warm feeling that put all my worries to rest and really just allowed me to continue on and it has really helped me since then. I'm just so thankful, for the blessings that the Lord has blessed me with and the opportunity to continue to grow and receive his guidance. 

 33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

I read this during my study just a few days ago and this really stood out to me. It really helped me understand the importance of being fully clean and always be repentant. If we are going through life and doing our best to repent every day, and we aren't doing our best to keep the spirit with us every day, by repenting daily, then we aren't using the marvelous gift that has been put before us. We aren't allowing Christ into our lives. The Lord wants us to be clean so that we can have the spirit with us in our lives constantly, but we have to allow the Lord to do his work within us. We can only do that, by repenting every day and allowing the Holy Ghost into our lives. 

That probably went in 30 different places but the principle is still there.

Well, that's my week everyone!

I love you all and I hope that all of you have an amazing week as well!

Stay Awesome!

Stay Foxy!

Elder Wyatt Gatlin!