Hello, hello!!
It has been a rather cold, rainy, and windy week here in the
land down under! Luckily all that matters very little as one who is part of the
best mission in the World!
This week Elder Orr and I were blessed to set a baptismal
date with YiFei for the 4th of July. Yifei is such a great example to us of
someone who is putting his faith in the Lord. One of the things he really wants
to do before he is baptized is learn a lot about Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith.
This is something that he has been talking about for a while so we hope that he
will continue to recognize the Lord feeding him truth and knowledge that will
help him come closer to the Savior. Elder Orr and I invited and committed Yifei
to read the Joseph Smith history from the Pearl of Great Price. We promised him
that as he did so he would be able to liken himself to Joseph and be able to
learn all he needed prior to his baptism.
Yifei's experience brings to light a concern many of us face
throughout the course of our lives. Yifei has had a multitude of his prayers answered, yet he wants more. Now, don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with
that, but often times I think we want more before we are willing to do our end
of the work. I know that I am guilty of this on a series of accounts throughout
my life. However, I have come to learn on my mission that it is fine to always
want to learn and receive greater light and knowledge, but that must not keep us
from doing what we know we should do. Furthermore, the very truth in which each
of us may be seeking will often only come after we do what the Lord has asked
us even though we feel that we should receive a witness before the trial of our
faith. I would pray that each of us would always put our trust in the Lord
first and recognize that he will always give to him who seeketh, but it is in
his way and his own time.
It seems like yesterday I was writing a Happy Birthday note
to my dad and here it is again! I guess time really does fly. I want to take a
moment to express my love, appreciation, and gratitude for all that he has done
for me. Last year I remember linking a video titled, "Heavenly Father,
Earthly Father." I would encourage each of us this year to look back on
that video; however, my comments this year I would like to relate from a talk by
Elder Christofferson titled, "Let Us Be Men." If you are looking for
a talk that would define who my father is, then look no further. If you go to
listen or read that talk on LDS, you will know exactly who my father is. In his
talk Elder Christofferson discusses several characteristics attributed to true
manhood of which are greatly expressed in my own Father's life.
I have had the opportunity to be able to reflect on my life
and have only grown in appreciation for the example that my father has set. I
have been able to see throughout my life, and on my mission especially, that
fatherhood and leading a family does not always come to be the way that I have
experienced it. Such experiences have only deepened my gratitude and resolve to
become more like my own father. Truly being like my father is something I want
to be. If there is any single greatest accomplishment in my life it is for me
to be able to walk as my own father walked. His endless service, devotion to
family, and personal faith in the Savior makes him an individual all would deem
fit to follow. On this special day, I thank him for investing 21 years in me and
for helping me every step along the way. I don't think my brothers or myself
have ever or will ever fully understand the sacrifices that he has made to help
us be who we are. With one son on a mission and one about to leave with two
others following, I can say that he has reared them in a manner that is pleasing
to his Heavenly Father.
My father will tell you he is not a perfect man, but what
makes him the man he is, is that he recognizes and improves on those things.
While they may not be easy true manhood, as expressed in my father, is looking
inward and asking, "Lord, is it I?" To those of us at whatever stage
we may be in our lives, my hope and my prayer is that we are able to find
examples of true manhood, follow them, and then emulate all that they have
shown us in our lives. Truly the Savior is one who has followed this pattern of
life and constantly receives recognition from his own Father in the words,
"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." My hope is that
my own father will be able to say such things about me and the rest of his
sons. I shared this in my personal e-mail to my father but it seems
fitting to share here. It is taken from the Book of Alma. Your reading of this
verse might be a little bit different than what I have in my Book of Mormon but it says,
"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and
ever would be, like unto John Wilde, behold, the very powers of hell would have
been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of
the children of men."
Love you, Dad!
Thank you all for your prayers and all that you do to
support me in this great work of the Lord's.
Love,
Elder Wilde
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