There's really only one major thing that I want to highlight this week, because it was pretty stinking miraculous. This week I had the opportunity to meet Sister Beth Spackman. She happens to be Elder N. Eldon Tanner's daughter! This was one of the craziest experiences I've ever had. I was on exchanges with Elder Lybe, and we went to see her to check up on some invitations that Elder Lybe and his actual companion had extended to her. I had no idea who she was when Elder Lybe told me that we were going to go over. When we got to the door, Elder Lybe told me that she was N. Eldon Tanner's daughter, and I almost keeled over! When I met her, she was incredible. I told her that I was named after her father, and she said "There's no one better that you could have been named after!" with a stern granny voice. At the end of our lesson with her, she showed me a great big picture of President Tanner in the hallway of her home. Unfortunately, my camera was dead.... However! She lent me a SIGNED COPY of "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God" by President Tanner, so I'll need to take that back to her. And when I do, I will be getting a photograph or two! But anyway, after she showed me the painting of him, I realized that this was as close as I'd ever get to President Tanner, and so I asked this sweet little lady what a lesson was from her father that has helped her the most in her life and that she would never forget. She told me that there were loads of those, but she narrowed it down to two things:

1. Obedience
2. Love

She talked of how President Tanner would consistently speak to his children about discovering what the Lord would have them do and then to DO IT. Reminds me of Mom's family motto for our house: "When the Lord wants us to do something, we DO IT." Interesting how all that lines up, eh?

Then she spoke of how President Tanner was always so kind and loving. Not even exclusively with his family, though he loved them more than anyone. He always said that he wanted to create an atmosphere in his office so that anyone who left it would feel better than when they entered. How awesome is that! He was apparently known to see everyone that he met and ask himself what he could say/do to help that person or make them happier. And then once he discovered it, he would do it.

For this week's email, I just want to encourage everyone to be a little more obedient, and a little bit more loving. Those are two lessons that would change the world if we could really try and incorporate them into our lives.

Not much else happening. Just gearing up for the transfer next week and doing our best to help our area.

I would like to bear a testimony this week to finish off my email, because I feel that I need my beliefs to be know concerning a few things:

I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe in kindness, love, caring for our fellow man, and defending the one who is hated and alone. However, I do believe that there is absolute truth and that moral relativism only leads to confusion and unhappiness. I've found that by my own experience. God Almighty has declared His law, and it will not change for mortal men, however mighty they may think they are. The Lord is not interested in making a "politically correct" church by changing eternal law so that others can feed their own justification and self gratification. He declares absolute law because He loves us and doesn't want to see us harm ourselves by kicking against the pricks. I stand with this church because I know that this is the way through which we come closest to the Lord. There are imperfect people in this church. But that isn't unique to the church. The world is absolutely full of imperfect people. We need to get used to that. But loving and defending our brothers and sisters is something that should always be upheld, no matter what their beliefs. We extend that love and defense to all, hoping - praying - that they will do the same for us.
I love Jesus Christ, and I am imperfect, but I am sure trying to be like Him.

-Elder Warenski