Dear Family, 

This week is going good. Things are getting better and better. My companion and I are working hard to be consecrated missionaries and to expound and magnify the work that we have been given. Yesterday we had our mission conference for the Up-state missionaries. We had Elder Carlson of the 70 come and talk to us. It was an amazing experience. He talked about a lot of things that I will make reference to throughout the letter. Oh ya....he was also a 4 star general.

I guess the first part is I have been playing my violin a lot. I played it in Sacrament meeting a couple weeks ago for a musical number with all the missionaries and ex-missionaries. Then I've gotten to play it for prelude music to help people be reverent. Then yesterday we did a violin trio (or a triolin as our AP called it) for the General Authority. It was an awesome arrangement of "Be Still my Soul" that was originally a violin duet but another elder wrote a third part (sound familiar mum?) So I've gotten to perform twice on my mission for General Authorities! I'm basically famous back at Church Headquarters now! (jokes)

This last week we've still been stood up a lot again but we're buckling down. We've meet a couple people who are interested. We've been mistaken for Jehovah Witnesses a couple times but that's nothing new. Just "golpeando puertas" and hoping for the best right now. 

I had an epiphany the other night when we were doing the PMG class we do with the ward to help them be Missionaries also. We were talking and I remember something the General authority said about having a 5 year plan. So I was sort of thinking about it not really taking it seriously then all of the sudden I realized.......I have no idea what to do when I get home....but then I thought, it's OK, I've still got like 7 months......pero.....me di cuenta......I ONLY HAVE 7 MONTHS LEFT!.....Where did the time go? It's like yesterday I was saying, "I've got a good 22 months to Preach the Gospel and worry about stuff later"   How fast that number has shrunk. Oh well, keep working hard.

It was an interesting conference. 

For my Spiritual thought, I wanted to add on the thought of last time. I was reading Neal A. Maxwells "Meek and Lowly" talk and quoted Moroni 7:43 that says  

43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be ^ameek, and lowly of heart.;

So.....I guess there's the big secret. In order to have this celestial triad of virtues, one must be meek. I can't quote the talk because I don't have it with me but my new goal is to be meek. To be submissive and humble and teachable so that I can have these three virtues, faith, hope, and charity. All with the goal that I can gain the trust of Heavenly Father. I know he loves me, I cannot doubt that. I know he loves all of his children. But as Elder Christoferson said, "There's a difference between being loved and being trusted." I've got to start working on the foundations of discipleship.  Our mission president told us we need to put everything on the alter to do this work. I joking thought, "I can't, not because I don't want to but because it won't all fit!" well....I'm making it fit :). 

I love you family. Happy Birthday Caleb. I'm glad you liked my gifts. They were just a couple things that I had picked up on my mission (don't ask....long stories) that I thought you would like. It's hard to buy gifts here mostly because everything is expensive and.... well.....that's really the only reason....

I love you all so much

love

-Elder Jeremy Sherman