Are you speaking English?

I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy. I also hope that you get this letter; it seems that you haven’t received the last two letters sent. Even if you don’t get my letters know that I’m thinking about you and sending my love. Mom has told me that my letters are too long and that no ones reads all the way through so I’m trying to do a condensed version today.

Not much happened this week of note, but some big things are brewing. In March our current Stake Presidency is being released and we will have new leadership. We will miss President Jenkins since he has sent you all on missions and is a good family friend. Ground will be broken for a new chapel in Highlands Ranch by Wild Cat Reserve Parkway and McArthur Ranch. We will probably end up attending meetings there. I was released from the High Priests Group Leadership and have two callings. I’m the missionary rep for the High Priests and the Employment Specialist. I’m looking forward to both callings. I would love to help someone get a job and I love missionary work. It also means I can attend the missionary meetings with mom.

Speaking of missionary work we had the nurses over for dinner plus a new nurse from Ethiopia. He is a Sunni Muslin and very well spoken. We gave Wasana (a Thai nurse) one of our old beds since she has her own apartment. Dinner was interesting as the nurse pitched in and we all together made some killer Shrimp Fried Rice and incredible Cashew Chicken. All these fun accents of English and skin tones crammed into our kitchen comparing cultures and experiences. We all came together for the dessert. Mom and I had worked ever so hard on a chocolate special that ended up looking like a large cow poop and dry as Melba Toast. Thanks goodness we’re not known for our dessert preparation.

One of the Thai nurses, Mem, is going to start taking the lessons. She doesn’t understand very much of church service but she says it always makes her feel good to sing the hymns and say the prayers. It reminds me of a 10 years old boy we taught on my mission. He was a deaf/mute and suddenly started coming to church. Through a friend he told us that this is the only church that makes him feel good when he attends. Sometimes 3 hour meetings are tough when you understand the language and are able to visit with friends, but imagine attending in complete silence with only the spirit to whisper to your soul the message of the gospel. He loved going to church. Teaching him the lessons was interesting. It was a dose of Pictionary folded in with an active game of Charades. How do you explain prayer or the atonement without words to communicate? It was one of the neatest experiences on my mission and to top it off – he started bringing his brothers and sisters to church. Within a month the whole 8 member family had been baptized from that 10 year old feeling the spirit of attending church.

Work is going well if just a few things fall into place. I’m working on a very large sale to the Doctor group headed up by Dr. Tim Moore, Sean’s dad. We have a good shot at getting their 401 K business and this week I’m in Utah to visit a client worth about 20 million. I pray it is a good week.

In Sunday School we had a lesson on the Savior and when the teacher read the scripture in Isaiah 53:4

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

I realized that we were talking about a different God and Savior than what we typically think of. This scripture doesn’t tout his power nor his majesty it tells us that he understands our trials, and loneliness, and suffering, and angst, and despair, and disappointments, and pains. He understands them because he lived them. From that I can feel of his love as he willingly suffered all those hurts that he may heal us with his stripes. Here is verse 11 and 12:

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

He did that to make an intercession for us the transgressors and he shall bear our iniquities. It is new found love of the Savior that I felt today because he is one that can understand my trials and still love me enough to serve and justify. Thank you for spreading his gospel.