I WILL SERVE WITH ALL MY HEART

Elder Houston's email:

July 10, 2012

 

hey family!

 so it sounds like all going pretty well there and happy birthday mother dearest!!! it sounded like you had a pretty fun birthday ! wish i could have been there too rain check till next year ;) haha. so they made a new spiderman huh i seen it all over walmart haha.. that might be another one i need to put on my must see when i get home list. and anthony going through the temple!!! holy cow so awesome man he is so close ! i wish i could be there but ill see him when he gets back and we can go again ha. i was looking in the newest ensign and it looks like his mission just got a new mission pres too pretty cool. oh one thing i would do different i was just thinking of this last night. i would get sheets for a full bed. because as long as i have been out i have only had one twin size bed so my sheets never fit haha. so get a little bigger and they will still fit if you have a twin too. but any way ha too cool im way pumped for him. oh and i just got 4 letters yesterday from my family!! so thank you!! you all rock!!

   soo this week was so awesome full of spiritual confirmations as well as fun lessons to learn. so i dont got much time and im under the weather today so i will just pick a few of the things that happend this week. and save the rest for another time.

so it was on thursday day and we were just coming in from ridding forever in the hot sun ha we looked pretty beat up and we just got flipped off again in the intersection on the way back to our apartment for dinner ha and yelled at and i was a little down and kind of mad. as we were going through this grocery store parking lot this guy pulls up in his car and yells," hey!, are you mormons?" i was like oh great here we go ha and elder taggert didnt know he stopped me so he kept riding. so i said yes. he ask if i was on a mission, i said yes. he said he was a therapist and he saw people who were depressed all day and it was nice to see some people going out and serving our God. ha i was really surprised haha usually people yell at us and say that we should go home and read the bible haha. so it was nice to find some one that said OUR God. but as he was saying this he took out his wallet and said i have some thing for you. he busted out a hundred dollar bill! i told him thank you so much but we cant accept money haha he said sure ya can and just gave it too me ha i told him thank you and he said no thank you. by this time elder taggert came riding back and the guy got out another hundred!! and gave it to him and said here you have one too haha he told us to go and have our selves a good meal on him. it was such an amazing feeling all the times that we have been yelled at or cursed at, this one kind person made it ALL worth it. well we went on with the night as normal with that little kick in our step haha. well later that night we had to go to walmart to get some pictures for that next day when we met pres and sister shumway. as we were going along we passed this homeless guy that was sleeping in the grass at a buss stop. the thought poped in my head, hey you should give that dude your 100. haha so i stopped and told elder taggert i said we should probably talk to him first. so we did we found out that he was drunk beyond drunk. when we woke him up he was kinda pissed at first but calmed down ha. as we were talking to him he just got up and started peeing on this bush behind him! hahaha it was so funny ! and this was like on a really busy street ha. but as we sat with him and he told us the same story over and over and tried playing his guitar we finally got to pray with him. after i finished the prayer he got angry with us again and told us not to look at him like that! he picked up this cane that he had and said he was going to hit some one ! haha i was getting ready to dart but just then he started to cry and said he didnt want to hit anyone. we got to talk to him a little more and by the end he said that he really loved us we gave him a book of mormon he said he would read it and then gave him the money. he didnt even look how much it was. it was so cool. he was just so thankful for our help and love.

 as we were sitting there the Lord portrayed a vision of when he was with the poor and as he was ministering to them. i couldnt help but cry as i felt the spirit so strong and how it was a reaffirming testimony to me that i am an agent of the Lord how as a missionary we are to be representative of him. i saw the vision the Lord wants us to see and know that we are here to help all of our brothers and sisters to find Him and to have happiness. the man might not remember anything we talked to him about but i know he will remember the kindness and the love the Lord was able to show through us. i know i will never forget it and maybe that all that he wanted to happen. it was a wonderful experience to be able to be a part of ...i thank the Lord each day for these things i have seen and learned on my mission. they are laying a wonderful foundation of a testimony that i know He lives and is alive in this work each day and that our Father loves each one of us and knows our trials. 

 the next day was even a more wonderful day or just as we got to meet our new mission pres and his wife and two kids that still live with them. He is with out a doubt here for us and is called by our Heavenly Father. haha He made sure that i new that with out a doubt in my mind confirmation after confirmation i felt and saw. like i have been having a hard time feeling the spirit like i use too. i think from all that happend last few transfers ago and so i felt that i should ask pres shumway if he would give me a blessing to help. and before i could even ask he gave us all a blessing and said exactly what i needed to hear. this was only one of the many things that i was given an answer too, as we all got to meet him. it was defianlty a tender mercy of the Lord to tell us all with out a shout of a doubt that He called pres and sister shumway for all of us and those in the tulsa oklahoma mission. 

 it was an awesome week and im ready and spiritually fed to continue to do my best to serve with all my heart. thanks again for all your letters i loved them!! i will talk to you all next week! remember joshua 24:14-15 "serve the Lord in sincerity and in truth.. choose you this day whom ye will serve... for ME, [i] will serve the Lord!! woo not some day but this day and all days! i love this work and i love you all !! talk to you later !! love you!! 

love ,

 elder houston