Letter to Dad - 7 August, 2014

Woohoo!!!! I am so glad that I graduated seminary finally! haha :) Thanks for writing me dad. Let everyone know that I am sorry I wasn't able to email them back today, as my other emails were a little bit longer than usual. I will try to write them when I can, and may even get to hand write a few since I have quite a bit of time to do that today.

That is crazy about the stairwell!! No wonder it has been flooding so much. I am so so glad that you have been able to finally start fixing that. It is going to be such a blessing. Also, thank you so much for sending pictures about the zoo trip that you had! It was so good to see everyone. I love you all so so much. Also, could you send me a card reader? I think that is going to be the easiest and perhaps only way to get pictures from my camera at this point. A lot of the other elders and sisters in my district have been struggling to do the same thing.

Dad, I want you to know that I love you. Your example to me is so incredible. You are the epitome of a worthy priesthood holder, and I know that the Lord can trust you with anything. Thank you for showing me what it really means to be a man of God. I miss you so much too, but I know that this is where I need to be. The Lord is going to bless us more than we could imagine because of the sacrifices we are willing to make for His other children. Also, I have this strange feeling that this mission is going to fly, and before you know it we will be looking back wondering how in the world two years has already passed. So let's cherish every second.

Thank you for the spiritual thought that you share. It always is so good for me to read, and helps me in some way. The messages that the gospel has to offer are so incredible, so please keep sharing them! I will keep sharing some with you too. The message that I want to share today is this: Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I had the chance to not only watch the Joseph Smith movie but teach the message of the restoration in our lessons with our investigator. I definitely saw the gift of tongues that day. Previous to that lesson, we had planned for Elder Nagano to talk about the restoration story, but as we memorized the first vision the night before, I memorized it insanely fast, and he didn't seem able to get it. So I had the opportunity of sharing it, even though I didn't feel quite ready. As I started to say the words that Joseph Smith wrote, they came out in a fluidity and power that is beyond what I could ever have done. It still wasn't perfect, but God was definitely supporting me. Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, and this church is true. I know it.

I love you so much and I hope that you have an amazing day, Dad!!

Love, Elder Livingston