Thank you :) - Letter to Dad - 28 October, 2014

Hey dad!

I wanted to really say thank you in this email. I sent in my email to mom quite a bit of the stuff that happened this past week, but I wanted to say thank you for what you have sent to me. Time and time again your wisdom has helped me, but this last lesson plan and story that you gave me really helped. :) Thanks, Dad. I definitely want to try and implement some of these ideas, and I will definitely be keeping them for the future as well. But what really stuck out to me was the end, where you asked me to evaluate myself in light of what Christ would do. It really struck me. As a missionary I am His representative. I bear His name. I am called to do what He would do, teach how He would teach, and love how He would love. I definitely have so much room to improve, and I am grateful for your reminder. It really helped me evaluate myself better, again, and to really see where I was and what I can do better. Thank you, Dad. :)

Thank you also for being a second example of what it means to be like Christ. You are so gentle. There is an incredible Mormon Message called Earthly Father, Heavenly Father, and I am so grateful to be blessed with the best dad ever. You are so amazing. I love you. Thank you for leading the way, and leading the family, and living the way that Christ would. Thank you, Dad. :)

I want to share a thought with you, about the Temple. Which, by the way, we got to go to the temple today, which is why this is a day late (we go to the temple once a transfer, and depending on the stake that I am in, the week changes). Dad, the temple is the house of God. It is a place of revelation, a place of reflection, and a place where the Holy Ghost can communicate with us unrestrained. I don't know how your temple attendance is lately, but I just wanted to remind you that if you have anything you are stressed about (you mentioned you were stressed in your last email), anything that you are worried about, anything that you need, go to the temple. Go often. Once every 6 weeks is not often enough for me, and I am so blessed to even go that much as a missionary. Make sure that you make and take time to go to the temple. If you put the Lord first, you will always have time, energy, resources, and strength to do what you need. I am really learning that here on a mission. If we just put Him first and foremost in our lives, everything else in life just falls into place. I know that is true, and that as you strive to continue to improve in your own ways, becoming more like Christ, you will feel the Spirit more, and have a greater increase of revelation. It will guide you in all things in your life. Thanks for everything, again, and don't forget that I love you!!

Love, Elder Livingston