God is a master craftsman

Dearest family and friends,

Life is full of ups and downs, as I`m sure all of us have heard many times before. I have had much time to ponder on my mission, both over my scriptures and over my pillow, about many things. One thing I have come to understand very clearly is that we learn the best when we are at the worst. God, the Master Craftsman, has crafted a plan that throws us into a whirlwind of a world that chucks every ugly, cheap, vulgar, and diabolical scheme of lies and sin directly in our path. But in the midst of this heap of trials, God can craft a masterpiece. I cannot count the number of times I have been on my knees asking for help to overcome the worst of the world, both for myself and those whom I have been involved in teaching. And I know that with the plan that we have, everything is stacked in our favor to succeed and eventually overcome the world.

How many billions of precious souls have gone down to the grave without the light of the gospel in their lives? I honestly cannot imagine my life without this gift. I count myself wholly unworthy to be born with such a treasure, but I know that all I can do is be grateful and then share it with all the world. It is the coolest thing ever to see the change occur in the lives of others as they came to learn about their Father in heaven. As we ride our bikes or walk down the street and stop everyone we meet, almost everyone says the same thing: "I`ve never thought about God before." "I have no idea what the purpose of life is." "I don`t really think about what will happen later on." "I don`t know what makes me happy."

I testify that the gospel has what every single one of these people need. There are millions of unhappy people in the world who just need SOMETHING to live for other than themselves or some perishable worldly fancy. I feel so strongly about this, especially now on a mission as I can witness for myself the change occur in the lives of these wonderful people who choose to take a leap of faith into the unknown. I can really feel the love that God has for each one of these people, whether they rudely yell at us on the street or ask us when they can come visit the church. It is there for them to feast upon, for anyone who wants it. All we have to do is reach out and give it a taste.

I am in kinda a reflective mood today, as you can tell, haha. It has been a good week. My companion, Elder Y, is the humblest and most loving person ever. We gave a zone training last week up in front of all the missionaries, and he did such a wonderful job overcoming his fear of speaking in front of people and helped all of us learn some profound lessons about how to become better missionaries. I am grateful to have him here by my side as we strive to teach and baptize as well as build up the wonderful missionaries in our zone. 

Life is so simple as a missionary; all we do all day is preach and teach about Jesus Christ and invite others to learn more. Every day is the same, and yet it is constantly changing; it never gets old. And when done correctly, the whole program forces you to forget about yourself and live for others. Life is just so much simpler when you live it that way.

Unfortunately there are just way too many good experiences to share. Let me just say that I cannot and will not ever be able to deny the existence of a Father in Heaven who is ALWAYS by our side. He has been there for me in my darkest moments. He will be there for you. I love Him, and I love all of you. Thanks for always being there, as well.

Peace and love!
Elder Naylor

ネイラー長老