Hearts of the Fathers

I gave a talk in church yesterday on "The Heart of the Fathers"...maybe I'll attach it. I didn't actually talk about my dad very much (sorry dad, I just didn't want to make everyone else feel inadequate about their own fathering), I mostly talked about family history and Heavenly Father. What's written on the paper is shorter than my whole talk ended up being, but the French one is closer to what I actually said (even though I spoke in English)! It was weird having to write out word for word what I wanted to say, and then translating it (with help from my companion) because this ward is technically an English ward but there are enough French speakers that they do French translation as well.

(Here's an excerpt from said talk:)

... So, here's the second thing I wanted to talk about. I can't really hear the phrase “the heart of the father” without thinking about the scriptures in Malachi and 3 Nephi that describe the turning of “the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers”. This is a scripture we read and use often in studying about family history. In this case, “fathers” means“ancestors”. There is a whole big group of people that, with the “heart of a father” want to be reunited with us for eternity and are waiting and watching for us to make the effort. And we are not alone in that effort! Elder John A. Widtsoe, a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said about family history that “those who give themselves with all their might ... to this work receive help from the other side. ... Whoever seeks to help those on the other side receives help in return.” I suggest that “Fathers' Day” is about our fathers, and also their fathers, and their fathers, and everyone else we think of when we think about our own family trees. And the “heart of the father” is something that each of us can feel as we make the efforts to get closer to the vision of eternal salvation with our Father in heaven and with our families.

...  James E Faust taught “Noble fatherhood gives us a glimpse of the divine”. This is true because God is the perfect father. I know that I do not fully understand and appreciate everything that my dad, my brother, my home teachers, and my mission president have done and do for me, and I understand even less of what God does for me. We have, in reality, a very limited view of His plan for each of us individually, and most of what he does is behind­the­scenes. My relationship with my dad while I'm on my mission gives me somewhat of a better sense of how much our Father in Heaven wants us to return to him. This, I believe, is the “heart of the Father”. This great desire to help one another in the quest for salvation and the vision of being reunited eternally in our families with Heavenly Father, including all the smaller steps and efforts made to achieve that goal.

What else happened this week... we got cancelled on a lot, but it freed us up to be where people ACTUALLY needed us to be. We set a baptismal date with Y___ for July 3rd but then Tamika got sick so they couldn't come to church yesterday, so we'll probably have to push it back a week. But even as I write this, I'm on the phone with one of the ward young womens leaders who's helping to figure things out so Tamika can go to girls camp in a couple of weeks :) Things are good.

We said goodbye to President Patrick on Saturday. President Phillips comes in like a week. Honestly, I feel weird about it. But I know that President Patrick has been called of God to serve here at this time just as much as I have, and President Phillips is called by the same authority. He is the mission president that I will need for the rest of my mission, in the same way that President Patrick was the mission president I needed up until now.

This week I wrote a couple of limericks on fatherhood in my journal and if I could remember them and if they're any good, I'd write them down and send them. Maybe next week.

Sister Hilaire is great :) the language barrier is getting less funny, though, as she gets better at English, so I'm trying to speak French more. Also, just because I need to be speaking French more. She LOVES how enthusiastically I sing to EFY songs in the car. ("You are embarrassment, what if someone we teach sees you??" "Then they'll know how much I love Jesus, isn't that what we want??")

Really though, I've been thinking a lot lately about how my love for the Savior has grown. I really want to read Jesus the Christ again, there's just no time. Post-mission goal. I think I've sent these verses in an email before, but please read Luke 22:41-43. What would you do to strengthen the Savior during the critical moment in eternity? Now read Matthew 25:40.

I know that as we reach out to others in love, no effort is wasted.

I love you! Souvenez-vous qui vous êtes ♥