Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Well, I am half way done at the MTC. I am doing well. I think my district is getting closer together each day, which is nice. I miss you guys very much, but I know that I am where I should be. As I told you guys, our teachers are awesome. I guess the more I am here, the more I learn the necessity of the work, the firmness of the foundation and the spirit of love that is at the heart of all gospel principles. I could not be more grateful for where I come from. I have been blessed with challenges and experiences that strengthen me and enable me to look at the world in a very unique way. I love the gospel and the hope it brings for all people. I hope to be able to fulfill my call and continue to grow in my understanding.

I spoke at church this past Sunday about recognizing promptings from the Holy Ghost, and people seemed to enjoy it. I know that Heavenly Father is always mindful of us. All things will be for our good. People need to know about the gospel and that there is no need to fear. I particularly love the lyrics to "Come, Come Ye Saints." We will have difficulties, but we have an all-powerful God of miracles on our side. Through the atonement it is indeed true "All is well!" Christ has paid the price for not only our sins but also all of our weaknesses, imperfections, pains, sorrows and all that is wrong. In Christ, all is made right through our Heavenly Father’s perfect plan. I pray that we can all grow in our comprehension of this wonderful gospel and ever draw closer to our Heavenly Father, our Savior and the Holy Ghost who will guide us in all things. My branch president’s wife said that we should read the conversion stories of our family members to know where we come from.

I know that Heavenly Father and Christ love us more than we can comprehend and that living the gospel is the way to real happiness. I am re-reading the Book of Mormon. It is amazing the spirit you can feel just by reading. I know that the Book of Mormon provides more insight and wisdom on how one should live than any other book. I am thankful for the restoration of the gospel and with it the knowledge that there are miracles happening all around us every day. I believe that God does not cease His miracles. I have the standard works on my ipad in English, Norwegian, Spanish and Portuguese, excluding the bible in Norwegian and Portuguese because the church does not own the rights to translations in those languages. It is wonderful to see the gospel being distributed to so many tongues. It is indeed the fulfillment of the Lord's promise. There are a couple Elders in my zone who are going to Netherlands Spanish speaking. There are cool guys, and it felt awesome to speak Spanish again! The Norwegian word of the week is flink, which means awesome or talented.

Love,

Elder Ankenman




While Elder Ankenman is in the MTC in Provo he can receive daily messages from Dear Elder.com. If anyone would like to contact him this way here is a link: http://www.dearelder.com/. He will still have access to email every Tuesday.