a letter from Caleb 11-26-12

Dear Mom and Dad,


Got the two padded envelopes, and the letters from alyssa and scott! Havent gotten a box yet, but its probably at the mission office, waiting for someone to come pick it up.

How did dad ship my bike? Was it expensive? I hope not!

I finished the book of mormon again! Its amazing how you can truly get something different out of it everytime you read it.

It is quite warm here. Like 70-85 degrees warm. Its amazing, but it feels a little undeserved. I feel like you have to go through a harsh winter to deserve weather this amazing, but whatever. Every morning it has been foggy. Like foggy enough for you to loose sight of your hand if you put it too far in front of your face. Its the coolest thing ever, but California drivers are terrible in anything except bright sun. If it mists or rains, everyone slows down to waaaaay below the speed they could safely go, which is really funny. I saw some car speeding the other day and cutting in and out of traffic, and it almost hit Elder Healey when we were crossing a driveway as it turned in. Guess what? Utah driver. I feel there needs to be a general confrence address on driving safely.

We were knocking the other day and some guy saw us through his window and wouldnt come out. As we turned away he turned his sprinklers on and they got us really good, but Elder Healey and I turned back to the house and stood there on his poarch smilling at him until he turned them off. Elder Healey had a bottle thrown at him out of a car, with some muttered praise about mormons. It deflected off the air. Apparently some guy threw a big and full gas station cup at some missionaries a few months ago and the Elder caught it and threw it back in his car! I don't know if I believe it, but I want to because its funny. I've decided if something like that ever happens to me Ill yell back "Thanks, I was just praying for a nice drink, its hot!" or something like that. There are a lot of really rude Athiests here. They try to tell you God doesn't exist and that we are delusional and need mental help. I always just bear my testimony, tell them God loves them, and smile at them. Its really funny to see their veins pop.

Please don't publish this part if you do because it's private:

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You can publish the rest if you like:

I opened my bible randomly and came upon the story of the Prodigal Son. I saw it a little differently this time. I've always seen it as a father welcoming his son back even after all the sins and misdeeds he has committed. This time I got a much different look. The Father is so happy that his son has come back, but his older brother is not. His older brother basically says "I have lived the commandments and laws my entire life, and yet when my younger brother really messes up, you let him back in an instant and bless his life majorly. You've never blessed my life in the way that I wanted." I thought that this story was interesting, because it shows that you can commit sin as the younger brother did, but you can also commit sin by thinking that by following the commandments and being a perfect example you deserve to be blessed in the way you want. Thats like saying "Heavenly Father, I've lived a righteous life, now bless me with a great home and a healthy life." We can't bend God to our will, no matter how hard we try. We are of course blessed when we follow the commandments, but how we are blessed is not up to us. Sometimes we are even blessed with hardships, designed to show us our weakness and make us stronger.

I have a firm testimony that Heavenly Father has a plan for us, but that its up to us to decide to listen our not. I know that regardless of the mistakes that we make, He is always standing with his arms wide open waiting for us to come back to him. I have seen this so strongly down here as I have seen people whos lives were wrecked because of decisions they made in their youth. Just as Elder Uchtdorf spoke about a matter of two degrees, or how another prophet taught about one small train switch completely changing the direction of a train all the way across the country, decisions we make now have a lasting impact on the rest of our lives. I have seen many come back to the Lord, who has always stood waiting for them, who have expressed deep sorrow for the blessings they missed out on by not following Him earlier in their life. Especially with those who are inactive, you can immediately tell there is a hole in their life. I hope to never go inactive, because they are some of the saddest people you will ever meet. Someone who once knew the truths that open the mysteries of heaven, who fell away because of work, or friends, or because they merely clung unto the word of God instead of continually holding fast.

The prodigal son was of course welcomed back, but imagine how many blessings he lost in his life during the time he was sinning.

Mom, I am sorry to hear about the pain you are feeling. Dad, the same to you. (Stop breaking and tearing yourselves apart!) I will certainly pray for you. Even though it may be hard, I urge you to pray and only express gratitude. One of Elder Bednars devotionals at the MTC talks about how in times of need we should pray and be thankful for the things we have. Not only will it lift you into a positive state of mind and cause serious reflection on the blessings you have in your life, but it will strengthen your testimony. I know this to be true, and I am so thankful for Elder Bednars talk in my own life. I know there is a reason I have been called to this paticular mission, and I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for trusting me enough to let me have this sacred experience. There truly is no more important work than inviting others to come unto Christ.

With much love,

Elder Clark