May 20, 2019 from Mom

Hi my sweet boy!  Well, my heart is heavy because a missionary from Ft. Worth died this week.  He was serving in Mexico City which I think might be Calvin's mission.  I think he died from Carbon Monoxide poisoning.  Ugh.  So very heart breaking.  So, all I can think of this week, is please be so careful!  Be smart.

The good part of the weekend was Isaac's homecoming talk!  He did such a great job.  He talked a little about the Core 4 and how you were all kinda "punks" four years ago and how great it is to see how each of you have served a valiant mission and how much you've each grown.  The High Councilman that spoke after him said he thought you 4 should start a boy band called the Celestial Punks:)  LOL.  I sent some pics of the day to you. Isaac and Nate are going to Hawaii.  Apparently Nate has been writing a girl/friend of Isaac's from school his entire mission.  They have been facetiming since he's been home and so now he is going out to meet her.  Hmmmm.  Sounds interesting.

I hope you're having a great week!  How did your Family home Evening go? Did Cristiano like it and feel the spirit? What did president teach about? Have you had many opportunities to teach this week? Tell me all about it.

I finished Seminary!!!  Im actually going to miss my class so much.  They were a phenomenal group! I really loved teaching church history and D&C although I was dreading it.  My testimony of Joseph Smith is much stronger and I have such a deep love and respect for the early members of the church that had such tremendous struggles and sorrow.  

Abby and I are doing great with our eating and workout program.  I'm really proud of her!  She is working out 4-5 times each week... hard workouts each time.  She is gaining muscle for sure and looking good!  It has been fun to do this workout together.  I only have the twice per week option which I still really love.  

I have a great spiritual thought I wanted to share with you.  In Come Follow Me we learned about the Prodigal son last week.  Here are some insights on that.  I love it because you can see Heavenly Father and the Savior all throughout the story.  Tell me what you think.

When the prodigal son returned home,

Emaciated, penniless, and humiliated,

His father “saw him, and had compassion, and ran” to him.

The fact that he ran is significant.

In this time period and culture, elderly men never ran.

It was both unusual and humiliating for the father,
A wealthy man with a high social status and many servants,
Someone who was esteemed in his community,
To run to his wayward son.

A son who had demanded his inheritance while his father was still healthy,
Essentially telling his father, “You’re dead to me,”
As he left the Holy Land to gamble and waste the money in a pagan country.

So why would the father run to meet his son?

Why not just wait for his son to come to his door?

There was a ceremony in ancient Jewish culture called the kezazah

Or the “cutting off.”

It was performed when a Jewish man left his community
lived with Gentiles,
and lost his wealth.

When he returns to his hometown,
The wayward man would go to the city gates
And the villagers would gather
And break a pot at his feet
Symbolizing the broken relationship between the community and the sinner.

The man would be officially cut off from his faith,
His community,
His family.

So when the father ran to his son while the boy was still “yet a great way off,”

He ran to save his son

From the shame of the kezazah,
And from being symbolically broken off from his people and God.

His father put him the best robe,
Put a ring on his finger,
Fed him the fatted calf,
And threw him a feast.

The whole village would have gathered for the event
And the son would have been publicly restored.

Jesus Christ does not wait for us to come to the gate.

He runs out to us.

He saves us from being broken away from our families.

He brings us in,
And covers us with His matchless Grace,
However undeserving we may be.

Written by Sarah Keenan

I love you sweet son of mine!  Have an incredible week.  I can't wait to talk with you.  Muuuaaaahh! 

Infinity plus infinity and even more than that!

mom