Thankful All the Time

First picture is another cool sky/view of the tubo (sugar cane) fields in one of our outside areas. Man I love being back in the country. :)

And as my mission president would say, Aloha! :) 

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I'll admit that I didn't know it was thanksgiving day until one of the mission couples texted us wishing us Happy Thanksgiving, and since Thanksgiving is an exclusively American holiday, I actually was not able to get stuffed with turkey this year and fall into my annual turkey coma.
So that is a little disappointing. But! I'm still very thankful for all of the many blessings that the Lord has given me throughout my mission and throughout my entire life. And if there is one thing that I've learned, it is almost impossible to be sad, angry, or stressed out when you are in the attitude of gratitude and praise to the Lord for the bounteous blessings He has poured out on every one of us.

For some reason the Veggie Tales song "A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart" keeps playing over in my mind when I think about it...

Another thought that keeps coming to my mind about gratitude is that when you are truly grateful, you do something about it, which is exactly the same principle as having faith, hope, and charity. In fact, when I've come to ponder it a little further, being grateful is a catalyst that leads to being truly Christ-like in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Helping us to humble ourselves and remember the ever present debt that we have to Jesus Christ and His grace that is so mercifully given to those who choose to receive it.

If I were to put it simply, I want to be thankful all the time, because when I am thankful I am happy, and I am happy because I don't need to look at and focus on myself and my own struggles, but I can turn outwards and lose myself in something greater than I am. As President Hinckley stated, as found in PMG page 168, "Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people . . . Stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Live the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

This week has really just been one more week of work in the Lord's vineyard. We are working with a less active family that is starting to have their testimony rekindled and as a result we've seen several new investigators that have come from their reconversion. It's amazing how when true conversion takes place it starts to become contagious, and spreads out and starts to get others converted. So we are hoping for more good things to come.

I think that's about all. 

I love you all! Keep on keeping the Faith!

~Elder Butler

Elder Rakuro's discovery just growing along the path growing to our investigator, right next to the flowers... we haven't taught Word of Wisdom yet. Ah the Philippines...