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Hello Everybody!

This week was great!  It flew by like nobody's business, but it was still great!  The temple was awesome and being in the city again was good (although seeing the people down there made me glad that I'm up here- they're hard to approach and talk to...).

Yesterday we had a mission conference- Elder Bruce Carlson came and it was good.  We had to wake up at 5:00 to get down to Scarsdale on time (and we have to do something similar tomorrow to get a repair done to our car- be to Scarsdale by 8:00.  We're just going to do weekly planning in the office as we wait- maybe we'll be able to get some good insight from President Morgan...), so we were a little tired through the conference, but we still got a lot out of it.  He continued to reinforce the idea of consecration and how we need to continue to work towards it.  One thing that he said that I've definitely seen is that it doesn't matter where we are but where we're going.  A sinner going forward is in a way better position that a saint moving backwards.  Consecration is a hard thing- giving our all to God, but it's something to work towards.  As we live the gospel, we're not at all paying our way into heaven- the price has already been paid.  We're just preparing ourselves for what's to come.  He gave a good analogy- if you take piano lessons, chances are your parents have already paid for them, but you've got to take the time to practice and use what they've given you.  You can use those lessons to help you accomplish great things, like going to Carnagie Hall and playing there, or you can let it go to waste.  Either way it's been paid, you just personally decide what to do with that which you have been given.  We need to prepare ourselves by living to the fulness of the gospel, being obedient and having faith to repent and become more like Christ.  I know this gospel is true and that as we give ourselves to God, He makes a whole lot more out of us than we could otherwise become.

Things are going great!  The area is really getting pumped up and we can totally see that the Lord is hastening His work.  Just a month and a half ago there were only two Spanish missionaries here in Orange County, but next week, with transfers, we've got good reason to believe that there will be another set to go work over in the Middletown Ward because of the efforts of the other Spanish guys in our branch.  It's super cool to see that- we're a part of one of the biggest things to happen in the history of the world- the hastening of the work of the Lord.  I hope to continue to help you see how things really are moving forward!  Things are great!

Thanks for all the support!  Next week is transfers, so we'll see what goes down.  Until then, though, I hope you have a great week!

-Elder Griffiths