June 6, 2011

Good morning from down south!

It is a beautiful day outside! It is currently 10:11 AM and it's 88 degrees outside and it feels like it's 96. We went crabbing this morning! I pulled two up within the first 30 minutes or so, and that was all we caught. Blue crab. We threw them back when we were leaving. Though to shell them, you step on them, pull off the claws, and then pull the shell apart....while they are alive. Interesting. Oh! And after my mission, I am coming back down here and going gator hunting. It's official. Yes. I am insane. And yes, I am seriously wanting to go.

Well. This past Saturday, the Gulfport ward had a crawfish boil, so I was able to learn how to peel those and boy are they tasty! Man oh man...and we took home all of the left over burgers and hotdogs.

Today we are having dinner with a partmember family. Matt Sones and his wife. He served a mission and his wife isn't a member. They have two boys, the oldest just turned eight. I've been wanting to work with them for awhile, but it hasn't worked out thus far. But tonight will be awesome! I am super excited.

Okay. So transfers are next week, so if I stay here, I will email on Tuesday, if not I will probably email on Monday. I find out on Saturday. I kind of hope I stay, but I also want to go somewhere else. I'm torn. We'll see.

I am really trying to think about what has happened this past week. I don't have my planner with me, so I can't look at it. Ummmm... nothing too big. We bashed with someone yesterday. And ate good food. I love food. Anyway...


Okay. So... just remember this. Your life is a direct reflection of your thoughts. If you don't like the way your life is, change you way of thinking. Always focus on the positive and thing positive things. Everything can be said in a positive manner instead of a negative. And remember that whatever you put out there, is going to come back to you. It's the law of attraction, which is an eternal priciple. It's throughtout the scriptures. People's thoughts and beliefs, or their FAITH is what brought miracles. The people Jesus healed, He always stated "thy faith hath made thee whole". So their thinking that they could be healed is what helped to heal them. An "incurable" illness is only curable on the inside... so IN-curable. Don't believe others. Let your own faith shine forth. Make your life the life you want by thinking it. Believing it. Knowing it.

Well, I love you all. I hope y'all have a fantastic week!

With Love From The South,
Elder Dwight Mendenhall

May 31, 2011

Hey Everyone!

I am pleased to announce that the Lord God is absolutely amazing.

And that I am going to have another sister-in-law! And two more nephews! That makes ten nieces and nephews, and me... who is a proud uncle. And son, and brother, and servant.

I have had some experiences these last few days that have drawn me closer to the Lord than ever before and have led me to be a better son and servant. To truly feel of His love and redeeming power and strength. To "hope for a better world" for myself and the ones I love. To truly find out about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, my faith and faults, and to come to truly appreciate the love of my family, friends, leaders and God.

Allow me to share with you a scripture I ran across and what really hit me. I had received a letter from a future missionary and brother, McKay, and at the end he put a PS and said I am praying for you. I got another letter the same day from another friend and she asked if there was anything specific that I wanted her to pray for, for me or the mission. And I was pondering on those and how many prayers I have coming my way every day. It is amazing to think about. I know that my family prays for me daily. My sister tells me that I am constantly in my nieces prayers. I have some of the most amazing friends in the world that I know pray for me. Those are all specifically for me. Those don't count the thousands upon thousands of prayers that are said daily for the full time missionaries. It truly is amazing.
Well, as I was pondering these things in my hearts, I flipped a couple of pages in my scriptures and ended up in Moroni 8. I just looked down and started reading in verses 2 and 3:

2 My beloved son, Moroni, I rejoice exceedingly that your Lord Jesus Christ hath been mindful of you, and hath called you to his ministry, and to his holy work. 3 I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end.

How amazing and appropriate! I just wish to thank you all for the prayers and support that I receive on a daily basis. I am learning more to focus on the positives in life and to always have positive thoughts. It is our thoughts that drag us down and that truly change the outcome of the things we do and the people we become. The mind is more powerful than any of us realize. It shapes the world around us. Be every mindful of that.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying themselves back where ever you are. And that as you celebrated memorial day, that you kept in mind those great men and women who have given themselves to the work of freedom. Whether in some branch of the military, or here in God's army. The fight for souls is the same everywhere. The one in the mission field is just eternal.

The work goes on always. I love you all. Continue to pray for the success of the Lord, and for the softening of the people here, and around the world. I know I do. The Lord will send His angels before his righteous servants to prepare the way before them, and that is what I seek. Pray for my strength to make it through, that I may be the best missionary, the best ME I can be.

With Love From The South,
Elder Dwight Douglas Mendenhall

May 23, 2011

Howdy ta all y'all!

I hope all y'all is doing swell!

So this past week, we had zone conference up in Hattiesburg. It was really awesome! The topic was magnifying your calling. Which you do by simply fulfilling the responsibilities and obligations of your calling. Whether it be missionary, bishop, relief society president, primary teacher, brother, sister, mother, father, prophet, etc etc! If you want blessings, just do what you are supposed to do, what you agreed to do, and the blessings will come. Simple truth, but also very powerful.

This morning, at 8:00 AM, we met Brother Sowers at his house (Elder Woolf and I) and he took us golfing! It was AWESOME! I haven't been in probably 2 years. We didn't do so well, but we had fun. It was pretty warm and my arms are a little red, but it was definitely worth it. Attached is a picture Brother Sowers took on his phone. We then had lunch at his house. We played 18 holes and it took about 4 hours.

During this past little bit, I have rediscovered something inside of me that I once had. Something sparked up inside of me, something I had been missing for awhile. It's hard to explain, but I guess I hadn't really been myself for the past long while, months and months, and something happen, I'm not sure what, and now I am back on track to being who I need to be. It is a good change, a recommitment to what I need to be doing and to who I need to be. I am now more capable of living up to the potential that it within me, within all of us. If you stop and think about how much potential, how much power, how much pure awesomeness is within us waiting to come forth and be made manifest.... it's not really fathomable. We have the potential to be like God. I don't know if anyone really truly understands what that really means. This world, this church, everyone needs to wake up and realize what is waiting for us if we do the right things, if we be the right person. We must DO in order to become. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” (-Aristotle) That is really the deep underlining message of what I go out and teach. When we invite others to read and ponder the BoM, to pray, to attend church, to keep the commandments, to be baptized, it is starting them on the path to godhood. Awesome. :)

Well, we found some new people to teach this past week, but it was a slow week. Hopefully things will pick up here before I leave. I am 90% certain I am being transfered in 3 weeks, now we just wait to see where. Life is great, the gospel's true, the Book's blue and Jesus loves you!

I hope you all have an amazing week, and I will keep everyone in my prayers. I pray that you will have the eyes to see those that are seeking the gospel around you, and the courage to share it with them. To invite them to hear about the gospel and to refer them to the missionaries. If the members of this church don't start working their hardest, then the missionaries WILL fail. No doubt about it. It's a three way street, members, missionaries and the Lord.

I love you all.

With Love From The South,
-Elder Dwight Mendenhall