To Lose Yourself is to Gain a Knowledge of Jesus Christ

A river runs through it...
but it's not supposed to. haha

Elder Jarman fording the river/street 

Elder Alley smack dab in the middle of his "Adventures on Salt Lick Road"

Elder Alley's current home away from home
(Note from Elder Alley's mom: He didn't specify which apartment was his, but I'm guessing it's not the one with a cute wreath on the door. haha)

View from his apartment

Another view

July 27, 2015

Dear Mom, Dad, Aubrey and all of my family & friends,

This week has been another week of tracting, but it was worth it. Why? Because I now have another funny story to share! Here's what happened: one day we were tracting on this one road in Flatwoods called Salt Lick Road where we were exploring to find any houses with people we could teach the Gospel to. We did find a few potential investigators but the real story is when we came to a part of the road that was flooded over due to all the rain and flash flooding we had over the last couple of weeks. Elder Jarman and I looked at the body of water and judged it to be about only knee-deep. So, we took off our shoes, rolled up our pants and walked across the impromptu river. It was a little tricky because some of the rocks that we were stepping on were loose and unstable but we made it without getting completely wet and losing our stuff! 

I felt proud of that accomplishment because I thought that we were showing the Lord just how committed we are to finding people, even if we have to cross a river! Unfortunately, when we got to the other side, we saw other parts of the road that also got flooded over and they looked like they were getting deeper and deeper. So, we decided to turn back and call it a day (it was almost curfew) before we got into a risky situation. Oh well. It was still fun to write about it in my journal. I even named that day "The Adventures on Salt Lick Road!" The best part is that you'll see pictures of it in the e-mail titled "Adventures in Flatwoods." Enjoy. :)

To explain the title, one thing that I've noticed since coming out on this mission is that I now have a love for the scriptures. It's amazing because I only remember reading a handful books (most of them were assignments from school) and the only other times that I've done some serious reading is when it came to articles on martial arts and other topics of interest before coming out here. I've read the scriptures before but mostly out of obligation to my family and teachers. Now, I love reading the scriptures! Personal Study time is my favorite time of the day! I love the Book of Mormon and its simple teachings! I've also come to love the New Testament and seeing how our Savior Jesus Christ was, in missionary terms, always finding and always teaching! I've also come to love the words of our living Prophets and Apostles, especially from General Conference! I've come to notice the spiritual nourishment and strengthening that comes from reading the scriptures and listening to the Prophets and Apostles. It's because of them that I now know the Savior better than I did before.

With that in mind, I want to leave with you my testimony that has grown since being a missionary. I know that Jesus Christ lives! I know that He is our Savior and Redeemer! I know that both the Book of Mormon and Bible testify of Him. I know that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God who saw the Father and the Son. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon through the gift and power of God! I know that the Book of Mormon is true. In the words of Elder Holland who quoted his great-grandfather, "No wicked man could write such a book. And no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded by God." I say these things in name of our Savior Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all and miss you all. 

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley   

PS Yes, I did get a package from MomMom about a month ago. I just never got the chance to thank her yet. Would you be willing to do that for me? Thank you.

Also, I have actually just read something about the "My Plan" program last week when Elder Jarman and I were doing our mormon.org time. To be honest, I'm excited about it! I can't wait to see what I'll get to do with the program!