My Brother on a Mission....

My little brother Landon is on a mission for our church (the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).  He is in a remote town in Mexico.  He did not speak spanish before heading there and now he does.  He was the pickiest eater on the planet and now he eats all kinds of crazy stuff.  He works with a companion-  these two little 18 year old boys, riding their bikes around town, telling people about the love God has for them.  He has looked forward to serving his mission for YEARS!  And now he's finally there, working hard everyday, having the time of his life, teaching people about Christ and helping them to change their lives for the better, and just spreading the joy of the gospel.

His letters inspire me.  They are funny and don't always make sense but I can see a little picture in my mind's eye of these young missionaries out there.  They have left their family and life behind.  They have chosen to give up two years to share the good news of the gospel.  They suffer through a lot of circumstances that are not ideal and they do it cheerfully.  They have bad days, get homesick, have doors slammed in their face and maybe sometimes they even want to quit.  But they keep serving because there's a little fire burning inside of them and they want to tell others what they know.  They want to help people.  They are filled with love for their 'neighbor'!

Landon's letters inspire me to forget my little cares and concerns and think about other people... to think outside of myself.  They remind me that life is so good and that all of us have been blessed with so much from our loving Heavenly Father.  

His letters remind me why I choose to be a member of this church.  I choose to be a Mormon because it makes me a better person!  The gospel of Jesus Christ gives me a purpose!  It gives me something to work toward!  It brings happiness into my life!  It gives me direction for my life from God through his living prophet.  It helps me know how to raise my kids.  It gives me hope in a sometimes hopeless world, it fills my heart with love for other people, it makes me want to make a difference and spread the light of Christ where I can.  

The gospel of Jesus Christ reminds me that God lives and loves me.  He is there for me no matter what.  In fact, He loves me (and all of us) so much that He sent his son to earth to show us how to live, and to take our sins upon Himself so that we can be forgiven and start over again.  Christ died and was resurrected so that we too can live again.  This means the world to me.   I have had moments of anguish and pain in my life.  Burdens to bear that I couldn't have borne alone... and I didn't have to because He was there for me, lifted my burden, and filled my heart with peace and a determination to move forward in hope.  

In light of some of the press my church is getting right now I wanted to write this down.  I choose to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because it is the gospel of Jesus Christ and it brings me happiness.  Humans can get so caught up in the little things and forget the big beautiful picture.  Humans always think things should make total and complete sense- we forget how little we are in the universe.  Go outside and look up at the stars for awhile and you'll get it... we are little... and yet known and loved by God (Matthew 10:28-31).  Why should we, being so little, understand how it all works?  Of course we don't have all of the answers... who does except God?  I have faith in God and that He has all the answers and someday we will have them as well... someday everything will make sense.  For now, I know that Christ stands at the head of His church and for me, that's enough.  Well, that and all the other great things I listed above.  Plus even more.  Man, I really could keep going.

Now for Landon's letter from this week.  (Don't judge him for his imperfect writing- he's just an excited missionary with only a few minutes on the computer)!

Another week! The time just flies!

This week was kinda just normal....

It started to rain here. Like a ton. Its crazy. One night it started when we were in the town center area and when it rains it rains hecka hecka hard. The streets were super flooded and like rivers. Sometimes my foot was under water when I pedaled. The rain kinda slowed the work down a little but we still had tons of stuff this week. I secretly loved it, though haha! Everyone is standing under something and we just keep pedaling hard! It was funny cause there are tons of people under stuff on the sides of the street and they all cheer when they see us, so i totally felt like a rockstar. haha! It was awesome!

We had some really powerful lessons this week. and some cool experiences. As a missionary I think people feel more secure around you or something, because people always kinda open up to us and tell us things that I don't think they would tell other people. Its humbling and mind boggling to me sometimes when it catches up to me. I have sooooooo many names in my daily planner. And I know so many people and each one of them have their own little life and their own things. Their own families, worries, problems, sad things, happy things, its just crazy. Pretty much the only thing that is the same is their identity. They are all children of God. 

Sometimes as a missionary its hard to see these people reject help when its right in front of them. I dont know why I just thought of this haha but its like Annikan in star wars. (how do you spell that?!) When obi-wan chops off his legs and arm and he's laying in the dirt and catches on fire and obi-wan tries to help him and he doesn't want him to. He's just so pathetic rolling around without limbs on fire. I mean obviously, he needs a lot of help right now but he won't accept it.

Sometimes in life we get our arms and legs chopped off. Sometimes after this we even catch on fire haha, but the point is that there is help. Right in front of us. We just have to accept that help. We have to reach out our only arm left and take the hand haha! Maybe that was a bad example but this week i have seen a lot of Annakins. It's hard to watch. I just want to help them. I almost want to just make them accept it, but i know it would just be worse and I would just make them into a darth vader haha! ok I'll stop now.

But I have seen a lot of that this week. I thought a lot about agency. What an incredible gift that is. I love the scriptures in Moses when Heavenly Father is weeping. Enoch asks how its possible He can weep and He says,
 " behold these thy brethren, they are the workmanship of my own hands and I gave them their knowledge. and in the garden of Eden gave I unto man his agency. and to thy brethren have I said and also given commandment that they love one another and that they choose me, their father, but behold it is without affect and they shed their own blood." (rough Spanish translation).

He has given us our agency. The power to choose. He has asked us to choose him, the one who made us and gave and gives us everything, and yet there are so many who deny him and reject him and prefer his enemy. The craziest part of it all is that he is still there. He stays waiting with arms outstretched. it doesn't matter what we've done or how many times we do it He is still waiting for us.

There is someone who has already paid the price so that we don't have to. He paid it in full. He understands us perfectly. He is the only constant in this life. People change, styles, culture, language (haha) but He is the same. He is the only one who can help us through it. I know that we are children of a loving god. a father who has given us everything, gives us everything and will continue to bless us. He has asked that we follow His loving advice. That we live a better life and He will bless us even more. Some people think we are giving up things to live this life but that's not true. Pleasure last for a few moments maybe a few hours. He is offering us something eternal. We have to look beyond the things right in front us. We have to broaden our perspective to understand what He is offering. I can testify that what He is offering is so much better. I have seen and am seeing what the world offers and I have felt and know what He offers. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have had all my life. I am so grateful for the help I have had to see past the weekend.

I'm loving my mission! even though its crazy and sometimes hard and just weird and tons of stuff I love it so much. Alma 32:42: "by and by ye shall pluck the fruit". Its the little things that make everything about this gospel so worth it. I will wake up exhausted every day, sweat constantly, walk in 100 plus degree weather, battle psychopath dogs, kill millions of grasshoppers and cockroaches, eat pigs feet until my mouth is full of hair, be denied over and over, be covered in mosquito bites, go to bed exhausted and do it all over again for this gospel and I'll love every minute of it!

I love ya al! hope all is well! sigan adelante!

elder Blodgett

ps be nice to mormon missionaries

pss if I have time I will continue to post his letters

psss i was 17 when Landon was born and sometimes he feels like my own child

pssss love you Lands