Elder Northrup's Best 2 Years! "Preachin' to Peaches!": 'A Personal Search for the Meaning of the ATONEMENT!'

Trees trees Everywhere!

It's been a good and hot time here in Georgia....weeks keep on gett'in faster. It feels like we were just in the library emailing home!!

Last 'P' day we went and hiked a boulder called 'Stone Mountain.' When we were driving up to the parking lot the youth member in the car said "There it is" but I couldn't see a mountain anywhere. I said, "all I see is that rock hill." I raged a bit at that! But it's true. That thing isn't even close to a mountain. If you saw it from an aerial view it would look like a random potato in a broccoli patch.

A lot of this week we spent finding. Doing anything we could to find more investigators. We ended up finding 4 more in an apartment complex. All of them seem very interested so we will see how it goes down this week. But oh my golly!! It has been soooo hot and humid here!! The noon to afternoon temperature just drains you for the rest of the day!! I'm sure Elder Grayson Thayne is feeling the same way in Taiwan!! When we would get to a certain neighborhood on our bikes for tracting, we would be sopping wet even before knocking doors. It's crazy how sweaty you get down here!! Sorry if that's gross but its true. Also, I love it here! I'm still not used to see so many tree's, and so few mountains (no mountains) but it is so great to be here!!

On Friday we had a 'New Missionary Training' with the AP's and the Mission Presidency. They pretty much just checked up on us and on our missionary work. I'll just say this now, I think I got the best Mission President out of every mission ever. Pres. Foote has such a solid testimony of Christ's Atonement, and he is soooo caring about everybody! His wife equally extraordinary. I truly lucked out!!!

On that same Friday Elder Lusko came down with the Fever or the flu. We don't really know what it is. The nurse just told him to get plenty of rest which meant I had plenty of time to study. I ended up listening to a devotional called 'A Personal Search for the Meaning of the Atonement' by a man named Cleon Skousan. It pretty much explains how Christ's Atonement can be paralleled with Science while including the scriptures. It answered so many questions I had for so many years. For example....everyone says that the Atonement is necessary but I never knew why. If God is all powerful why couldn't He just save us without having to let His own Son suffer and die? It answers all of these questions. Please please please please please please listen to this! It blew my mind!

General Conference was soooo special!! I loved every second of it! Some of my favorite talks were...

-Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Light (This was probably my dad's favorite talk)

"Darkness reduces our ability to see clearly. When we are in darkness we will probably make wrong choices because we can't see the consequences. When we are in the Light, we have a perfect brightness of Hope."

"He who humbly follows Jesus Christ will share in his LIGHT."

"The Light of Christ fills the Universe. It fills the Earth. And it CAN (or cannot) fill our hearts."

"This is the Ultimate remedy in spiritual sickness."

****Elder David A. Bednar: (my favorite)

"God promises his children that if they follow the precepts of His plan, and keep His commandments, they shall attain Eternal Life."

"The Sabbath day and the Temple are two examples of Divine help from God."

"The Sabbath is God's time. A time to remember HIS SACRED PROMISES."

(He said a lot more but I couldn't write it down fast enough being mesmerized by his Speech)

-Pres. Russell M. 'Russ Bucket' Nelson: The Book of Mormon

"The Book of Mormon provides the fullest...understanding of the Atonement."

"The Book of Mormon tells us to ponder about Eternal Life."

"As you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon EVERYDAY, you will make better decisions EVERYDAY."

"The Book of Mormon provides daily immunizations for the evils, plagues, and addictions of the World."

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"The Lord would not give a commandment He knew we couldn't keep."

"We are SPIRITUAL SONS and DAUGHTERS of our Father in Heaven."

"We live in a fallen World, we are therefore a fallen people. We live in a Telestial World not Celestial....Perfection is Pending."

"How grateful I am for a God that loves His enemies, because WE can sometimes be that enemy."

"The Gospel is for the Perfecting of the Saints until we stand in the Presence of a Perfect Being."

"Our only hope in true perfection is receiving it as a gift, because we didn't deserve it."

Anyway, there's a little spiel on General Conference. Stephen Pollock (one of our investigators) actually came with us to a members house to watch the Sunday morning session. He said he received answers to many of his questions....so that's pretty dang exciting!

Also Tausai & Elijah are on date to be baptized this week!! Please pray for them and Stephen Pollock!

Love y'all

Elder Northrup