This week has been an interesting battle to try and balance being annoying and being too lax with respect to house cleanliness. I'm kind of worried that in the 3 days E. Rios and I will be out of the house that things are gonna go get themselves destroyed. Sound like a familiar battle? I think...I got a little more of a parently perspective there.

Whoa.

Whatever the case, I'm REALLY EXCITED to go back to Aracaju for a little bit. I'm probably not gonna have time for members, but I'll certainly have plenty of time in the car with Pres./Sister (since it's the secretaries' turn!) and my comp. I'm looking forward to it. And also giving a kickbutt training that DOESN'T leave everybody sleeping. I already gave two of these, and now we're up to the last bit - I'm hoping it'll be a blast like the first ones! But I'll save my "GH" moments for later. If I'm lucky, I'll have a few photos...and a refresher on the difference between the two states in my mission. I really do want to get to know the rest of Brazil, because of E. Rios - he's a Mineiro, or rather...he's from Minas Gerais. Which is supposedly one of the most developed states in Brazil. I might live there if I had a good reason to stay in Brazil for a bit (no epic foreboding intended!). :P

I've actually been thinking a lot about personal righteousness and sacrifice. I'm reminded of how even the

Did y'alls challenges change as you guys lived together, Mom and Dad? How have the battles to live the gospel changed as your family matured and got to this point? I'm beginning to realize the importance of surrounding oneself with good influences, and how it can greatly affect the ease with which one lives the gospel. Environment is an important thing mentally, physically, and spiritually. I think that that's one of the great reasons that modern prophets have invited all young men to serve as missionaries: so they can come to know a more spiritual atmosphere. I wonder now how different my development as a person would be if I hadn't stepped into the Provo MTC on December 28th, 2011. I can't imagine it being better than what I've got now. That perspective helps me immensely when I count my blessings. Counting even the tiny blessings, enumerating them all on perhaps a sheet of paper, is something I tried doing at the suggestion of an RM friend of mine. It's kind of weird how being grateful simply dispels most of any stressful factors from my mind when I need it, when I'm more focused on just making the decision to be happy. It's an interesting experiment - you should try it! I'll send a more detailed example in a letter - right now there's other things I need to toss in here real quick!

All in all, the mission's going well here - no complaints, and in two weeks we've got another transfer coming. Hoo boy...that's gonna be a lot of screen-staring and mental work. But it'll be worth it. And at the end of the day, the most satisfying feeling is knowing that I literally worked my best. I want to keep the habit I've got of giving a good account to God every day, for it results in the greatest satisfaction I feel on it. Shawn, this is something good to do - start, pause in, and stop each day to pray and converse with God about the day's trajectory, and your proposal to Him about how you'll spend your time. You'll be surprised with how you feel at the end of the day. And you'll want to repeat it, and make it a habit if you're living right. Just remember John 3:21, and that the greatest thing we have to offer to God...is our willingness to change.

That, my dear brother, is what it means to be in the service of God - it is to seek to realize His will, without regard to your old habits and what needed to be modified within you so that it happens. E. Holland referenced to it as he cast a creative light upon Christ's visiting the Apostles as they fished again - doing the same thing, in the same place, after walking with Him for 3 years. Once again, Christ called them to help Him to realize His work, casting themselves from the ships of their old lives that they had returned to, and thus Christ questions to Peter provide us an example that is instructive in application: "Do I love Him? Am I showing this love in all that I do, or do I seek His spirit just when I read the scriptures and am in seminary? Do I think about what He did for me when Mom and/or asks me to do a boring chore, to do my homework, or to drive safely? Am I thinking about that same love when I talk to my friends and people around me that perhaps still aren't?" You'll probably be asking that last one to yourself most frequently on your mission. It's a very different work from anything we've ever done before, and I hope that when I get home I can help you to prepare for it. It's certainly an adventure.

Mom and Dad, I wrote that to Shawn, but I know you guys will think about it too. I hope that these thoughts I've recorded will push you to greater heights, because right now that's the perceived purpose of my life. In a fashion, these emails I send to you are a record, and in the Book of Mormon we have an example for this too - Jacob 4:1-4. Don't ever be afraid to write something spiritual! Who knows, perhaps I'll get something spiritual when I get an email from you guys tonight? ;) I always look forward to your correspondences, because they always build me up too. Thanks for helping me get to this point, everyone! It's because of small things like that that my mission has been such an immense pleasure.

Hmm...well, my head's been sufficiently emptied for now. Tchau for now! Don't forget to wriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite!

Your loving son,

-E. Gubler