Gratitude "which thing I never had supposed"‏

This week Mom and I were permitted to take an extended P-day of sorts, as we flew to Maputo and drove to Kruger Park and Nelspruit in South Africa.

We were gone from Monday through Friday. We had a wonderful trip, with many tender mercies along the way...

The main lesson I learned/relearned, is about gratitude to The Lord. While I may be able to locate various scriptural references on gratitude, (which I'm sure to include a few in this letter) it has been some time, since I have thought so deeply about so many different things I am grateful for.

Beira, Mozambique compared to Nelspruit, South Africa, is perhaps even more dramatic than Tijuana, Mexico compared to San Diego, California.

When returning to San Diego from Tijuana we all feel a certain short term sense of gratitude. This is quite different than what I felt after living in a 3rd world environment for eight months and coming to know so many good, yet incredibly poor people.

Part of the reason for the great impact on me, was that I had not realized there was any difference between Africa and South Africa "which thing I never had supposed." (Moses 1:10)

A revelation states: "Thou shalt thank The Lord thy God in all things...And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments." (D & C 59: 7,21)

Moses records: "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes,....Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 

Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God,.... 

Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 

Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 

And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:10-18)

The experience to South Africa has given me a glimpse into what I will feel when we return home from our mission.

Here is Manuel Jose Vasco, holding his certificate from completing a course in air conditioning repair, he is 16 years old.

 In 2004, when he was seven years old, he had a dream in which he was walking past a tree and there appeared an Angel who spoke about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and asked him some questions. He was Catholic at this time and he went to ask his minister but the minister could not answer them. He then went to a Baptist, Methodist and several other denominations trying to find the answers. 

After several years of searching he concluded that no one had the answers. In November 2012, a friend invited him to Church to listen to a rebroadcast of the April 2012 General Conference.

While listening to President Thomas S. Monson's talk "The Race of Life"  all three of Vasco's questions from eight years earlier were stated and answered. He received a strong Spiritual witness that this was the only true Church. On January 5, 2013, he was baptized and is the only member of his family.

President Monson said: "In our times of deepest reflection or greatest need, the soul of man reaches heavenward, seeking a divine response to life’s greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go after we leave this life?

Answers to these questions are not discovered within the covers of academia’s textbooks or by checking the Internet. These questions transcend mortality. They embrace eternity." (The Race of Life)

Here are a 
A few photos of Kruger Park

I love you!