sharing the gospel

I am doing just fine! And my thanksgiving was really good! We went over to the Zuis family for dinner and they are super good cooks. like really good. they made the turkey on a barbeque and it was very delish. No we didnt have a zone conference yet either. And I got the package! That is a lot of chocolate bars! why do you have to tempt me like that  But I really appreciate the under armour too. It hasn't really gotten to cold here yet. the coldest its gotten is like -15. also people here really like to exagerate the winters! its crazy haha ive heard countless times that "last winter was the worst since 97" or whatever made up year they say. I don't know maybe its just cuz im from Canada and winter is going to come every year so why complain about it? but anyways last week was not the most successful week ever  Efrain basically dropped us and we did not get a lot of teaching oppurtunities. But have you seen the new christmas video yet? its called He is the Gift. it is really good. they are reall putting a lot of missionary emphasis on it with us. So share it! And cograts Quincee!! I knew that was going to happen haha. whoa that means geoff and michelle could be granparents in not too long.... haha maybe im thinking a little to far ahead? Sorry i didnt bring my camera so i cant send any pics. But I'm glad to hear mom and dads surgery stuff went well! Dont know what i would do if something were to happen. probably eat all the chocolate bars you sent me. jared has left already?! crazyness.  I hope he knows what he is getting into! Actually i know for a fact he doesn't haha. he'll do fine though. We shared the ward mission plan with the youth last sunday and it made me think of this talk. (this is just a piece of it)

Pres. Uchtdorf April 2011 "Waiting on the road to Damascus"

"There are times when the Lord reveals to us things that are intended only for us. Nevertheless, in many, many cases He entrusts a testimony of the truth to those who will share it with others. This has been the case with every prophet since the days of Adam. Even more, the Lord expects the members of His Church to “open [their mouths] at all times, declaring [His] gospel with the sound of rejoicing.”⁸

This is not always easy. Some would rather pull a handcart across the prairie than bring up the subject of faith and religion to their friends and co-workers. They worry about how they might be perceived or how it might harm their relationship. It doesn’t need to be that way because we have a glad message to share, and we have a message of joy.

Years ago our family lived and worked among people who in almost every case were not of our faith. When they asked us how our weekend was, we tried to skip the usual topics—like sports events, movies, or the weather—and tried to share some religious experiences we had as a family over the weekend—for instance, what a youth speaker had said about the standards from For the Strength of Youth or how we were touched by the words of a young man who was leaving on his mission or how the gospel and the Church helped us as a family to overcome a specific challenge we had. We tried not to be preachy or overbearing. My wife, Harriet, was always the best at finding something inspirational, uplifting, or humorous to share. This often would lead to more in-depth discussions. Interestingly enough, whenever we talked with friends about coping with life’schallenges, we often heard the comment “It’s easy for you; you have your church.”

With so many social media resources and a multitude of more or less useful gadgets at our disposal, sharing the good news of the gospel is easier and the effects more far-reaching than ever before. In fact, I am almost afraid that some listening have already sent text messages like “He’s been speaking for 10 minutes and still no aviation analogy!” My dear young friends, perhaps the Lord’s encouragement to “open [your] mouths”⁹‍ might today include “use your hands” to blog‍ and text message the gospel to all the world! But please remember, all at the right time and at the right place."

Sharing the gospel gets easier the more you do it. And remember just the invitation is the success! I am having so much fun here but not to much fun! But i got to get going so see ya later and love you! thanks for everything!

Elder Long

P.S Americans know nothing about Canada its hilarious! My companion thought we had a queen! (a different one from the queen of England)