The land of the Nephites

I must say I knew I would like the East. I really like all climates but I love the rain and the green. The grass everywhere is amazing, but it's far to flat. I wish there were taller hills. The people here are much like everywhere else. Most are nice but don't want to talk, Some are kind but not interested, and even fewer are comfortable talking about religion and what role it plays in their life. 

I've often thought about the cycle of sadness people find themselves in. When you are wishing you had more in life and enjoyed life, you tend to try not to talk to people. How can you ever get help if you won't talk to anyone though. It's hard to believe anyone out there would be not only willing but actively trying to help. It's hard to fathom that someone cares about helping you when you don't even help yourself. Thus most people shy away from talking with anyone. But nothing grows in sterile dirt. You must find outside sources of information to grow anything new and change.

It's interesting how many people use the excuse of being religious to get out of talking about religion. I knew it would be like this, obviously, but I truly worry about the state that most people find themselves in. Some people are happy where they are at, some people are not yet they don't have a desire to seek out change, and others are not but they have a desire and are willing to seek out changes and find the change that they want. I believe it is this desire that dictates who is the Lord's "elect". Not personality, not how agreeable they are, not even how trusting and faithful they are. When someone desires change and is willing to find it, it qualifies them as the elect for God's kingdom.

We baptized someone like that this weekend. His name is Zachary. He is from a Jewish family but they weren't practicing much. He is dating a girl in our ward and so he was always over for the dinner appointments they had. The missionaries started scheduling lessons with him last year and he soaked it up. They took him to the sacred Grove where he had a amazing experience. He was going to be baptized but asked his father and he refused. Since he was 17 he had to wait after he turned 18 I got to new York and we met with him in some Mexican fast food restaurant. We gave him a lesson and invited him to be baptized and he said of course and he was so excited. He asked his father and he said fine and long story short he got baptized. We found out at the baptism that he had just got suspended because he took the blame for a friend at school and so he wasn't supposed to leave the house so he had his boss call his house and say he had to go to work... My companions and I sang I need thee every hour at his baptism which was amazing. He is really an awesome kid and he has already started asking about going on splits with us.

So that was my week I guess. I'm doing fine and hope you are as well. 

I have a journal that says on the cover, "write something worth reading, or do something worth writing." I like to live my life doing both.

-Elder Erik Jones

Just some cool weather and then my zone here in Buffalo.