It's never too late to change

Elder Coletti's Group Letter 04/02/2016

This week was amazing. I could feel the hand of the Lord in so many things this week. It really is amazing how applicable the gospel is.  No matter who you are or what challenges you face in life, the gospel will help! We have a Less Active (LA) family that we have been working with recently.  I don't what happened, but the oldest son (family of 4, with 2 sons) has had a complete change of heart. Elder Alder was telling me that before I got there, he was totally Anti-Mormon, He didn't want anything to do with the church. This week something changed, something  was so much different! He helped us Peike (a Peike is a lesson with a member present) with countless lessons, half of which we didn't even asked him too! He then convinced his girlfriend to start taking lessons with us so she can learn more about the gospel. The Lord works through people in so many ways.

A phrase that I've noticed myself saying a lot lately is: "It's never too late to change." I don't know why, but it has popped in my head countless times this week in teaching situations. This LA (forgot to say his name, it's CaoFang) has changed so much, and it has taught me that it's true. This gospel is always here for you, no matter where you are. It truly is never too late to change.  CaoFang went from Anti-Mormon to "Let's make everyone a Mormon" within a month.

My grandpa has a quote that he would tell me all the time. It's "if you always do what you've always done, you'll never become what you could've been." This quote has been really driving me lately. I don't always want to do what I've always done.  I want to be better and do better.

This week truly was amazing! Elder Alder is an awesome missionary and has taught me so much about how to be an obedient and effective missionary. We are both super excited with this last week's efforts and excited for the coming weeks!

I want to thank everyone for being so awesome!  For this week, I want to invite everyone to think of the quote my Grandpa has always said to me: "If you always do what you've always done, you'll never become what you could have been."  We can apply it to our lives  The point of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to allow us to become better.  To reach our full potential.  But "if you keep doing the things we've always done", you won't grow.  You won't progress.  We can always try to be better and to do better.  It's never too late for change.  Change is a good thing!  Without change, we wouldn't be able to "become what we could've been."  Follow the example that CaoFang has set for us.  He was in the dark, but he has found the light and it has been a beautiful thing to watch!

Cool scripture:  1 Nephi 17: 13 which says, "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led."

We are all going to have our personal wilderness and  it may seem like we are lost.  It may seem like we don't know where to go sometimes.  But, if we will follow the Saviors teaching and follow his commandments, he will show us the light that will lead us to our promised land.  We all have our personal promised lands, and it is exclusively ours as long as we are willing to change, as long as we are willing to try to be better and do better.  We can become what God intended us to be.

Have a wonderful week!  Remember:  It's never too late to change!

Elder Coletti