October 12, 2009

Subject: I don’t even know anymore

Kasey's DRIVING. That’s terrifying. That’s really weird for me to think about. I just can't imagine her driving a car. That’s really strange. Tell her not to worry about hitting a smart car. They’re tiny. She'd probably not even notice if she hit them. It would really be their own fault anyway. If they were really smart, they wouldn't be so tiny.

I think you’re forgetting that I did try very hard to send pictures home once and I failed and I've since then learned from my failures and moved on and now I just don't do that anymore. But if you could send me another camera card, I could copy some pictures onto it and send it home. But if it doesn't work again, I'm giving up forever.

I got a letter from Grandpa Moultrie this week and I just wanted to say thank you and that I really appreciated it.

That does seem really weird that Eric’s going on a mission even though I'm only like a year older than him. He doesn't seem that old. But then I still don't feel old enough to be on a mission so I guess that’s the way it works.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip. Didn't Grandpa and Sandra go with you? I'm sorry to hear that grandpa’s not doing so well. I remember before Grandma Johnson died how ready she was ready to move on and afterwards how ready grandpa was to follow her. I've thought about that a lot on my mission, how amazing the gospel is for that reason alone. To know that the relationships we build in this life are eternal. To know that we’re moving on to something more. That we have a work to do in this life but that when it's finished, we move onto an even greater work. That’s something that’s amazed me as I've talked to people of other faiths. That although they believe in god and in a life after this, they don't know if they'll be with their family. Death still remains unknown. It's just reinforced to me how grateful I am for the knowledge that we have that the same relationships I've built in this life are forever.

I remember when Grandma Moultrie died; how many letters I got saying how tuff it must be for me since I was away from home on my own; but It didn't hit me as hard as I thought it would. I think it’s because I know I can see her again and I'm already away from my family, so it hasn't seemed like I'm any farther away from her than from the rest of you. I know I'll see her again. I might just have to wait a little bit longer.

Dad may not realize this, but he and Grandpa have been incredible inspirations to me on my mission so far. It probably sounds weird, but I spend a fair amount of time thinking of the traits that they have that I need to develop. I know that grandpa may not be completely coherent, but I'd love to hear what he did as a mission president. What he saw that worked, ways that he found to move the work forward. So if he remembers that, or if dad remembers that, it would be great.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about how I need to improve. Dad mentioned a couple of letters ago about thinking outside the box. I was wondering what things he tried, what things he wished he would have tried. I know he talked about getting involved with clubs. How? What do I do with clubs and how would I relate that to the gospel and coming to church. I really do read all the letters people send me and I save most of them. I might not always respond to the things people say to me but I am thinking about them.

Let Grandpa know that I love him and that I'm grateful for all he's done in my life. I'm grateful for the example that he's set in his own life for me to follow. I might not have always shown it, but I am grateful for the opportunities I had to take him to church on Sundays and I wish I would have spent more time learning from his life.

This ended up being a different email then I've sent before and I ran out of time to say most of what I was planning to but the work is going great. I'm glad to be here. Time goes by too fast. I'd love to start over again. Thank you for all that you d. The Church Is True.

Elder Cody Scott Johnson