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Whatever week it is now...

Hey everybody!
       
Man, sounds like everything's going good back home! Super jealous of you guys. I KNEW you guys were going to go on another trip. I'm jealous. Yes, I definitely want to hear the details. So jealous. It's cool that the Barnes are coming over again for the spring. (We told him that we booked plane tickets to England for next summer, and that our friends from England might come visit here.) 
       
Also, it's really warmed up! The sun's come out too, it's actually been a very pretty day. Yesterday we were talking about how it was only 0˚C, and it's going to get hotter! Pretty happy about that one. 
       
Like you said, we had Zone Conference yesterday, and we talked a lot about the technology rules we're going to have. Pretty crazy stuff, some new changes, but none of that will matter quite yet. Like you said, I heard that the office got my phone, so that's all good and taken care of. 
       
Yea, sad to hear about President Monson. We just heard about it from a member here, they texted us in the morning and told us about it. 
       
Some sad news, Ann doesn't want to meet with the missionaries anymore. Too bad, I guess she just isn't ready. We were talking a lot about how if she wants to have the blessings she would have to act, and I guess she wasn't ready to do that. I just hope it'll be a success story in the future, when some missionary will go back in the future and she'll be ready. Philip's doing really good though. He read Elder Callister's talk from General Conference about the prophet Joseph Smith, and he really liked that. We promised him that if he would read the Book of Mormon, his concerns would go away. He said that he's going to read every day. We we've found a pretty cool new gator, his name's Guy, he's from the Congo and is here for school. Elder Carlson and Legault taught him, but had lost contact with him. We found him again, and have taught him. We've also been working with Gary, and have been teaching him a bit. 
       
One thing that I've been studying and learning about (and just so happens to have been emphasized by President Pratt (and just to kill another bird with the same stone, I'd be fine if you put this in the newsletter, haha)) is implementing the counsel and training I receive. It's interesting to me how readily God's people have ignored current counsel throughout the ages. In the Old Testament, prophet after prophet was called to teach the people, to call them to repentance, and the majority of the house of Israel never listened. Yet, they seemed to love the old prophets. They cherished the law of Moses. They sat a place for Elijah at the Passover. But at the same time they were trying to kill the prophets, throwing Jeremiah in prison, forcing Lehi and his family to flee, etc. After they stopped having those authoritative prophets, they mourned, and tried to replace them with scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees. The priests of Noah claimed the kept the Law of Moses, but burned Abinidai and hunted Alma. The very early apostles started to reject Joseph Smith, voting to replace him with David Whitmer. (Thank goodness for Brigham Young, who told them that if they rejected the prophet, they would cut their ties to God and sink themselves down to hell.) But each of these people loved the old prophets. I think that it's because it's really easy to talk about how the people before us were making mistakes, and how they needed to be called to repentance, but when we are told we need to repent, we are too proud. It's easy to take prophet's words out of context when they are gone, and thereby justify yourself. It's harder to listen to someone who can reply, and chasten you. I think that's why the most important prophet is the one who's living. Because he is talking to us. I've definitely been one of these sinners in the past. I remember President Monson gave quite a few talks in General Conference about reading the Book of Mormon every day, and I did not keep that counsel. I had already read it, surely this was for someone else. I would read it from time to time, and tell myself that I was good. But really, this counsel was for me just as much as for others. I'm grateful that I have been changing, and that I can see that I need to live by every word that comes from the prophets, not just the ones that are easy. I hope that you can find something that you need to change too, to be doing better. Trust me, there always is. 
       
Anyway, love you guys. I doubt very much that I would be able to go to the dentist. I guess I could try, but no promises. Not because I don't like the dentist, I really don't mind, but because it would be close to three hours driving, and then the appointment. I would probably have to get permission as well, so we'll see. 
       
Love you all! Saving some emailing time so I actually send photos. I'm setting an alarm as well. I'll get some.

1st pic is of the four of us here in Edmundston right now. 
2nd and 3rd are us at Christmas (or maybe New Years. Don't remember.) We were at the Pitres, and they have this awesome game called Pichenette or something like that, but they call it Pichnouche, and so do we. It's a super fun game. I'll have to play it with y'all when I come back and kick your tails. 
4th is Elder Legault and I with Philip. We took it at Renault's baptism, but I never sent it home. Thought you might appreciate it though.
       
Love,
Elder Marsh





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