Dear Dad, (another Christmas email)

 I'm sorry it took me so long to finally get back to you about your letter you gave me... I have been pretty busy and wanted to have a lot of time to write you back! It means a lot to me. Well today is Christmas and since we can't call our families they are giving us a little extra time to email today! Which is nice. I just wanted to personally say thank you for the letter and how much it meant to me and will mean to me throughout the entirety of my mission, if not my whole life! I will keep it in a safe place where I will be able to read it whenever I am feeling down or doubting myself. You are such a great example to me through life, and in the priesthood. You have always been there for me and I am so grateful for that. One of the Elders that is rooming with us told us the story of his dad and how, when he was born, the dad left and never came back. That got me thinking about how much you actually mean to me. I know that it may seem like I take you for granted sometimes, which may be true but I just want you to know that no matter what, I will always love you so much! I have already been able to apply my mission to football on a number of times. You get those Elders who just want to sit around and not work, and you have to push them and tell them to get to work. I have also referred to running Brave Quarters here as well. Every week we would line up on that track and I would think to myself, "Am I really doing this again..?" Then it would all of a sudden be 4 weeks latter and we would be running 4 of them like cake! It is crazy to think that I am already to the 2 week mark of being on my mission. It really is one of those "Before you know it" things. Just like, football. "Before you know it we'll be in preseason, before you know it we will have our first region game, before you know it, we're taking region, before you know its the playoffs, and before you know it, it's all over." I know that my mission is going to be that exact same way and I want to make the most out of it. Just like in football. No regrets.

 We had a devotional today and David A. Bednar spoke to us. He really emphasized on the fact that we need to convert ourselves to Jesus Christ. Meaning that when we may have a testimony of this gospel, it means nothing if we don't live what we believe. We as missionaries, aren't doing this for us and he was saying how we all are sad when we don't have enough baptisms or you don't get as many referrals as you'd like. He kept saying, "Get over yourselves!!! Stop thinking about you, and just do the Lords work to the best of your abilities and the people who you are teaching will be blessed. In blessing those people, you will also be blessed." Something like that... Not an exact quote but I think that you'll get the idea! Another thing he said that stood out to me is, "When we get lost in the work, we will find ourselves. But if we go and try to find ourselves, we will only get more lost, and find nothing." That really hit home to me. I'm not doing this for me, and I can't be selfish in saying that it is for me, because it's not. It's for Christ and spreading his word to those who haven't had the chance to hear it yet. And when I do complain, or feel homesick and want to come home, I am being selfish in thinking that because I am taking away from the experiences that I would have shared with those people that I would have taught. but yeah everything here is going really awesome! I am still trying to get a hold of the language thing... I know it will come sooner or later. I use to think that the gift of tongues was something that you would just get right when you got to the MTC. I've found that to be false haha. Our teacher talked to me and he said that the gift of tongues will come when Heavenly Father needs me to use it and that we have to do our best, and if we do that, then Christ will take care of the rest. I can pretty much pray, bare my testimony, and do "get to know you" stuff. Contacting. Which I think is pretty awesome. But at the same time I don't really have anything to compare it too because I have never learned a language before. But I think it is going really good. I still have a TON to learn about our gospel and everything. I am just about to finish the Book of Mormon for the fist time all the way through.. so I am really excited about that! I just have Moroni then I am done. I know that being here is the right thing for me to be doing at this time in my life and I wouldn't rather be doing anything else! I know I will bless the lives of people that I teach and through that I will be blessed as well. I really know for a fact that I wouldn't even be here right now if you didn't set an example of going on a mission. I have thought to myself, well dad went on a mission, so I have to as well! Which I know isn't right, haha but it really pushes me and gives me that extra surety that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. I can't wait to get to Africa and start teaching the people there. It is going to be amazing. I also can't wait to be home in 2 years! But I know the experiences and trials I go through from now till then, will make me who I am for the rest of my life. I love you dad! You are the best!!! I truly am very, very thankful to call you my father! I can't wait to hear back from you and how your doing and work and everything. Just all of the above haha. I hope you guys had a very great Christmas and an even better New year! Know I have been thinking of you guys and wish the best for the whole family!! Love your son, Elder Landon Dean Layton