"And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin ..." (How Great Thou Art).

Dear Friends,

You know you are getting old when e-mails and letters casually end with the words "look forward to seeing you soon."

Tuesday was a stirring zone conference. I love President Owen. Elder and Sister Johnson, area medical advisors, trained us on physical and mental health. I've taken it to heart and have implemented a new diet. Essentially I ...

1. Eliminate transfat; it is, quote, "The Devil"
2. Limit enriched or bleached flours, choosing instead whole grains
3. Reduce sugar intake, particularly white sugars
4. Increase anti-oxidants by eating at least 5 servings of bright fruits and vegetables every day.

To give you an idea of how uncharacteristic this is, I went to Wendy's twice last week, and both times I got a salad. And I enjoyed it. *shock* It was the cranbery pecan one with the rasberry dressing. To be honest, I feel like I am already more energetic, cheerful, and lighter. And the food is good- my cracked whole wheat bread is actually a lot tastier than the white bread I was getting (thats thanks to honey and brown sugar). Red peppers and tomatoes have really enhanced my scrambled eggs. Granola and vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit is convenient. And grapes make better candy than chocolate. The only draw back is that all this fresh produce means I have to go the grocery store more often- things don't last. But, I am assured that it will make me stay young longer, and I have met enough old people on my mission to know that I want to stay young.

Martha was confirmed on Sunday. It was beautiful. She has really captured the spirit of it all. As we were taking the sacrament, I was overwelmed with a vision of her twenty years down the road active in Church with a husband and kids that are hers forever. She didn't know that such a future was obtainable, but now she is learning. Thinking about her and other converts being active down the road filled my soul with joy. I quickly envisioned them growing old in the gospel, and then in the sacred quiet of the sacrament, I saw them entering the Kingdom of Heaven and being enveloped in the arms of a loving Savior. I broke down in tears.

I testify of that Savior, that His merits enable us to return to our God. The way He lived His life will compensate for the way we have lived our lives when we turn to Him. His gospel is the only thing worth proclaiming as far as I am concerned, and I will proclaim it will all the energy of my heart. I love Him, and I cherish His redemptive atonement.

I encourage you all to listen to His message through modern Apostles that will speak to us at a world wide conference this weekend. You can watch on the Internet, or on TV, or via a satelite broadcast to Churches near you. Just go to www.lds.org for more information. I promise that any concern, fear, question or you have will be addressed by an Apostle of Jesus Christ this weekend. If you will take the time to listen, you be blessed. If you will take the time to follow what you hear, your life will change. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Elder Embree

"I testify that the Savior's Atonement lifts from us not only the burden of our sins but also the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our despair ... If you are lonely, please know you can find comfort. If you are discouraged, please know you can find hope ... If you feel you are broken, please know you can be mended" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2006 General Conference).

From a letter dated March 19, 2007

Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Xangans,

How is everybody doing? I can tell from the consistent stream of mail I get that absolutely none of you went and read "Missionary Mail" in the March New Era. Hehehe. I am at that ancient point in my mission when I'm not so much concerned about it, but don't let that stop you. This past St. Patrick's day I celebrated 19 months of mission bliss.

Yesterday Martha was baptized. She asked me to baptize her, and it was very fulfilling in many ways, though anti-climatic in others. Frankly, there was so much nervousness about it all that I found that many of the moments in our lessons were actually more spiritual than the time in the water. The fact that she asked me is what was really the spiritual experience. Over all, however, the baptism service had a strong, steady Spirit about it that confirmed in all of our hearts that this was right.

What I enjoy about teaching Martha so much is that she really grasps the concepts of the Gospel and applies them to herself. Her mother had passed away, and when we taught the principle of baptisms on behalf of the dead, she asked us if she could be baptized in the Temple on behalf of her mom. We hadn't even thought about that application. She is so excited that her mom can have the same blessings she can. On an earlier occasion she had remarked to us that she believed that God had placed her in the home where she is so that she could find the Gospel. She now has wondered if her deceased mother, waiting in the world of spirits, had been taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, accepted it, and wanted so badly to become a part of it that she was praying her living daughter would find the Gospel and do her Temple work on her behalf. That is such a mature grasp of restored truth!

Another aspect of the baptism that was tender for me was that Jose and Maria from Walnut came to see the baptism. They were telling everyone about how I had been the first Missionary to knock on their door and how I was the angel who rescued them. I told them that it was the Savior Jesus Christ who rescued them, and Maria agreed, but she insisted that without me finding her son, she never would have formed a relationship with God's Son.

And so, I feel, in my old age, a great sense of accomplishment. My purpose as a missionary is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." (Preach My Gospel). I feel that I have done that, and I plan to keep doing for as long as I can. I love the gospel, and I love missionary work. I may at times struggle in an area or with a companion, but I know that this work is God’s work and that it is the only thing I want to do. I testify of Jesus Christ and of the eternal truths that He restored to living prophets in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Sincerely,

Elder Embree

Dear Family, Friends, and Fellow Xangans,

I planned on posting something that I have written about some insights I have found about what it means to be redeemed, how the Book of Mormon teaches Temple covenants, and how redemption and temple covenants fit together in describing the way in which we belong to God and His Christ. You will have to wait until I get home, however, for my doctrinal discourses because I think it is better for me to tell you about the experiences I have had this past week.

On Tuesday we had a lesson with Martha, an investigator, and Sis. N, a member from the ward. Martha had been scheduled for a baptism on April 29th, a date we felt was too far away. As we were teaching her, we all felt the Spirit. It was a powerful lesson, though simple, on studying the scriptures and on keeping the commandments.

After the lesson, we asked Martha to pray. She was uncomfortable, but she agreed. Her prayer was one of the most sincere, moving prayers I have heard. She thanked the Lord for giving her hope, faith, and the strength to believe, and she asked the Lord to strengthen that hope and faith. By the end of the prayer, Sister N. was in tears, and I was very emotional myself. The environment became very tender, and prompted Martha to share with us a spiritual experience that she had had that weekend.

When we returned on Friday for the next lesson, we brought a checklist of all the principles she needed to learn and commit to before baptism. We asked her to check off the items on the checklist she had done. By the time she was done with the list, she realized that she was more than ready for baptism. We moved the baptism to March 18, this coming Sunday. At Church on Sunday, she asked me to baptize her. I am touched by the request. It will be the first time I actually performed the ordinance.

Martha's prayer on Tuesday is unlike most prayers. It reminded me of Barbara's prayer in Covina. She prayed "If the Book of Mormon is true, and you tell me, then I will do everything I can to follow its teachings." It also reminded me of Jose's prayer in Walnut. He prayed very simply, "Heavenly Father, Is the Book of Mormon true, and should I get baptized this Sunday? I really want to know." Those are the types of prayers that make me realize the power of conversion.

If you haven't already, you all need to read the March New Era. First read Missionary Mail (Connie Myers, “Missionary Mail,” NewEra, Mar 2007, 58–61 or go to lds.org, click gospel library, magazines, New Era, March 2007 etc.), and then read How to Prepare to Be a Good Missionary. Elder Ballard, an Apostle, describes some of the blessings of missionary service I have experienced more accurately than I have read before. He said:

"Dedicated missionaries who do their very best learn lessons as important or even more important than anything they can learn in university study. I’ll give you an example. Missionaries learn how to relate to people, how to talk to people, how to help people. Whether they are going to be doctors, lawyers, merchants, or something else, the ability to relate to people can be the difference between being successful or not in that career.

A second great blessing is that missionaries become doctrinally anchored to the reality of the Atonement. There comes to them a love for and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ that will absolutely bless them and their families in mortality and on into eternity. The most powerful learning experiences we can have are when we teach someone else. And that is what missionaries do. They internalize the doctrine; they internalize the reality of the Atonement. And this will bless them in all future Church assignments.

Another great blessing is that as missionaries reach out to rescue and pull into the light of the gospel families who are wandering in the darkness, they see what they don’t want in their own lives. The experience clarifies for them the values they want to live by, the kind of family they want, the way they want to teach their children, and the goals they need in order to claim the promised blessings of the temple. A mission is the greatest education in the world" (M. Russell Ballard, “How to Prepare to Be a Good Missionary,” NewEra, Mar 2007, 6–11).

I have experienced those blessings. I bear somlemn testimony that God lives and that Jesus Christ, His Son, is the Savior and Redeemer of mankind. I testify that this is the Lord's work in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sincerely,
Elder Embree

Dear Family, Friends, and fellow Xangans,

I am still in the Chino Heritage ward, but Elder Arballo was transfered.  I now have a new companion, Elder Perez.  He is from Mexico and went into the MTC at the same time as me.  Crazy.

This past Sunday we had 5 investigators to church, and we have 3 with a scheduled baptism.  The work is doing great!

I have a billion stories that I'll have to catch up on later from Elder Arballo.  We did crazy things togother.  Next week I will try to post some things I have been studying about redemption, covenants, and the spititual concept of ownership.  It's cool.

Love you all,

Elder Embree

Dear Family, Friends, and fellow Xangans,

I am still in the Chino Heritage ward, but Elder Arballo was transfered.  I now have a new companion, Elder Perez.  He is from Mexico and went into the MTC at the same time as me.  Crazy.

This past Sunday we had 5 investigators to church, and we have 3 with a scheduled baptism.  The work is doing great!

I have a billion stories that I'll have to catch up on later from Elder Arballo.  We did crazy things togother.  Next week I will try to post some things I have been studying about redemption, covenants, and the spititual concept of ownership.  It's cool.

Love you all,

Elder Embree

From a letter dated February 26, 2007

Dear Family, Friends, and Xangans,

I can't believe that we are already in week 6 of the transfer. Elder Arballo and I have made this time fly by. I hope it doesn't end next week.

It is hard to believe that August 21, my homecoming date, is approaching so quickly. Next Tuesday, 3 of my favorite missionaries will go home and I will feel like I am old (Elder Larkin, Elder Dayton, and Elder Vester). Enough Trunky thoughts.

This past week we had an investigator to church, have 2 investigators committed for baptism (March 25 and April 29), and taught 16 lessons- 9 to investigators and 7 to less actives or recent converts. I feel good about that. This area is actually a very strong area with a lot of potential and a lot of work. Taking the work ethic I developed in Walnut to here has brought me a lot of success. I am excited. I am trying to keep my vision high.

Here's an interesting fact about my area's history: There is a particularly large church in the area that has a long track record of Mormon-hating. Our church is just down the street from it, and our church is one of the most beautiful LDS chapels I've seen for it's size and location. It features and tall marble inlay along the front that goes up to the steeple. Well when our church was first built, this other large church told it's congregations that the grain of the marble formed the image of Satan. Car accidents were caused by people driving by irradically to see the face of Satan in our Church. Kid's at school were getting made fun of for it. This was not in the 50's, this was about 10 years ago. It became such a problem that we painted ontop of our marble to cover it up. Finally a large tree grew and provided enough cover that the paint was recently stripped off, and the marble is now again revealed. I just marvel sometimes at the immaturity of people.

I want you all to know that Jesus is the Christ. He is my Redeemer. That is a realization that I am just now coming to understand, though I have been saying it for so long. I love being a missionary because I get to watch others realize Christ. That brings me fulfilment.

With that, I leave you all with the charge to pick up the March New Era and read "Missionary Mail" on page 47. The End.

Love,

Elder Embree

From a letter dated March 20, 2007

Dear family, friends, and xangans,

I'm still alive and kicking in the Chino Heritage Ward with Elder Arballo. We've had some awesome experiences together. I don't have time to write them all in e-mails, so you will have to wait until I get home (181 days) when I will type them up and post them retroactively. My plans are to print out all these xanga entries and other stories I have saved up at Kinkos and have them bound into a little book. Some of these stories are short- like getting peed on by dogs. Some are long, like taking my companion to the ER. Some are just plain spiritual, like a discovery we made about what it means to be redeemed. You will just have to wait.

Saturday was my 18 month mark. Crazy huh?

This past week was pretty successful, other than the fact that no one came to church, thus forcing us to move the baptismal date of one of our investigators. We do have 4 new investigators from last week. Two are from Illinois. One is progressing, and will have a baptismal date by the end of the week. It is looking like we will have 2 baptisms in March. That is an accomplishment considering the area history, and I am pretty happy about it. I can see the Lord's hand in this work.

I wish I had more time to ellaborate on some of the cool things I have been learning from the scriptures. I have learned a lot about covenants from King Benjamin in Mosiah 1-6. I have learned about how they relate to the Creation, Fall, and Atonement- essential ellements of our temple experience. It is fascinating.

In worldly news, if you go into the xanga archives you will notice that I have been promoting Mitt Romney for President since 2003. My fervor is no less dimmned, and I am excited about the press he has been getting. Barack Obama scares the daylights out of me. He is a snake. Edwards is old news- kind of boring. There just isn't much to say about him- just a regular liberal. Hillary. Well she is like the universal x-wife everyone hates. I hope that she wins the Dem. nomination and runs against Mitt. Enough of that- I am a missionary and will save politics for August 21, when I get home.

Jesus lives.

Love you all and miss you,

Elder Embree