Dear friends, family, and random strange people who stumble across the blog of an awesome person,

I am coming home from my mission next week!

I can’t wait to see all of you. I started packing tonight and have a long way to go. I haven’t even figured out what I should do with my bike. It is pretty worn out after a lot of miles. Will I use it at BYU? Can I send it straight to BYU instead of to Chicago.

All of you are invited to hear my homecoming talk on Sunday August 26th, 2007 at the Buffalo Grove Stake Center. (corner of Buffalo Grove Rd and Port Clinton Dr. in Lincolnshire- down the street from Stevenson High School) It is at 9:00 am. 

Anyway. This past week I had to get a very painful ingrown toenail removed, and that in and of itself was painful. I feel like an old man- just worn out.

I have been calling people to invite them to my departing devotional (you’re all invited to that too, 150 W. Duarte Rd. in Arcadia, on the 19th at 6:30 pm). Yesterday I called Brother “R” from Temple City. When I was there more than a year ago, he was a less active man that nobody in the ward knew. I stumbled across him and started to become good friends with him. He came to church a few times while I was there. He and I talked a lot about how much he would enjoy the blessings of the church like a Patriarchal Blessing and the Temple covenants. Well, when I called him yesterday, I found out that he has been very active for about 5 months or so. 2 Months ago he got his Patriarchal Blessing, and now he working towards going to the Temple for the first time later in the Fall. Do you know what he said to me? He said, “Look what you started” and I about died. Suddenly I caught the vision that it would be impossible to really know what kinds of things have happened from small things that I started. Wow. I had always thought that all my efforts in that Temple City Ward had come to naught, but now suddenly every visit to a less active member seems worth it.

Lest you think that I boast, be assured that it was not really me at all who started anything. I was merely an instrument in the Lord’s hands doing what He directed me to do. And look at what He has started. Look at what He has done. My joy is ful in His labor and in His success.

I can’t wait to come home and share all of these stories I have with you. I am bursting at the seems with them. Please humor me and ask me about them, lol, because I’m gonna be talking about them anyway. At least if you ask me, you can ask me for the kinds of stories that you would want to hear. lol.

Well, I love you,

Elder Embree

Dear friends, family, and random strangers,

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

What can I say more.

A different note:

On Saturday we found the most awesome family of 5 to teach ever. They are active Pentecostals, but they were completely prepared by the Lord to receive us. We found them tracting a street that we had been lead to by the Spirit. When we knocked on the door, the father answered and said, “So you guys are the Mormons? or what else are you called, oh yeah, Latter-day Saints. Well, I guess this is a good time for you to come in and share your message.”

He then sat us down on the couch and introduced each of his children. Then he turned to his family and said, “These men have brought us the word of God, please listen to them.” Then he turned and looked at us!

Ernest (the father) knew a little bit about us from the media. He and his family are from Nigeria, and the Church recently built a beautiful temple there in Aba, and Apostles and others from the Church have recently received a lot of press there from their visits to the country. He also knew a little bit about polygamy. He did not know much about Joseph Smith or the start of the Church or its doctrine.

As we taught the family the eight principles of the first lesson (the restoration), they accepted everything. They asked profound questions that indicated that they understood and agreed with our message. He would occationally say things like “The people in Nigeria would accept this message,” and “Our family has no problem believing that.”

We talked in great detail about the Book of Mormon. He accepted with great excitement the notion that Jesus Christ had appeared to a group of ancient Americans. In the closing prayer, which he offered, he thanked God for letting us know about Jesus’ first visit to the Americas.

One of the concerns he did have was over polygamy. He had no problem with the notion that polygamy had been revealed as a commandment in the early days of the Church. His problem was that it had been removed from the Church at what he felt like was pressure from the government. As I explained the concept of revelation and that both the start and the end of plural marriage was revelation, he asked if God had changed His mind. He couldn’t understand what God’s intention was with starting something if he was just going to stop it later. I told the story of Abraham and the command to sacrifice Isaac. Ernest replyed, “So it all boils down to obedience. It’s about following the prophets of God.”

When we asked if they believed God would tell them that this is true, he said he would expect it. He believes that God speaks to man, and that prior to Christ’s second coming more and more people will be lead to and find the truth and the gifts of the Spirit. I am telling you, he has been prepared to receive this message. He goes to Nigeria frequently on business, and we have the address of the Temple there so he can go and visit it. I am just stoked about the whole thing.

I love you all so much. I can’t wait to see you all.

Sincerely,

Elder Embree