I’m grateful

Reflecting this morning on 2023, I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude swelling in my heart.

I am thankful for so many wonderous things.

I am grateful for the gift of life.

I am grateful for my noble parents and wonderful siblings.

I am grateful for my incredible wife on our eternal quest and remarkable children entrusted to our care.

I am grateful for my extended family and friends.

I am grateful for the hundreds of missionaries that I’ve come to know and for their devotion.

I am grateful for the blessings of service.

I am grateful for the beauties of the earth.

I am grateful for the lifting power of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, for Him, His Atonement and my testimony of those truths.

I am grateful for Preach My Gospel!

I recall an experience from 28th and 29th June this year.

Preach My Gospel – 2nd Edition had just been published online.

Those two days of Zone Conferences, in Antwerp and Utrecht, were revelatory.

Our printers rushed through hard copies for everyone.

All the missionaries only had an online access for 4 or 5 days.

In the meetings I asked if anyone would like to come forward and share anything that they’d learned in those few days, from the new version.

One by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one, by one….. they came forward unceasingly.

I wept.

Something powerful, something unique, something inspiring, something unifying happened that day to all of us, together, as we learned about the Power of Preach My Gospel – the nuts and bolts of missionary work.

Quotes from my journal entries those days “special” “great” “wonderful” “exhausting.”

We all changed.

Those were just 2 of 365 remarkable days of 2023.

Unashamedly, unabashedly, honestly – I am a man of faith.

I am grateful for all those one-by-one experiences that strengthened my faith once more.

What are you grateful for?