Pleasure Vs. Happiness

These were some cool statues we found at a train station in our area! haha they had a bunch of them!

   Okkaayyy. So this week was pretty good. We had a few good times, a few sad times, got to meet the new president, and more! Sooo we'll get to all of that right after my Dad's questions. 1) Mexican people would say that mexican food is tacos....and enchiladas, and tostadas, and chilacuiles, and more. Pretty much all the things you would think of as Mexican food. 2) Their national food....like Hamburgers on the 4th?....well on the 16th of September which is their day of independence, we had elotes, tacos, gringas, mamelas, and more. They are typical mexican foods. 3) And yes. Suprisingly almost everyone has TVs....i might even say everyone. Which is wierd cause there are people who dont have almost anything in their houses, and many of the essentials....but they have a tv. 

Anddd one of the days we were coming home and it started
pourrringgg rain. Me and my comp were seriously
soaked to the bone.

       Alright, well this week was great. My companion and i were able to meet with a lot of the members and encourage them to get more involved in the missionary work and they were all very receptive! We have some appointments this week to go on visits with a lot of them. We were able to have Zone Conferences with President Stellmon and he and his wife are great. They are funny, but also very spiritual. It was great getting to know them. And then we had a tonn of the people we have been inviting to come to church FINALLY come! Even a few sacrificed to be there. HOWEVER, the downer of the week would be the 4th of July....now i dont want to come at any of the other American Elders in this zone....but im gonna do it anyway. These dudes are NOT patriotic. Last year we all went and got hamburgers and took pictures with the American flag, but thissss year....nothing. They were all like oh, idk, like we have this and that and blahhhh. So i spent it doing pretty much nothing. We worked and nobody was really home cause we were looking for references, but at one point the young men's presdient (A returned missionary) came and sang me the national anthem....or a rendition with a much fewer words haha and then they bought me a snickers and said happy 4th of July hahaha out of control. But it was a pretty good week! Sooo on to the spiritual thought!

       Well, the spiritual thought this week comes from Jesus the Christ which i have been reading a lot lately. It is such a great book filled with so many insights into the life of Christ and those around him. I would HIGHLY reccommend it. But in one perticular part of the book it was talking about the famous "Sermon on the Mount" given by Jesus to his apostles. Elder James E. Talmage goes through examining each part of the sermon and at one point, turns to examining the difference between pleasure and happiness. I read it and was in grand awe at the wisdom which he imparted through the explanation. He talks about how in these latter days the Devil is harder at work than ever in manufacturing pleasures that do but excite and disappoint.   And in this soul destroying craft, he is without a peer. It then explains the great difference between pleasure and true happiness, likening happiness to genuine gold, while pleasure is but guilded brass which corrodes in the hand. Now while i was reading this, I felt like I KNEW there was a difference between the two, but that sometimes, the line is blurred and it becomes hard to determine what is pleasure and what is happiness. But then Elder Talmage adds this helpful way to differentiate between the pleasure and happiness saying: "True happiness is lived over and over again in memory, always with a renewal of the original good; a moment of unholy pleasure may leave a barbed sting, which, like a thorn in the flesh, is an ever-present source of anguish." If this is true, how easy is it for us to distinguish pleasure and happiness. How many times have we reflected fondly on Christmas mornings spent with family, or well-earned graduations due to a truely honorable effort. When we contrast these recountances with the memories of momentary pleasure from a rich slice of cake, an achievement in a video game, or other things, we can see that there is no comparison. Pleasure is one of the greatest tools Satan can use to fool us into thinking that what we are doing will make us feel good. Pleasure is fleeting but true happiness lasts in this life, and on into the eternities. So set your heart not on Pleasures but on finding true happiness by making and keeping sacred coventants (shout out to Brother Bruton!). As you do, you will find that true happiness the likes of which we were created to enjoy, and which you have been seeking in this life.

Anddd a guy in our ward has one of these.....im kinda scared

Love,
Elder Josh Hamm