"The Giver"

Does anyone get the subject line?

So you guys saw the Giver?  How was it?  Did they keep the super
christian themes in it, or did they water it down?

The book is super christian.  I mean, they got rid of all opposition,
which makes everyone neither happy nor sad, which is straight out of 2
Nephi 2:11.  And the thing I liked about the book was that it really
looked like their world was perfect, but then as Jonas slowly learns
the truth about things, he realizes that things are awful.  Like
Plato's cave!  And then the community chooses one person to bear all
the sufferings of everyone in the world?  The Giver is a Christ
figure!  And Jonas is only a letter away from Jonah, the prophet who
fled his calling!  Like Jonas does!  Well, Jonas was doing it for a
good reason, but still!  Christianity is all over that book, yet I
wouldn't be surprised if they toned it down for the movie.  Whatever.
I'll have to see it when I get home.

Thanks to everyone that emailed me!  That was awesome.  I love getting
emails from people in the family.  Make sure you write Carter too.

That is insane about Devin and Jordan coming home.  I couldn't believe
it, but then I thought about it and was like "Well, it is December."
That's pretty crazy.

Speaking of coming home, my mission president is working it out with
the mission department to set my release date for December 9th, 2015.
He thinks that that is when I should be able to go home, and so do I.
We both feel good about it.  He doesn't foresee there being a problem
(It's a little different for me, since they apparently didn't take
into account my time already served when they set my release date),
but maybe I'll get to talk to an apostle!  It's a long shot, but
still, that would be awesome!

Things have been going good in the area.  We are meeting with a TON of
members to help them create their own family mission plans, rather
than doing what some missionaries do and try to guilt them into doing
missionary work.  It works a ton better when people set goals
themselves, rather than go with the goals that other people want to
set for them.  And this way, when we leave the area, the work doesn't
leave with us, it stays with the ward.

I told Davis this, but it totally pays off to stick with the piano,
because then you get to do awesome things on your mission like playing
Let It Go at the ward Christmas party.  It was pretty awesome.

Someone commented on one of Mom's statuses on Facebook, asking if I
know the Joss'.  I totes do.  He's our first counselor, and he's
awesome.  The whole family is.  I guess they lived in the Cascade Park
ward for like, eight years.  They know the Gages!

Other than that, not a whole lot to report this week.  Thanks for the
Advent calender! It's awesome.  Except now the first thing I eat every
morning is candy.  Which isn't really an odd thing for me, actually.
I love candy.

Love,

Jordan