Christmas! - Green Hills, Tennessee

Hello people!

Merry after Christmas! Happy belated Boxing Day! We are playing monopoly right now and it is fantastic. I forgot how much I love this game. However I lost so that is kind of a sad pain. However now writing emails is so much easier.

I saw these great Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. There are two houses here. I think the one to the right won.

I have so much candy and dessert I may just die of it. Everything is so delicious but I literally cannot eat another bite... Except maybe one truffle more.

The weather here has been weird. It is so warm suddenly that all of the trees are blooming flowers. All of this warm air is messing things up though so we have rain all over the place and there was a tornado on Wednesday. We had to stay in our apartment during the tornado so it was weird. We had so much time not working this week which is kinda annoying but also kinda fun. I really cannot decide if I like relaxing or not. And now we get New Year's Eve and day off as well so it is going to be an odd week. Hopefully real missionary work will resume as normal next week.

Christmas was super fun thank you everyone for the awesome presents. I have thoroughly enjoyed them. 

Elder Tolman's family sent him a bunch of Star Wars toys and he loved being a nerd.

Anyway. I hear that everyone and their cat has seen our YouTube debut. That was a really weird experience. To be honest I really kinda hate that video but apparently everyone likes it so you're welcome. Enjoy listening to me :P

Recently I have found a great love for this song:

Israel, Israel, God is speaking.

Hear your great Deliv’rer’s voice!

Now a glorious morn is breaking

For the people of his choice.

Come to Zion, come to Zion,

And within her walls rejoice.

Come to Zion, come to Zion

And within her walls rejoice.

Every time I sing it I can't help but be filled with joy. What could be more glorious than to know that God is speaking. He calls to the world with prophets and personal revelation. You can hear your deliverer's voice. And these are the glad tidings that we get to proclaim to the world. Such a calling is just amazing. As hard as everything is, I would definitely not trade this for anything in the world. I know that this is the Lord's work and I love being part of it. 

I love you all! Have a fantastic week and ttfn. Ta ta for now!

- Elder Basham 

Snow! - Green Hills, Tennessee

Happy Monday!

Out of all the weeks I have spent on my mission, this is one of them. This week we did not have the car so we got to ride our bikes all over the place. I have now reached over 125 miles of biking which is awesome. Only 375 and then another 500 miles and then it will be super awesome. Anyway as fun as that was, my legs hurt sooooo much. Every time I have stood up or sat down in like five days has been a nightmare. Having the car this week will be fantastic! 

Guess what! It snowed on Friday. Well kinda. There was a snow and then another one and then like 20 more. Overall there were about 50 snows that fell from the sky. None of them stuck at all or anything, but it was cute watching them flurry down in little spirals. It was the funniest thing ever. Elder Tolman, being from Idaho, was quite disappointed with this display. I, on the other hand, thought it was far more than enough snow to make me frozen. 

Yesterday we had a musical sacrament meeting for Christmas. There was a narration in between the choir songs talking about the Savior and his birth and impact. It was a really touching experience and one of my favorite sacrament meetings ever. The really fun thing though is that we sang the same arrangement of Still Still Still that Mr Flora has us sing at the end of every Christmas concert. I already had it memorized and Brother Tolk was nicely impressed. It reminded me of how we always hold the candles around the room and all the alumni get up and sing with us. That was fun. Now I'm looking forward to going to a Campo Christmas concert in a few years.

So this week we had a rather interesting experience in a lesson. The investigator was being rather confrontational and was far more interested in "teaching" us than learning anything. He said a lot of rude things and asked many probing questions. While he meant these questions to tear us down and away from our beliefs, I took them seriously and learned quite a lot. I'd like to ask you some of them and a few of my own. 

How are you showing love for the Savior in your life?

How does your discipleship in your church help your fellow men?

What does the Book of Mormon have anything to do with God's love?

How is sharing your beliefs in Jesus Christ an act of love for others?

Do you know you are doing all you can for your Savior?

If ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, can ye feel so now?

I hope that the answers to those questions bring the happiness and confirmation that you are exactly where you'd like to be. I know they really helped me. If you have any doubts or questions, do not hesitate to get down on your knees and pray about it. Also, read the Book of Mormon.

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Love,

Elder Basham

Food!

Hey y'all

So today we had a rather fun p-day. We went to Jeni's ice cream finally. I can see now why everyone told me to go there. It is super delicious. They have the most amazing flavors there ever. However, at
two dollars a scoop, it is way too much for frequent missionary use. If I was filthy rich I would definitely eat at Jeni's ice cream everyday. Which is saying something because I don't really like ice
cream normally.

Anyway next to Jeni's is this sign and Elder Tolman wanted to take pictures by it so yea...

Your Segment on our Television Show, "Nashville Entertainment Weekly"

Hi Elder Javen Tolman & Elder Liam Basham,

It was wonderful meeting you both this evening! Click the link to view the your Segment on our Television Show, "Nashville Entertainment Weekly." We appreciate your positivity and your message!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jz8WLNBIBg&feature=youtu.be

Be safe, and many Blessings to you both! 

Jill Santibanez

Host/Co-Owner

Music City Real Estate Weekly-Exit Realty Elite

Nashville Entertainment Weekly

714.872.2564

EntertainmentNashville@gmail.com

There are some green hills far away - Green Hills, Tennessee

Hello 

This week we had a Christmas zone conference. Thanks to that we now have a little black box in our car called a Tiwi. It speaks with a soft voice and tells us to do things like wear seat belts and not speed or accelerate too fast. We named it Hal. Fortunately Elder Tolman is a pretty great driver so Hal has never actually said anything to us except "driver logged in." I doubt he'd be as silent if I was the designated driver. Hopefully when I do get the chance to drive I will finally learn to be patient and safe. Hal should do a nice job of teaching me I think.

Besides that wonderful Christmas gift from Salt Lake, we did a gift exchange and tie exchange. Someone stole Elder Tolman's present so I gave him mine. It was a fun little object lesson for the restoration. For the tie exchange I got this really really old tie that someone had bought from goodwill for a dollar. It is purple and has a bunch of floral patterns layered over each other. I decided to cut it open and resew it as a skinny tie. That was kinda fun to experiment with and I think it actually looked rather lovely in the end. Although much better than before, I still didn't want it so I wrapped it up for elder Tolman's Christmas present. So you'll have to wait for a picture. 

Besides that this week has been pretty uneventful. It is super warm weather. It was literally colder when I got here in October than it is now. So we have been enjoying it. Although it is now super windy today. It's not normally windy here so it is unusual that all of the trees are nearly falling over. One whipped our car and left a slash on it. They put up a tree in our apartment complex and elder Tolman really liked it so we went to take pictures by it:

 I'm starting to get really excited for Christmas. The members are being really nice and our ward choir is having a lot of concerts. They sang Mack Wilberg's arrangement of The Spirit of God at stake conference yesterday and it sounded so amazing. There are a lot of great musicians in Nashville. I just realized, I can say that I went to Nashville and sang :) that's pretty fun.

The message at stake conference yesterday was pretty simple and direct; every speaker covered the same thing. Read the Book of Mormon. I just want to bare my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true, that it is the most correct of any book on earth, and that I have drawn nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. I know that reading it every day has changed my life. I would not be the person I am today without the message it contains and the spirit it brings. I have seen this book change people's lives. Homes that were once broken and dark have been healed completely and brought to light by just a few weeks of reading the book together as a family. I can see the complete change of countenance in someone who has prayerfully studied it. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that Moroni's promise is real and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and know that God loves you and so do I

- Elder Basham

Message from Sister Carter - Green Hills, Tennesee

Hello.  This is Brittany Carter, a member of the Green Hills Ward in Nashville, TN.  My husband and I just had the pleasure of enjoying dinner with your son tonight.  We have had he and his companion in our home several times now, and I just wanted you to know that he is one of the most spiritual, sincere, and kind missionaries I have ever met.  We have been feeding our elders for years, and Elder Basham will always stand out in our memories as one who was a true delight to be around.  Thank you for raising such a good young man to help us spread the gospel here in TN.  He is truly dedicated to the work.  You would be proud to see him in action.

Elder Tolman, Elder Basham, Brother Carter

A Savior is Born - Green Hills, Tennesee

Hello sentient, carbon-based life forms

You know how they always say that the grass is greener on the other side. Well it is true. I mean literally. Elder Tolman and I were sitting at the bus stop in front of our apartment and noticed this. The grass is actually, in-fact greener on the other side of the road. To be sure of it we went over there and looked back to observe that it was no illusion -- the grass is yellower on our side of the road. So yea there is that. 

Anyway it is the Christmas season and that is awesome. Being a missionary at Christmas is great because we can go Christmas caroling and then everybody lets us into their house. We get cookies and hot chocolate and all sorts of fantastic things. The greatest part is this wonderful new Christmas video called A Savior is Born. You can find it on christmas.mormon.org. Every one of you should go watch that video. It is only two minutes long and I just gave you the link in this fancy email. Your computer/tablet/cell phone will work perfectly in allowing you to see the video just by clicking on the blue text. So you have absolutely no excuse to not watch it. I'm being serious here. 

Then after you watch the amazing video and feel the spirit (I can promise you will) take very seriously the invitation at the end. Discover and ponder why the Savior was born. What does his birth and life mean to you personally. Once you have done that I can promise you will be filled with peace and love and the spirit. Now. Doesn't that feel wonderful? Wouldn't it be great if those you care about could also feel this same wonderful way? Wouldn't it just make someone's life better if they took a minute to think about the Savior in their life? Yes. It would. Go and share the video with a friend or family member. Tell other people about it. Spread the joy of Jesus Christ and Christmas. Try to show at least one person the video before Christmas Eve. 

Anyway Christmas is awesome. 

We have the best Christmas decorations ever
thanks to a wonderful mother and friends.

Also Elder Tolman loves tortillas.

The coolest thing happened this week. We got to go to the hospital to give a blessing. But this time it was for a new mother and her infant. We got to see the baby just after it was born and she was so cute. I'm glad that the birth went well considering all of the complications they were facing. Thanks to an amazing fire department and hospital staff, little Emma is going to grow up and be adorable. It's so cool thinking that a whole new person entered the world. I can't even imagine the potential she has. The whole experience was fantastic. Even just the entire fourth floor was full of happy energy and smiling faces. There were baby pictures on all the walls and cute wallpaper. Everyone we talked to was looking forward with joy. It was so much better than our usual hospital trips. Anyway I just thought that was a remarkably fitting way to begin the Christmas season. 

I don't want to end this letter with any deep study questions or pondery things, but rather I want to bear my testimony of what the Savior's birth means to me. Jesus Christ lived and died so that I can be cleansed of all sin and return to my father in heaven; His atonement makes it possible for me to live again. However the joy does not stop there. Thanks the the ordinances of the priesthood after His Holy Order, I can do so with a family that is sealed together. Because of Him, I can have happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come with those I love most. And I can come to love and serve those I care about most in the same way He does with the help of His Priesthood and Charity. I know that Jesus Christ is my Redeemer and the Savior of the world. I know that He lives and is the very son of God. In His holy name, amen.

With love,

Elder Liam Clark Basham

#ASaviorIsBorn

#DiscoverWhy

The Last Starfighter - Green Hills, Tennessee

Hello people!

Unfortunately Nick used a Star Wars reference in his last email subject so I had to go with the less well-known alternative. Anyway, do you know what is awesome? If you guessed lasers then you are right,because lasers are awesome. Today was the day we got to go to brother Tolk's lab. It was crazy. He took us out to eat at the university club and then gave us a presentation on what they are doing with lasers and what they hope to achieve with it. It's called a CAP experiment if anyone is interested in looking it up. It is so fascinating but I would never have enough time to explain it in an email. Anyway pictures:

(There were a lot of pictures here but the email would not send)

Anyway besides all of that awesomeness, this week was pretty great. One of the interesting parts of serving in the Green Hills area is that there are 16 hospitals here. So there are always ambulances and helicopters coming from all of the towns surrounding Nashville. We get called to give a lot of blessings for all of the people in the hospitals away from their home ward and family. It is a very humbling experience and makes me extremely grateful for the health I have.

This week we went to Centennial hospital for the very first time. Centennial hospital is huge. It has three towers surrounding a central atrium and lots of entrances all around. The entrances have big glass domes over them and all open into big lobbies with glass windows and fancy desks. The round style of the glass ceilings reminded me of space mountain. The atrium was fantastic. First of all, all atriums are fantastic! This one had all sorts of shops and stores and there were trees and ferns in garden boxes lining all the paths. And then there was a round information center in the middle win a big marquee that read "information" circling around. If there was a picture dictionary, they would photograph this place next to the word atrium. It was literally the perfect ideal atrium that any utopian sci fi society would want in all their fancy buildings. I guess that's why it reminds me of tomorrow land. It felt like I was on a space ship.

Anyway,I'm sure that was far less interesting for you to read about than for me to be there, but oh well. This is the crazy part. It was empty. EVERYTHING. There were no cars anywhere around it. All the fancy bridges and tunnels and valet circles were empty. Every single fancy desk behind all the big windows was without staff. And most of the many entrances were closed. When we finally got into the atrium, it was empty too. Nobody in the security office. All the coffee shops and souvenir centers were left open, but without attendants. It wasn't all closed up like it had been abandoned or anything. Everything was still in perfect working condition. It appears as though every person had simple decided to stand up and leave work at the same time. Once we found our way to the center of the atrium to the incredibly cliche circular information desk, we discovered it was empty too. In the place where you'd normally talk to a person was a little red dial phone with an old receiver - spiral cord and all. We picked up the phone and heard the first voice since arriving. They told us our patient was on the fourth floor. So we walked over to the right tower and got on the elevators. On the fourth floor was a long hallway with nobody to be seen. Finally around two corners we found one nurse just outside the room.

The whole thing felt very surreal. It really felt like a video game. I was at least 85% convinced that a necromorph was going to appear at any moment and infect us. I was also pretty certain we'd get to the patient's room to find that he had become a zombie and we would have to run. It felt so weird but also extremely cool. I was actually kinda very disappointed when we saw the nurse and realized the hospital was full of live people. So yea there is that story.

I'm sure everyone will be like "duh, we told you so" but I found out something awesome. It turns out that if you do not eat sugar before going to bed, you sleep so much better. Then you wake up better too. It's fantastic. I went from being dead every morning - unable to even move let alone think or study - to running circles around elder Tolman. The irony is that you have more energy when you don't eat sugar. Who knew?

So this week I was reading in the Book of Mormon and it describes The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost as one eternal God. Which sounded really confusing to me, because they are three separate beings. I spent a long time looking around and being confused and eventually decided to give up. I asked myself "why does it matter?" But then I took that question seriously. Why does it matter? What should I care if the godhead is one trinity or three beings? The atonement still works either way... Right?

The prophet Joseph Smith taught that it is impossible for man to understand their own nature, purpose, and destiny without a proper understanding of God. So apparently it is important. Without understanding that the godhead is three separate beings, we would not be able to comprehend our own nature, our purpose in this life, and our destiny in the life to come. So now my study question for you is this: Why? What is your nature, purpose and destiny? What is the point of the atonement?

That will get your heads puzzling for at least a little while I suppose. It took me a couple days to figure out and it will take me an eternity to apply what I learned.

Anyway that is all for now :) have fun till next week

- Elder Basham

This is a picture of my district. They are super awesome.

Sister Richardson is going home now. It's hard to believe it's been
a whole transfer. We're all anxious to find out
who the new person is going to be.