October 17, 2009
Hey hey hey!
As I sit here and wonder what I can write about today, it feels like I may not have much to say. However, I think I have said that in the past and still sent home the normal long email. So, we’ll see. This has been a week of reflection. Yesterday I completed 15 months in the mission, and that was a pretty big wake up call. First, I thought that if all missions were only 18 months like the sister missionaries, I would be going home real quick here, and would feel like I hadn’t done much yet. I also realized that when I am 21 months into the mission, Íll probably be thinking the same thing. So, what does that mean for me? That means I just gotta work very, very hard so that even if I do feel that way near the end of my mission, Íll know that I did my very best, did everything possible – and that’s how I want to feel next summer - no regrets! Another thought that has come to my mind this morning is the importance of personal study. Our daily scripture study is so important - and not just for missionaries, but for all of us. If we are not making sure we have effective, diligent study daily, we are starving ourselves and, if we are not careful, we will become spiritually starved, weak, feeble and unable to defend against the adversary. Effective study is easy to do just once or on occasion. The real test is to do it consistently. I read a quote once a few months ago, don’t remember who said it, but it goes something like this: “It’s easy to be a hero for just a day…” That might not be exact but it’s close. Put another way, it is easy to be obedient, do what we are suppose to, for one day – just to say we did it, to show other people how great we are for our limited good works – but the real test is, as Elder David A. Bednar stated in his recent General Conference talk: consistency. Are we willing to be good, choose the right ALL the time? Those who attain such a pattern in life are the real heroes. So my daily, effective, diligent study makes all the difference for me personally, and I plan to maintain that effort for the rest of my life. At the end of each week I wonder: “How was my week, and why did it go the way it did? If it was a great week – I can usually look back and see that my personal study was AWESOME. If it was just an okay week, my study was probably just okay, and if it was bad…well that’s easy to figure out, too. That all being said, it was a pretty good week, but not incredible.
We had a pretty busy week here in the office. President Chipman and assistants were out of Piura all week for conferences around the mission, so it was just the four of us here in the office. Normally this week would be a bit more relaxed as far as office business goes, but we managed to have lots of things demanding our attention. Ím not gonna lie. I have been in the office for a long time. And…it’s starting to drive me nuts. Oh, here is some cool news. I did my first baptismal interviews this week. I did one Wednesday afternoon, and actually did another one this morning. I was pretty nervous for the first one. It was just a kinda weird feeling, and made me think: “Who am I to decide whether or not someone is ready to be baptized?” We got to the church for the interview, and in came in 17 year old Fernando with the sister missionaries. He walked in and I immediately felt fine, that it was gonna be a good interview. He is a really good kid, and the baptismal interview was a great experience. I was still kinda nervous during the interview, just because I wasn’t really sure what to do, but it went really well. He will be getting baptized tomorrow. Elder Escobar and I participated in a Family Home Evening this past week, and when we got there, they gave us both a big glass of water. I didn’t want to risk drinking the water again (made that mistake once) so I told Elder Escobar that he had to drink both of them. He drank them both in about 20 seconds, starting choking, and coughed it up on the floor (ha).
So Dad had a long chat with McKay Jacobsen’s dad at the BYU/UNLV game? I’ll bet he had fun with that. Glad to hear you are all enjoying a fun season of college football. Please yell extra loud for the Cougars in San Diego for me, and as always, feel free to send me your game day report. And you actually went to see Elder Crickmore’s family? That blows me away. Thanks for the picture. I can’t wait to show it to Elder Crickmore. That is sweet! (Elder Crickmore said his family are big time Aztec fans.) Thanks for the letters, emails, pictures, and prayers. I love hearing from you all.
Well, here’s to another week in the books. Just a couple days ago I realized for the first time that it is now October. I have no idea what happened to August and September. It’s just amazing how the time passes. We are so busily engaged - and I love it. I have nearly daily experiences that slap me in the face and wake me up to my duty as a priesthood holder, as a missionary, as a son of God, and Ím really striving harder to improve myself, and to be a better, more prepared servant of the Lord. I love you all. Have a great week. The Church is true. The spirit is real, and daily, consistent personal study and prayer will feed our souls and give us the strength to stand tall now and forever - to be heroes in the army of the Lord.
Elder Be a Hero: Study Hard Royal
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