Mar 13

Howdy hoo neighbors! :)

 

Uh.... DearElder me if I forget to mention something important in here.... because I can't remember anything about our home business I was supposed to talk about. Congrats on the License Josh! and Good Luck with your health Jens! I love all of you so much!

 

Anyways, this week has been SO FREAKING GOOD for me! :D So at the start of the week I was having some problems with my district leader who is also my companion, Elder Christensen II. I also started a game in our zone called "Spooning" Where you sneak a spoon into someones pocket without them noticing you do it (SUPER fun game. I highly recommend it). This game (Obviously) Was frowned upon by the branch presidency and so it lasted a grand total of about three days. :P As a consequence of it, our Branch President taught a lesson on obedience in Priesthood, but the focus of it wasn't on obeying the letter of the law, but obeying the spirit of it you could say. It was an incredible lesson That really helped my to understand that GRUDGING obedience isn't obedience at all. Any time the scriptures promise us blessings for obeying something, those blessings become null and void if we don't obey WILLINGLY and cheerfully. Interesting thought. Fortunately, there are no hard feelings about the spoon game directed at the branch presidency or any of the missionaries. (Phew!)

 

Along with that fun game, me and my companion Elder Bangerter have taken to having rubberband fights in our room in the evenings. They're more like wars really, and they're SUPER fun! We were telling our wonderful teacher Sister Dix about them, and after laughing uproariously at our narrations she told us a story from her mission. Sister Dix found out just about halfway through her mission that her Father has Terminal cancer. He's still dealing with it right now, and so she has some pretty rough days sometimes. She told us about how she found that information out at the same time that she was in the hardest part of her mission, spending all day every single day contacting, giving handing over refferals to the Elders because they were single men, watching all the other missionaries getting baptisms every month, giving every single ounce of her spirit to the mission, and not getting any results. Now, in the MTC today they teach us something. If you read in Jacob in the parable of the Olive tree you will find the word "Perhaps" in several verses. Things like how the Lord digged about his trees that PERHAPS they might bring forth good fruit, or that he grafted out branches that PERHAPS he might save the natural tree, and so on and so forth. They teach us nowadays that the Lord does EVERYTHING He does.... for a maybe. That He works constantly, and does everything He possibly can to help us, so that we MIGHT decide to choose the right. We have free agency. Results aren't guaranteed. So they counsel us to work with all of our heart, might, mind and strength, so that we can rest easy knowing that no matter what happens WE have done everthing we could do, that WE have not failed, as long as that principle is true. Because a missionary NEVER FAILS, as long as he or she shows up, and brings the spirit. But, that's a relatively new concept. Back when Sister Dix was out, she was told that if she worked hard, and had faith, she would get baptisms. That people would believe her words and she would have success, based on her faith. Can you see how expectation could be hard on someone? Now add in the knowledge that your dad is going to die. Rough time. Anyways, the story she shared with us was about her mission president. She went in for an interview, and as they were talking he asked the question "Do you like waht you're doing?" She said of Course. "Are you having fun?" This caught her off guard. She had no idea what to say, because she hadn't thought about it. Every second of her life for TRANSFERS had been devoted to finding, to working, to giving her all to the work. The word "fun" didn't seem to apply. So, he challenged her to do something fun every single day. Whether that be having a shaving cream fight in the appartment, or taking a walk by the lake, or eating a donut, whatever it was, to do something FUN every. Single. Day. He told her the same thing Elder Scott talked about in conference a few years ago, that if you can't take a step back and ENJOY what you're doing, you're missing it. The promise of missionary work isn't baptisms, it's that our joy will be full. The promise of life on earth isn't success, it isn't money, it isn't fame, it's joy. Pure and simple. So, for any of you who aren't enjoying your life right now, I have a challenge for you. Do something fun. Every. Single. Day. Don't stop working, don't stop trying, don't stop being the best you can be, but make sure you're having fun too. Make sure you're experiencing joy in what you're doing. Because life was meant to be enjoyed, not just endured. If you take the element of joy out of life you're left with something cold, futile, and confusing. Put it back in and it becomes warm, and things make sense again. Never forget that Joy is our PURPOSE on earth! And through the gospel our Joy can be full. This is my testimony, and I leave it with you in the name of the One who's known the most misery in all the world, the One with the most excuse to complain, and the one who joys the most in our happiness, Even Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Elder Christensen