Mar 4

Mar 4

:)

So Elder Murphy's nice.

Hey everyone! How the heck are you? Good? Good. Me too. :)

This week was a nice practice in how to reschedule. Elder Mieville spent his last six months here, and it's his last REAL area before he goes home in two weeks, so we had a LOT of people he wanted to see before going home. Which hindered the work a bit. Fortunately, Elder Murphy's a boss, so we still managed to do ALMOST everything we had planned for this week.

The first real thing we did, was have our first real zone study! :D That was exciting, AND unconventional. Why? Well, neither Elder Murphy nor Myself has ever actually planned and/or carried out a zone study before, because last transfer we had zone CONFERENCE, which was the responsability of President and the Assistants. So we just sort of.... made it up as we went. Sure, it didn't happen in the normal time bracket for these sorts of things, and yeah maybe we weren't the most organized zone in the whole mission, but! The spirit was there, and we all learned a lot, so I'll take it. :) This new zone is really nice, the whole only having 5 teams things makes it easy to really get to know everyone in the whole zone! That was a good deal more difficult last transfer with the 13 teams. :P

Other than that, we spent a whole lot of time making phone calls, and out knocking on doors. :) I read a story this morning that I wanted to share with all of you. You all know I'm no good at telling stories, so I think I'll just copy and paste it on here for your viewing pleasure. :)

"When I come to my evening prayers and try to reckon up the sins of the day, nine times out of ten, the most obvious sin is some sin against charity. I have sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed. And the excuse that immediately springs to my mind is that the provocation was so sudden and unexpected; I was caught off my guard, I had not time to collect myself. Now that may be an extenuating circumstance as regards to those particular acts. They would obviously be worse if they had been deliberate and premeditated. On the other hand, surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats, it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill tempered man; it only shows me what an ill tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily, they will have taken cover before you switch on the light.
Apparently the rats of resentment and vindictiveness are always there in the cellar of my soul.
And if, what we are matters even more than what we do-if indeed, what we do matters chiefly as evidence of what we are- then it follows that the change which I most need to undergo is a change that my own direct voluntary efforts cannot bring about. After the first few steps in Christian life we realize that everything which really needs to be done in our souls can be done only by  God."

Isn't that wonderful? That's something that I've really learned on my mission. I try, and I try, and I TRY so hard to be something, to be better than I am, to change my personality, my nature, my very being, and it's the weirdest thing..... It doesn't work. :P 

But! Despite my lack of being able to consciously do ANYTHING about the way that I am, I have been changing. I've taken to reading, each day, my journal entry from one year ago, and I've been able to really see the difference between the little boy writing back then.... and the little boy reading it now. I can't claim that I'm a "man" now, or that I've somehow become something wonderful or incredible or worthy of note, but. I'm most definitely different, in a decidedly desirous way. I'm happy with what the Lord is making me into out here, and I'm excited to see what the next year will add to what I've already discovered. :)

Thanks again for all the prayers and support! I love all of you. :)

Love,