Hey well I'm going to write down a few spiritual things today...
1st off: I've been struggling the last few weeks with my thoughts, and realizing I wasn't "feeling" it as well as other missionaries. We had a very spiritual district meeting last week, where we took our name tags off, and just looked at them, contemplated what it meant to us to be a missionary, and what it would be like to not be able to put the tag back on. It was emotional for some, and for me it simply felt empty, didn't really feel like it would be a loss. However, after some very earnest prayers, I'm glad to have my testimony strengthened everyday by our Lord. As I pray to fully understand what the promptings of the spirit are, and when they come, I'm began to "feel" this week that being a missionary is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I don't want to waste it. My thoughts about the Value of my misison have really changed.
Here are a few things that have led me to really value my time here more.
Jessi: Jessi is a lady we got as a referral, and she's been amazing since day one. She has been converted to live this gospel far before we started meeting with her, and she has takend all the steps necessary for baptism. We've set a date with her, but she has had some trouble getting to church, and that makes us have to push her day back a little bit more. Satan works on those that are trying to do what is right. She has 3 kids, and the middle one went off this week, enough that it was either press charges and send him to jail, or admit him to an institution and get him medicated. Jessi had to let her other 2 kids go for a little while, and it's been killing her. She's a wonderful parent, we see bad ones all the time, and she is doing what any parent would do, and is striving to keep her kids happy and healthy, but this is just another trial. She has so much faith. We shared that she needs to be reading more in her scriptures, and then offered and explained what a Priesthood blessing is, and she accepted. It was the blessing that is a little miracle of God. We sat there talking about scriptures and modern day prophets, and I Knew that she needed to understand and experience what a blessing is. I Knew we couldn't leave that house without giving her some council from her Father in Heaven. I hope that over time she'll come to a full understanding about what a Priesthood blessing is, and then she'll really value that day. I felt the spirit so strongly pressing me to voice up, and offer her a blessing.
Cindy: Cindy has been to church more frequently lately, and is striving ever closer to baptism, and will be baptized within the next 2 months. She has worked hard on her testimony, and has gained the strength she needs to endure the temptations of satan. She missed this week at church, mainly because we were over at her house ripping up the old carpet in her house. She's renting this house, and knew that it would need to be replaced one day before she moved out so they said better do it now. She has 2 dogs that were never really potty trained, and i must say once again, our God is a god of Miracles! Only gagged 1 time, and the smell of dog pee was overpowering. We knew it was bad because we have been teaching her for about 4 months and have always had a bad smell when we entered her house. The Pad was still wet, the carpet was still wet, and i must say it was a tougher thing for my companion to do than for me. I knew how embarrassed Cindy was to have let it get this bad, and making a gag sound, or a comment about it would have only hurt her feelings, but i'm glad to say that we got the job done, and she spent the rest of the night, till 3 am, pulling staples up out of the hardwood floors that were underneath the carpet. Her back was a little sore the next day, and didn't sleep much and really couldn't make it to church this sunday. Which we didn't want her to feel bad about, or give up on coming to church. No one is perfect, and all we have to do is pick our selves back up, and keep pushing on.
That is the lesson that I learned again this week, I say again, because I feel i've had to learn that lesson countless times already in preparation for my mission.
I have really begun to understand what it is going to take to keep the spirit in my misison, and that is going to be the hardest part about being a missionary. Giving talks in church, and talking with people on the street, or presenting lessons is the easy part, it's carrying with you the Spirit of God, that can touch the hearts and minds of those people around you that makes the difference. I have been lifted up this week, and have had such a wonderful last week in the Logansport area.
Trasnfers are this week, and we got called this morning and i'll be leaving the area, and will find out wednesday where i'm going to be. Mom, i'll give my info to my last companion, and have our last ward mission leader give you a call sometime wednesday evening, at least you'll know what town i'm in.
Here are a few pictures, I'm doing these pictures with all of my companions name tags, and here is just a little something to remember Elder Savas by.
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