June 24, 2013

Hey everyone,

 

It's been a busy week full of new experiences(And a new member of the family. Congrats Brianne and baby Luke!) I never thought I would be involved in planning a wedding on my mission but it happened. Lisa's wedding went great and she'll be getting baptized next Saturday! It was a very different experience to be there. I don't really remember going to very many weddings so it was almost like the first time seeing one. She happier than I've seen her in a long time as well. Things are looking good. The wedding at the church seems to have influenced her husband, Alan, quite a bit as well. She said that now he wants to be baptized as well as a few of their daughters! The ward really did a great job planning it and supporting them. It was really fun to be a part of.

 

We had a pretty funny experience the next day though. Lisa didn't show up to church. We went by to see her after and her excuse was "The degue's (Small gerbil things) at my trousers!" When I heard that I just rolled my eyes. One of those "My dog ate my homework" excuses. It turns out though, she was being serious. They had a small cage of the little mice things and they somehow got out. She brought out her trousers and they had little holes nibbled through them all over. I thought it was pretty funny.

 

We're hoping to be setting up another wedding with Margaret, another one of our investigators, in the near future. She's been to church three times now and is really progressing. She knows she needs to get married with her partner but she's nervous because of her previous relationship. We're hoping that Lisa can be the good example for her.

 

This past week I've learned a lot about our potential. Being able to see people change is one of the greatest things I've seen on my mission. It happens so slowly that you almost don't notice it until you look back to where they were when they started. I think this is true especially with our own progression. It's helped me a lot to be able to understand my potential and the potential of the people we teaching and work with. I read this from President Uchtdorf this last week.

 

There once was a man whose lifelong dream was to board a cruise ship and sail the Mediterranean Sea. He dreamed of walking the streets of Rome, Athens, and Istanbul. He saved every penny until he had enough for his passage. Since money was tight, he brought an extra suitcase filled with cans of beans, boxes of crackers, and bags of powdered lemonade, and that is what he lived on every day.

He would have loved to take part in the many activities offered on the ship—working out in the gym, playing miniature golf, and swimming in the pool. He envied those who went to movies, shows, and cultural presentations. And, oh, how he yearned for only a taste of the amazing food he saw on the ship—every meal appeared to be a feast! But the man wanted to spend so very little money that he didn’t participate in any of these. He was able to see the cities he had longed to visit, but for the most part of the journey, he stayed in his cabin and ate only his humble food.
On the last day of the cruise, a crew member asked him which of the farewell parties he would be attending. It was then that the man learned that not only the farewell party but almost everything on board the cruise ship—the food, the entertainment, all the activities—had been included in the price of his ticket. Too late the man realized that he had been living far beneath his privileges.
Think of all he missed out on. He just didn't realized what his potential was. There are 2 really good scriptures I think highlight this point as well. It's from Adam and Eve after they ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden. The went and hid themselves. The Lord comes and asks them in Genesis 3:9 "And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" The same story is told in Moses 4:15 "And I, the Lord God, called unto Adam, and said unto him: Where ^agoest thou". The Lord is asking "where are you at right now?" and "Where are you going" , what direction are you pointed in? We all just need to realize how much potential each of us has. I Love you all! Talk to you next week!

Pictures: Alan, Lisa and all the missionaries that helped

1. The gerbils ate my trousers so I couldn't come to church

2. Elder Palmer's special blanket. I messed around with it while he was on exchanges! haha