The first snowstorm in about a month came on Saturday. The snow began late Friday evening and it continued till Saturday
afternoon. About 10 cm of snow accumulated by the time it was over. The
wind was 60 km/h and we were snowed in to our
apartment until it stopped in the afternoon. After the
snowstorm had passed we went out to work as usual. The first thing we
did that afternoon was knock. As we began knocking we noticed a
young gentlemen struggling to get his driveway shoveled out so we
offered to help. He graciously accepted and that led to a nice friendly
conversation about the Book of Mormon and a basic Restoration lesson. He
is very open to learning about other religions. We grabbed his name and
phone number. You gotta love it when an act of service leads to a
potential investigator. After we shoveled that guy's driveway we got a
phone call from a member referring us to shovel another member. So we
went over and shoveled this older lady's driveway.
I came to an exciting realization this morning. I realized that general conference is only a month away from now. I'm starting to get excited. I am especially looking forward to hearing the 3 newest apostles' first official general conference message. I do sustain Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder Dale G. Renlund, and Elder Gary E. Stevenson as prophets, seers and revelators. That is going to be a great weekend. Although General Conference won't fall on Easter this year it will still be just as good.
We learned this
week that this transfer is officially a 7 week transfer to compensate
for the extended MTC schedule. The transfer after this one will be a 5
week transfer to make up for the 7 week transfer. There was some
speculation among us missionaries here that everyone in the
mission would get a 1-week extension because of the 7 week transfer. But
that is not the case. Everyone going home this year will go home at the
same time they were scheduled. But the missionaries going home at the
end of this transfer get an extra week. Lucky Elders and Sisters :P.
It was a emotional Fast Sunday
yesterday. To start, my fast this month was for strength in mind,
strength in body, strength emotionally, strength to overcome temptations
and distractions, strength to stay focused, strength to stay motivated,
strength to see my mission through to the end. This was a tough fast
physically on me. It was the hardest fast I've done in my entire life.
In the morning I felt fine. But as I went through the afternoon my body
was getting weaker and weaker and I was losing energy fast. I struggled
to get through choir, I struggled to get through correlation with the
Sisters, I struggled as we were meeting with the Ward Clerk to discuss
the ward list, I struggled when we were teaching a lesson. After the lesson I felt like my body was going to collapse but then this happened.. After the lesson, we
had about 20 minutes before supper. We planned on street contacting in
that time. We got into the car and I expressed my doubts that I was
going to be able to street contact for 20 more minutes. Elder Steimle
suggested we try 2 loops and see how I felt. I said "well okay.. but if I
start feeling like I'm going to throw up then we gotta run" He said "okay
that's fine just let me know". We said a quick prayer before we started
street contacting. I offered the prayer. When we got out of the car the
thought came to me "Wherefore I will be on your right hand and on your
left and mine angels shall be round about you to carry you". We
proceeded to street contact; I still felt weak but as I began talking to
people, I felt strength beyond my own. We managed to do 3 loops and I
testified with every fiber of my being to people. We got back in the
car and went back to the apartment. I broke my fast. I grabbed some
water as fast as I could. I ate some food. Then I was fine.
In
those final few moments of my fast I had to dig deep. "Sacrifice brings
forth the blessings of heaven." I sacrificed my physical desires and
all the strength I had left. It's like the Lord was trying to test me
saying "How bad do you really want it?, "How dedicated are you to this
fast?" I felt joy and satisfaction in myself after the fast was over.
Knowing that I didn't give in and that I stuck it out. It was the most
excruciating and agonizing fast of my life!
Yesterday
was an emotional day for another reason. We walked in the chapel and we
saw the stake presidency sitting there. We thought "okay.. what's going
on here? The stake presidency doesn't just come to a ward because they're
bored :P." Sacrament
meeting began and Bishop Johnson conducted. After the sacrament was over Bishop Johnson turned the time over to the
stake president. The stake president got up and said "We release
the following individuals from their callings. Bishop Brad Johnson, and
Brother John Bosewell as the second counselor in the bishopric.`` (Gasps
filled the room). "It is proposed that we sustain Bishop Peter Nelson,
and Brother Aaron Wright as 2nd counselor in the bishopric." Bishop Johnson is very
similar to the former Bishop Nilsson. Bishop Johnson is an amazing man
and he had a huge heart for the ward. Sister Johnson is also identical
to Mandy Nillson. Very loving, very sweet, very charismatic person. I found myself tearing up as they were giving their testimonies.
Afterward I felt silly for getting emotional that the Bishop got
released when I had only known him for 4 weeks. He made a quick
impact on me. I cause it kind of just hit home for me because he reminded
me so much of Bishop Nillson.
Something
remarkable is beginning to happen to me. I am beginning to see myself and
my potential through God's eyes. Last week I saw myself being assigned
to be a zone leader before my mission was over. This week I saw myself
being called as a newly called Bishop in a ward that I will someday
preside over. That impression came to me as I was sitting in sacrament
meeting watching the stake president call a new bishop. In my
patriarchal blessing it says to prepare myself to be a leader in the
callings that will come to me. I am catching small glimpses of that.
I
feel like that the Lord has been sending me a message through a series
of impressions I've gotten over the past couple weeks through a series
of experiences I've been facing. The message he is trying to send to me
is related to me going home soon, the rest of my mission, my future
after my mission. Some of the impressions I've been getting is "You're
gonna be okay, you're gonna be alright", "You need not worry about your
mission coming to a close soon; there is still a lot in store for you in
these last couple of months", "I will help you deal with emotions of
leaving your mission when the time comes", "I have grandeur things in
store for you for the rest of your life", "You will someday be married
and the love you have for these people will be magnified 10 fold for the
woman you will someday marry", "Your mission is just the beginning", "You
have grown so much". These impressions and experiences have confirmed
to me that the Lord is mindful of me at this moment.
This week I had the opportunity to prepare a doctrinal discussion for district meeting. Elder Steimle assigned me to do this on Friday
and after much prayer and pondering I decided to do a doctrinal
discussion on BEING HAPPY IN OUR MISSIONARY WORK. I stayed up late to
prepare this doctrinal discussion in the 2 nights leading up to District
Meeting. I thought of the right questions to ask and the right
scriptures to use. I posed the questions:
What makes you happy as a missionary?
What gets you down or makes you unhappy as a missionary?
Why was Laman & Lemuel so unhappy?
Read 1 Nephi 17:17-19
How can we become happy as missionaries?
I
focused on Alma 26 for most of the discussion. I also focused on
how our attitudes reflect our mission and how it's all about looking at
the eternal perspective. I also focused on our life on earth and the
trials that we go through on our missions will make us even more happy
in the good times.
Being happy is a strength I
have and it's a talent I wanted to share with the district.
I think they really benefited from that.
Have a good week!
Love,
Elder O'Brien (the older)
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