It was a slightly better week. At
the beginning of the week I came down with a bad cold that took a lot
out of me. That cold turned into a cough and it has gone away for the
most part but there are still some lingering effects. On Friday it was
23 degrees and I got to wear my short-sleeved white shirt for the first
time since last summer. It was a beautiful day that day! But the next
day it was cold and rainy :P. Nova Scotia weather is very inconsistent
but come next transfer we should have nice stable sunny weather for the
entire transfer. I find that sunny hot weather is the most enjoyable to
proselyte in and work in. Something about the sun and the heat just
makes the work so much more joyous and fun.
For
the latter part of the week I have been uptight and on edge. I told you
before that my anxiety has diminished but it's only diminished to a
point. There are still anxiety symptoms that linger. I have been
stressed lately over things that I'm powerless over. President Pratt is
aware of this and is concerned about me. He asked me what I usually
do to manage my stress and I suggested talking it out really helps soothe
me. He wants to help in anyway that he can. In my personal study on
Friday I heard a voice say to me "I just need you to relax your body and
enjoy yourself today, kay bud." I also felt the Lord patting me on the
shoulder saying "I'm here for you.. you're gonna be okay." That's
exactly what I did that day and it was a really good day. I was back to
being light-hearted and humorous and I felt good. We had 2 member
presence that day, a visit with a recent convert, and a dinner
appointment with the Bishop's family.
I guess you could say I have been
squeezing my scriptures too tight lately. I have turned into a bit of a
workaholic on my mission. One trait that has developed in me is
mentally thinking of things that need to get done and if we don't do
them then the whole world is gonna fall apart. There are pros and cons
to that. I just need to find a balance between being a workaholic and
enjoying myself.
TUESDAY: We went on exchanges
with Bridgewater in Bridgewater. I was with Elder Quinton for the day.
Me & Elder Quinton are both going home soon. He goes home this
transfer and I go home in 2 transfers (not including this one). So we
had some conversations about ending our missions soon and what that will
be like. He also gave me some suggestions on how to get ready for that.
It was nice to spend the day with him. On the exchange we gave service
at a food bank. We stopped an investigator I found and taught.
WEDNESDAY:
We had District Meeting. One of the trainings was on praying in adversity. We talked about the storms
in missionary work that we face and how our leaders are there to give us
guidance and help us along. But ultimately nothing will happen until we
get on our knees and pray for help. It hit home for me for obvious
reasons.
FRIDAY: We had a lesson with
our new investigator. Brother Kang came with us to that lesson. We
answered her question about examples in the bible of seeing God face to
face then we went into prayer and the Book of Mormon. The spirit was
really strong in that lesson. Brother Kang bore a powerful testimony of
the Book of Mormon and she was getting emotional.
SUNDAY:
It was
Sister Pratt's Birthday yesterday. All of the metro missionaries gathered
together at the mission home to throw her a surprise birthday party.
This scripture gives me a lot of encouragement in times like this - D & C 121:7-9
" 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
9 "Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands."
Have a good week!
Love,
Elder O'Brien (the older)
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