Okay, the bad news: This mission isn't as hard as I thought it should be, which tells me, we're not working hard enough.
The good news: Going through training has been really simple because I've known most of what they've been teaching me.
Anyway, my address is the same as the mission office address on Facebook 7044 Farrell Rd SE etc etc because it takes 3 weeks for me to get packages or mail, by which time I have probably already moved on to my next area, so they try to forward it to me, which takes even longer because, apparently, the Canadian mailing system stinks like poo. So, just send it to the mission office, and tell everyone else to send it there, because we go there once a week. That probably won't change throughout my mission.
I've started saying more to my companions, we have started sharing experiences and have started doing more planning for investigator lessons, which is awesome, because I felt like we were really slacking on planning. So, once upon time we had a referral from a guy by the name of Shawn, who had asked his best friend Mike---who wasn't a member of the church---to investigate the church. Two days later, Shawn died. Mike, grief stricken and genuinely curious about the church called the missionaries that day and set up an appointment.
In other words, Mike is solid. He wants to know so much and tries hard to learn as much as possible. His wife is skeptical, but she'll come around. They are our only investigators at this point, however we are working on a system of finding that will hopefully prove to be fruitful.
In other news, I found out that both of my companions are delinquints, hahahaha. Elder Park blew up a 500 lb. slab of concrete because he's an idiot and Elder Church almost blew off his best friend's finger with a firecracker. They were telling me this stuff and it made my life look pretty clean, but not quite as fun.
I have sooooo much work to do. I know I'm not where I need to be spiritually, in fact, I spent most of my personal study time this morning studying about how to study, plan, and invite the spirit more effectively. There is not enough work going on in my apartment. I just don't know quite how to change that. I guess it is a matter of being a good example, because who am I to tell these guys how to preach the gospel, right? I guess I'm just frustrated, because we never get to do what we plan to do. In fact, I don't think we even try. Heaven knows I want to.
For all you future missionaries..... scratch that; for anyone desiring to become a future anything, let me give you the three keys to success in everything---especially missionary work: 1. Obedience. Always always ALWAYS be exactly obedient to what you are told to do. Even it means going to bed at 10:30 and not 10:31. The Lord blesses you according to your needs and your obedience to His commandments. 2. Work hard. unless you are doing everything that you can to find success, the Lord will not bless you with success. Approach everything with an attitude of believing. The Elders out here talk about people who should be baptized and I say, "So, let's go baptize them." to which they scoff and say, "Yeah right. Good luck with that." There is a flaw there. If that person has been prepared, if they are READY and SHOULD be baptized, then all it takes is hard work, and a belief that you can be the one to make the difference to be the difference. Stop giving up because it seems impossible. With God, all things are possible. (I'm a little passionate about that one) 3. Allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ to always change you. If you're not changing, you're not growing. If you're not growing, you're not learning. If you're not learning, you're not living. If you're not living, what's the point? God wants us to constantly change and grown into the people he knows we can be. So, find a vision for yourself. Who do you believe you are capable of becoming? What do you believe God thinks you can become? How can you achieve that vision? How can you become who you are DESTINED to be? What are you willing to do in order to become that? Do it. Change. If you do, God will bless you with a level of happiness not yet fully understood. See what I'm saying?
"We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude...Thomas Fuller, an English churchman and historian who lived in the 17th century, penned this truth: “He does not believe that does not live according to his belief.”4 Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities. You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith...Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”" ---- Thomas S. Monson.
I love you and please keep praying for all us missionaries, Heaven knows we need all we can get.
