Well well well... Where to start this week.
First, it's good to hear that dad is doing well. I've been praying a lot for him this past week. It's kind of scary being out of the loop and not knowing what's going on throughout an entire week. I've heard some pretty crazy stories with families just by talking to people and it makes me want to make sure my family is safe. Haha so some more information from the fam next week would be awesome. Mom... That photobook you sent me is straight up MONEY. I love it! Haha it's gold (or should I say, "antion of gold..." I actually tried doing some of the math with the Nephite currency this morning during personal study (see Alma 11) - yeah, I know... I've got problems. It's kind of awesome at the same time though because my jokes are completely Bible/Book of Mormon jokes now. Anyway, I was showing some of the pictures to investigators this week and one of them was like, "Ooohh! SOoo pretty!!" haha every time there was a picture of Ashley or Brittany. Oh and Mom... She thought you were my sister too! That's right baby. "Nail it" for looking young! Haha and then she kept commenting on how I look like Dad..... I actually woke up a couple weeks ago dead tired, washing my face to try to open my eyes, and I looked at myself in the mirror and started screaming. I'm starting to look like Dad! Haha it's weird thinking I'm a "grown-up." I feel like I'm still in High School, especially when I see the high school kids and challenge them to a basketball game in my white shirt and tie. They think I'm old and not cool.. Pshhh, yeah right. But anyway, I told her that she's wrong, that dad looks like me (not the other way around), my mom looks like she's 30 and my sisters are beautiful. Oppp, sorry Matt and Dustin - no comments from investigators abt you.
Okay, so this week. Man, the days start to blend together it's hard to know what's going on. And before I start, let me just tell you how PUMPED I am for General Conference. I seriously feel like a Cameron Crazie or someone in the background of the student section on College Gameday. I jump up and down in the morning, "ohhh whoooo ohhh whooo oh oh oh, ohhh whooo ohhh whoooo oh uh ohh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, oh, oh..." Haha hopefully you can sound that out. But that's how I feel about hearing the Prophet speak this weekend. It's more exciting than Christmas. In fact, I might run down the church hall way and start screaming when I get in to the chapel like we do at our house on Christmas morning down the hallway. Oh I also found out that America might go to war? It's weird being so out of the loop of things, especially with college football. At first I was like, "Man! I don't know anything. But now my perspective on things has totally changed on what's really important in life. Faith, repentance, making and keeping covenants to have the Holy Ghost with you and change you, and simply enduring to the end. I love that quote by Brad Wilcox- "Life's hard, not the Gospel." My view on life has totally been changed since I've been out, it's awesome. (I did heard Ohio State is #2 though, right behind Alabama. GO BUCKKSSHHH!!)
I never would have thought missions would be so hard. I'm not going to lie, there's some days while you're out here and you don't want to work. You lose motivation. People reject, laugh, slam doors, hit you (kind of... Haha a guy thought I was trying to fight him and got up in my face after hitting my arm away. I raised it up to hit a bug out of the way), etc. But then there's some times like Sister Franklin this week where you feel like you're on top of the world. I've probably never been so down on myself in my life - thinking why can't I connect with people better, understand a scripture, or not grow frustrated with my companion - and then there's little "pockets" of time where the happiest moment in my life gets raised to the nth power (that one's for Mr. M-CAT). I seriously have had some moments here in Georgia where I can't say anything because I'm so happy. The actual definition of speechless. It's awesome. For instance, Sister Franklin:
We rode by on our bikes past her and her two young kids this week. We stopped to talk to her and when I did, I instantly thought, "oh man, what am I doing... she's homeless." She was looking for a bathroom for her kids to use because they had to go really bad. I led her to a Port-a-John around the corner and then simply invited her to church on Sunday. She didn't have a car and she was staying with her friend, so she wouldn't give us an address to pick her up. I told her to meet us at a local library at 8:30 on Sunday so we could pick her up. As we pulled up and were waiting there for a few minutes sunday morning, I saw a woman trekking down the sidewalk a way's a way with two car seats in her arms and pushing a stroller. I seriously was so excited. "SHE CAME!!!" I jumped out of the car, slammed the door behind me, and ran to her. I grabbed all of her luggage, her suitcase with her clothes in it, a grocery bag with food, and the car seats ( I don't know how she was able to carry all of that). I seriously was so happy I don't know how to describe it. After church, I started talking to her and found out that she's homeless only because she's running from an abusive relationship right now. It's incredibly terrible some of the things her ex husband did to her and her two young kids. As I sat there talking to her after church, my views changed and I really started connecting with her. Things just started making sense. She then told me that she was from Ohio... Boom. Tears came rolling down my face to match her already pool full of tears. The Spirit was strong and told me that she was the reason I'm in Georgia right now. Man, what an incredible lady. I love her
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