"There are times when we can become upset at imagined hurts or
perceived injustices. President Heber J. Grant, seventh President of
the Church, told of a time as a young adult when he did some work for
a man who then sent him a check for $500 with a letter apologizing for
not being able to pay him more. Then President Grant did some work for
another man--work which he said was 10 times more difficult, involving
10 times more labor and a great deal more time. This second man sent
him a check for $150. Young Heber felt he had been treated most
unfairly. He was at first insulted and then incensed.
He recounted the experience to an older friend, who asked, 'Did
that man intend to insult you?'
President Grant replied, 'No. He told my friends he had rewarded
me handsomely.'
To this the older friend replied, 'A man’s a fool who takes an
insult that isn’t intended.'" (Thomas S. Monson, School Thy Feelings,
O My Brother, October 2009 General Conference)
I saw this in a talk I was listening to this week... I thought that
last statement was pretty flippin profound. Just remember, no one can
MAKE you be angry. Having those hostile feelings is always a choice on
your part. Anything that is bad or contentious comes form Satan, and
anything that is good or happy comes from Christ!
2/29
Good preparation day. We were getting a lot done in the apartment, but
then the zone leaders called us and said they needed another set of
elders to be with them in the institute building so that they weren't
alone with the sisters.... So we kinda ditched what we were doing and
ran over to the institute building and did stuff over there for a good
hour and a half or so and then we made our way to the stake center for
zone stuff. Had a fun time as well as people started to leave- there
wasn't enough people to play any sort of game, but there was a youth
there from Ronan who brought his guitar and Ukulele so those of us
that we're still at the church just hung out, played music, and talked
about crazy people on our mission. I found out, that even amongst
missionaries that dang goat in Clarkston is not a Normal story. I told
the story to everyone, and it just about killed a couple of the
sisters. Haha it was fun to just kind of sit around and talk for a
little. Got to type some extra emails to send to friends and whatnot,
and eventually we just decided it was time to go!
The evening was pretty slow, but most evenings that we go out to
beavertail are... We spent most of the night at the Egbert's house-
talked with them for a while and then shared a message about Jesus and
the atonement. Lessons with them are always cool because our
conversations usually start out with nothing gospel related, but
somehow we always just naturally transition into a gospel topic. I am
really crossing my fingers that one day soon Dusty will decide it is
time for her to get baptized!
3/1
Another full day, but full of stuff we weren't expecting haha. We had
planned to start off at like 11:30am getting out and walking around
our neighborhood, but our plans got changed. We got a call from Sister
Wadsworth- Elder Hansen (and sort of myself) is (are?) now in charge
of a musical number for the upcoming multi-zone conference on Mach
17th. Oh man..... So we spent most of the rest of the morning trying
to figure out what number we were going to do, so that anyone else we
needed to ask to join us we could do so tomorrow at district meeting.
We have it narrowed down to like 2 numbers now, but it took a trip out
to Clinton to get a piano and play out some stuff that had been
arranged to make sure it sounds good. Elder Hansen is a fantastic
musician, and he is able to arrange and transpose stuff like there is
no tomorrow! I really am loving having a musical companion who I can
begin to relate to and have fun with!!
But besides that we taught a few lessons. Put Sue back on baptismal
date! We were finally able to resolve her concern, and now we just
have to schedule the interview for this weekend so she can get
baptized at the end of he month!! We think that President Wadsworth
wants to do it.... which I'm not going to lie- it makes me a little
nervous haha. He is coming into town for Stake Conference this
weekend, and in our emails to him yesterday he said that he would like
to interview her if possible... AAAAAAAAA this should be interesting!
We also stopped by brother Gowey's and gave him some butterscotch to
help him stop smoking. Apparently the butterscotch candy disks are
like the only thing that help the want to smoke go away. I dunno...
But I've never smoked so we are just going with what he had said
works. We spent like $8 on butterscotch, and he said that if we were
willing to buy that much candy for him... He really needs to stop
smoking haha. Good day... Good day.
3/2
Had a really nice district meeting today. Got to know all the members
of our new district, which is always really nice. The Missoula north
district is really turning into something great. We are all growing
closer together (even though almost half of the district is new). Even
so, we are having some great discussions. Today we talked a lot about
working with the members in our areas. Talked a lot about how it is
easier to build a relationship with investigators if they already have
a close friend in the area that they can relate to at church. Moral of
the story- members rock, and missionary work is so much easier with
them at the helm, and us in the background. After district meeting we
caravaned over to five guys as a zone and most of us ate a pretty
bomb-diggidy lunch. I forgot how great five guys is, make me kind of
miss home though, but oh well, such is life. We headed back to the
stake center to grab our car, but we ran into elder Hatton on our way
out, so we spent some time figuring out which of the four songs we had
arranged we should sing for the zone conference. After like an hour we
decided on master the tempest is raging, but a really cool arrangement
of it that I have never seen before. It is definitely not going to be
easy, but I love the opportunity to grow and become better in my
talents. It's going to be rough for me, because elder Hatton and elder
Hansen both have really strong voices, and in the range I am being
required to sing in I am not nearly as strong (I'm probably not nearly
as strong in any range I have, but I'm using the excuse this time that
it's too low haha). I'm going to o I work hard to punch myself, and
get to the point in which I can be better!! Haha
After a while of practicing with him, we made our way to an
investigator's house, one that I really have not much hope fore
unfortunately. We think he just wants us over so he can reminisce
about his high-school days. Whatever reason we can get into the door I
guess, but we don't think he has much interest in learning about the
restored gospel or about Joseph smith. To each their own, but I don't
want to waste my time! After that we tracted our Bonner a little bit,
and then we headed out to Clinton to talk to the George's house to
read the Book of Mormon. We talked with them about 1 Nephi 17, and the
whole point of the lesson we taught turned into a lesson about how the
small and simple things, like reading and praying, are the things that
are going to, in the end, be what keeps us from spiritually
"starving". We said that and brother George was like- "so you mean we
need these scriptures and to pray just as much as we need to eat?!
Well I thought I wouldn't do much for me because it was small and
simple, but eating is pretty small and simple. If I don't eat, I die!
So I guess that if I don't read scriptures or pray, in a way I guess I
also die!" Elder Hansen and I were kind of dumb-struck. Yes brother
George, it's just like that. I mean think about it, if we don't read
from the scriptures and pray everyday at it is just kind of like
starving ourselves... I swear I'm learning way more form the people I
teach than what I teach them!
After that we went to he church and recorded parts for the song. I
felt a lot like Mr. Hernandez back in school, recording parts for the
delinquents who may or may not listen to them!!! Haha.
3/3
We started to plan today, but then we got some false hope from another
set of missionaries in the ward that is was national pancake day and
that IHOP was giving away free pancakes.... But alas it wasn't....oh
well, we got to eat a pretty bomb lunch today, even though we didn't
get to plan. After I had ordered and consumed more sugar than I
possibly could, and probably should, we rushed out to go and give sue
some service in her home. It felt weird to be in jeans walking around
town. A member saw us and stopped and started questioning us, mostly
jokingly but we think maybe he was having some other thoughts about
us. Haha oh well I can't read minds! Either way, we walked over to
Sue's house and spent a good 4 hours or so helping Sue begin to clean
and organize all the bins in her house. She had planned on cleaning
them before (she moved in there form a bigger house so she's deciding
what to get rid of and whatnot) but then she had to deal with cancer
and all the stuff that came with it, so cleaning the house became less
and less of a possibility. We. Understand, but we also know that it
needed to be done! I was happy to help, plus I got a cool box CD set
of classical music to listen to in the apartment or car. As I've been
listening to it the past few days I am really starting to remember how
much I do love listening to that, and how much it relaxes me. Chopin,
Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel, Brahms, and Ravel. Mmmmmmm..... It
feels good. I'll attach a picture.
After that we finished recording Elder Hatton's part for the musical
number. We feel kinda bad- we think we gave him the hardest part.
Dang.... Oh well. The only reason this number could possibly crash and
burn is because it is completely a Capella. It is like 5 minutes of
straight a Capella voices.... Not gonna lie I'm a little worried! But
I am confident that with some practice we could sound at least halfway
decent and become the "talk of the mission" (as elder Hansen put it
haha). But once that was done we didn't have much time left, so we
headed back to the apartment to take care of some last minute
split-second planning, so that in our interviews tomorrow with
President Wadsworth it would be okay if he wanted to look at out area
book haha. Hooray for lazy missionaries!!!
3/4
We slept through all of our alarms this morning, didn't wake up until
like 7:30. Made me feel a little bad, not going to lie. But, ya live
and ya learn: don't leave all your alarms in the other room behind two
closed doors. Hahaha I don't know why it didn't occur to us earlier
that that was probably not a good idea...
But after a late morning and a rush to be on time for interviews, we
got to the stake center and found president and sister Wadsworth.
President was in an interview with other missionaries, so we hung out
just outshone the room and talked with Sister Wadsworth. She is
fantastic oh my goodness. We talked about the time when I first got
into the field and everyone was frantically looking for as missing
elder in the airport (we were supposed to have 30 but we only had 29!)
and after like 45 minutes I occurred to me that I didn't know the name
of who I was looking for- so I inquired. Upon learning the name of the
missing elder (I can't remember it for the life of me, and neither
could sister Wadsworth) the knowledge.... Was resorted to my memory
that it the same elder who had to go home in the MTC. I went and found
president and sister Wadsworth and told them the restored knowledge,
and they both just kinda stared at me............ I felt so bad today
but sister Wadsworth assured me that all it did for the two of them
was provide relief and a good laugh. She says they are still laughing
about it today, and that I really had nothing to worry about. We
laughed for a while, even though I still feel bad. But then president
came out of the office, and I jumped at the opportunity to get out of
the awkward situation and volunteered to go first in interviews. I
talked with president a lot about the situation back at home, and
about how the scriptures are a strength and support to us. He asked me
a lot about how my family was doing, and I was actually surprised to
find out that he still remembered the kind cruddy situation that was
happening back home last time I talked with him. It was really
comforting to know that even amongst the well over 200 missionaries he
has interviewed and dealt with since that last interview with myself,
he still loves and cares for me enough to take note and remember what
is happening with me! I am really, really starting to love that
man....
We got home after that and spent some time cleaning up the place- we
didn't I get to do much of it last Monday, so it was starting to get
kinda gross. I did dishes for like 45 minutes, cleaned the counters
for another like 30, and then started to work on the study area. It
felt good to clean, and the classical music I had goin on in the
background made it so I didn't even realize how long or how much I had
been cleaning. It felt good though to be able to have a clean
apartment (mostly) and to say that I had cleaned it!! Haha we spent
the rest of the day out in East Missoula, walking around, talking to
people, and trying to find people to teach. We had dinner with the
Lindons (which is always interesting) and at the end of the day a
lesson with the Slabaughs about death and resurrection. Good stuff.
Hahaha one last expertise for the day and the reason behind the
subject of the email.
So in order to keep ourselves motivated to remain hydrated, we buy
that powdered pink lemonade stuff and add it to our water bottles.
Well it takes 2.5 Tablespoons to make it taste good, and than like
9-10 teaspoons ( I don't they don't work out to be equal, but it just
doesn't taste right with 6-8 teaspoons). Well I had used the
tablespoon measuring cup to make some stroganoff earlier in the week,
so we didn't want to use that to make lemonade and began to use the
teaspoon measure instead. Well because I did dished today I switched
out the teaspoon measure with the tablespoon measure near that
lemonade cup thing. Here's the catch- I forgot to tell Elder Hansen,
and he doesn't have the largest amount of... Special awareness. So
tonight he was making some lemonade for himself, thinking that what he
had was the teaspoon measure.... But it wasn't. So Elder Hansen added
10 TABLESPOONS of the lemonade powder to his drink.............
Results: the most sour, lip-puckering, eyeball popping bottle of
lemonade your have never tasted. I learned today that there is, in
fact, a stark difference between a Tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon
of sugar. The only question left- which one helps the medicine go
down?!
3/5
Went back to the stake center today for Sue's interview with president
Wadsworth. I think elder Hansen and I were more stressed about it than
she was, but I guess that is life! Everything went fine and she is
still on track for the 26th, and we are SUPER EXCITED! After that we
went to bother Gowey's house and painted a couple of his rooms. Got
paint everywhere, like all good painters do. All over the walls,
myself, and my companion. Success! After that we had sake conference
which took up the rest of our night, so kinda a boring day!
3/6
Merle stake conference. After conference I was feeling super crappy so
we napped for like 4 hours... I woke up and didn't feel a bit better,
so I ate something and then we decided that sitting around wasn't
doing anything so we started walking around. We talked a a few people
in our way around town, and we visited those people who we knew were
along the way. Good day, but not too much to talk about.
(The CDs I got a sue's. It gives me the warm fuzzies to listen to...
My companion is obsessed with pugs.... I don't understand it but he
had to get a picture)
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