I LOVE YOU ALL!
For some reason, even though I have been working on it for a long time, I am finally coming to terms with my self with how much I have grown. I know that I have changed a lot, I remember where I was at even three years ago and it was a far ways away from where I am at now (in more ways than one!). I know that I still have a LONG way to go- both in and out of the mission, but now that doesn't seem as daunting before- I just have to do my best and plow forward... This really has helped to quiet some doubts/concerns/questions I had that kept me from having that rock solid testimony and being like Peter or Paul in the scriptures. I really identify with them because they are very quick to act/impulsive, full of zeal in defense of what they think is right and truth at the time, very loyal, very passionate, very energetic and outspoken etc I know that my doubts (which were nothing specifically, just my wavering with TRUTH, ETERNAL, PURE TRUTH/personal revelation. The conclusion that I have come to is that wavering/being cynical/doubting etc is 1 not like me (at least the wavering part), so it makes me feel uncomfortable 2 doesn't accomplish anything and you need to be passionate about what you believe in and stick to it- I think there is something to be learned from Saul- he was only persecuting the early church before his conversion because he was standing up for what he knew to be just and true at that time.... 3 isn't healthy- it makes you feel bad 4 along those same lines, is against God's plan/TRUTH so it brings bad consequences 5 is what Satan would want me to do 6 I have lost my train of thought so yeah, wavering etc is BAD, so I'll just do what makes me happy (which I know from experience if following the gospel and all of its commandments and just have FAITH that it is all 100% true... It is just that my brains have a problem with the statement "I KNOW (blank) is TRUE" that is a lot more of a bold statement than most people think it is............... and I'm not saying that I don't have a strong testimony, I'm just saying I know that it is on constant attack, much more now than ever, from Satan and I also know that I can be more zealous (like Paul and Peter), for lack of a better word, than I am currently being. On a somewhat related note- I have started to exercise, aerobically, a lot more than I used to. We have started running most mornings and we always play some intense sports on P Day in this zone (mostly basketball, volleyball and frisbee....) So I know that is helping me!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PEOPLE WE ARE WORKING WITH.....
---Susan Swenson- the less active cacti lady... had an accident a week ago and went to the hospital. She took a bad turn with her horse and it fell on her, crushing the bones in her leg. It will be a difficult recovery because she is 65ish, but she is home in a hospital bed/using a walker and with a phys therapist... Needless to say we are still helping her mow the lawn, take car of the chickens, plant stuff etc we also made a lot of headway when she formally accepted the invitation to be retaught the missionary lessons- we had just been teaching her principles from the gospel/answering her doubts/Qs.... We hope she will be coming back to church once she recovers enough! It was also a blessing in disguise because it fortified/hlped her meet people from the ward- like the RS pres, and her visiting teachers who havent had much luck contacting her because the lady she liked moved to CAN...
---Mike Clark- a less active that is coming back for the first time in 20 years! He has been once since we have started working with him and he has missed two. He has a very bad case of bi-polar disorder. My experience with that spot of depression I had and some of my close friends' experiences have really helped us talk to him. We have committed him to start reading the BoM again and gave him 2 Nephi 4, it is a really good chapter...
---Alan Beck- the part member, 5 year investigator of the church, still comes to church every Sunday with his wife Mercedes and 2 year old daughter Angelica. He is still struggling with wanting to commit to a date. We are working with them to be sealed on their anniversary July 23, 2011. We are also trying to have her receive her endowments before then to buoy him up. We gave him a True to the Faith and an illustrated copy of the BoM to help with his dislexia to gain a testimony of the BoM if he reads the two side by side. Also, since we are focusing on the family, so that they could teach Angelica from it. He really loved the idea of kids are never to young to feel the spirit and learn about the gospel.
My scripture of the day is Mosiah 4:19 (I remember that Peter likes that scripture too- for some reason I remember this one sunday school lesson where we had to share our favorite scriptures and I think that Peter did that one...) Anyway, for some reason I was really thinking about the sentence "For behold are we not all beggars...?" The only problem is that it was a couple of days ago and I wrote it down to include in my email but I forget what I was thinking when I wrote it down. It was probably along the lines that even though there are A LOT of VERY affluent people here that may think that they have it all and they are set, the fact of the matter is that no one does... Even those of us who know about and follow the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are not there yet. Also, there was some member of the 12, I think Elder Maxwell, said that the only thing that we have that we can trully call our own and that we can give to God is our will. He said that we have to surrender our will to Him and He will consecrate our efforts... It is a very deep principle, which I am ashamed to say that I havent thought much about since the MTC when our teacher showed us his talk- Consecrate Thy Efforts (I think I remember correctly...) Anyway I think that is it for that subject, I could talk about it forever because it is that big of a deal but I dont have all that time...--
Love!
Elder Myers
