Snow Day!

     It is interesting the things you can find to do as you go about work as a missionary.  For instance, today we moved a grill and now they are going to take us out to eat.  Or, another time we helped someone clean out their garage and they gave us a crock pot that we then gave to someone moving in as a way to introduce them to the church.  You pick some scenario of us missionaries doing some type of service, just anything underneath the sun, and because of such these people are now interested in hearing what we have to say, when before, they would not have even given us the time of day.  You see, serving people opens up their hearts and touches them in such a way that you couldn't have imagined in the first place.  Please let me share an experience I had just a few weeks prior.

     To start off, the night before we were all laughing and having just a wonderful time being engaged in doing the Lord's work here in the Bowie Ward of the Washington DC North mission.  Then everything changed when the snow started to fall... and fall... and fall.  When we got a call to stay in for the next day, we were not surprised, but planned on helping one of our investigators out by shoveling some snow for her the next day.  She lived about 2-ish miles away, and we were just planning on going to her home, shoveling, then returning to our apartment to spend the rest of our snow day doing some organizational stuff. However, as we embarked on our journey, we first met some officers of the local police department finishing up shoveling the Town Hall driveway.  So, we made our first stop to help them out and they then proceeded to invite us back to talk with them sometime at their work about the message we share.

     After our brief intermission, we proceeded back along our path to get to our intended goal, when we again stopped in order to help a family shovel their driveway.  A different response was had.  "Go and shovel this ladies home, she is a bit elderly and would appreciate it more that us."  We shrugged our shoulders and went to work shoveling her driveway.  First we knocked on her door so that we did not scare her while we were working.  She almost broke down in tears at our selfless service.  You see, her husband was in the hospital and she could not go and visit him because of the snow on her driveway.  We arrived at precisely the right time to help her in her time of need.  

     But wait, there's more!  As we started shoveling the sidewalk around her home, one of her neighbors opens her door and invites an exchange of $20 for the rest of her driveway shoveled.  We laughed and said that we can't accept money, although she did try.  We brushed it off and continued to shovel the rest of her driveway and some more sidewalk up to another home where the owners were in the process of shoveling their driveway.  All in all, we helped shovel 5 driveways while still on the way to our original destination.  Yet all the while we did not think to stop, but kept on going, because we were just so happy being in the service of our fellow man.  It's because "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)  That one statement brings such happiness because of the truth that is in it.  I am my happiest when I am serving others unselfishly like I did this day.  While we were yet traveling some more until we got home, we helped at least another 3 or 4 people free their cars from plowed snow and another couple of people in shoveling their sidewalks.  When we got home, we were absolutely exhausted and were sore for the next couple of days, but that did not matter because we did what the Savior would have done and provided a simple act of service that brought such great joy to those we served.
     I know that when we are in the service of our neighbors, friends, or even our supposed enemies, we are only in the service of our God.  These will be the moments we remember throughout the years because of the joy we received from doing this.  It will be part of the same joy I have already received from serving a mission and helping all the people I meet in the small and simple way I can.  
     

iPads!!!

Well, I have learned by sad experience that maintaining a blog is actually hard work.  I realized this first when I was trying to update it on a biweekly basis so I could keep progressing the work in the wonderful Washington DC North mission.  I also realized this when we got our iPads recently!  As a condition of us receiving iPads to work with, we are not allowed to access or update our blogs sadly, so the time I have to work on the blog has diminished greatly.  But do not fear, I shall continue to press on and write til the day I leave for Brazil!

So first off, I would like to tell all of you that iPads are a wonderful tool and a gift to help.  The iPad can also be one of our biggest time-wasters as a missionary.  As many are aware, apple products are known for the plenitude of apps that are available to just whisk the time away.  Luckily as a missionary, we don't have access to most of them, but of the apps we do have it comes down to a decision on what's good, better, or best.  For instance, said picture which was taken from my iPad.

One of the apps we are allowed to access is the Church's Gospel Library app.  With this app we can browse essentially all of the Church's talks, material for teaching, and scriptures right at the palms of our hands.  While it is good for us to read through all this wonderful doctrine to learn and connect scriptures with ideas, it can be a big distraction in how we spend our time.

But one of the best things that has come from the iPads, is that all the records we keep and numbers we keep track of are now done digitally, with no more confusion in deciphering how to do things.  Now this may not mean a whole lot to lots of people, but this means a lot to us as missionaries.  Because we as missionaries keep records of all the work we do in our areas, when we leave/get transfered away, lots of infomation can be lost and people we were once working with drop off the radar.  But no more!  Everything is now online and will always be there to look back on and we will not lose this precious information anymore.  Or, at least that is the theory for now, but it seems to be working out okay so far.

Here's to the start of hopefully something very wonderful for the missionary work in the area.  I will have a cool story about using the iPad next time I update (which in theory should be next week some time).

The Parable of the Hike

     Have you ever been hiking before?  If you have or have not, just in vision imagine starting at the base of a tall mountain with your gear in hand.  You are prepped and ready for the ascent all the way up to the top and are eagerly waiting to partake of the beauty of the world all around you as you traverse this wilderness.  You can not wait till you get to the top and get to see everything around you in just a totally beautiful way.  Now with that as a backdrop, I would like to tell you of one of my experiences hiking.
     It was a crisp spring morning the day I and a couple a friends got together to go hike a neighboring mountain which was within a reasonable distance from our apartments.  We got up early-ish in the morning so we could get back and still have a usable day afterwards.  We were all super excited and we have been looking forward to this for a long time.  As we proceeded forth with our supplies in hand, we started our adventure.  While the trail felt long and steep, with our company slipping on snow the entire way up, we still persevered to get to the top.  We kept our sights on our goal and we endured to the end.
     Now, there was this really cool spot about 3/4ths of the way up that was super tempting to stop at.  As we crested this last hill, we came across a little plain that looked like it had been untouched for decades.  The snow that had fallen was wind swept and looked like the dunes of the desert (minimized of course).  Then, to add to this, all the evergreens which surrounded this little meadow had just a sprinkle of snow on them.  It was just plain picturesque, to say the least.  To top it off, you could only hear the wind on the trees and just whatever nature decided to treat you with.  In short, it was beautiful - you could just spend a day there and life would be great.  But as beautiful as it was, we knew that there were yet better things in store.  So, we put aside this wonderful place for an even better one that was waiting for us.
     When we got to the top, it was just wonderful, because first, we endured to the end, and second, we got to eat lunch, which was heavenly because we were ravenous from the hike up there, then finally, the view.  That view made the long trek so worthwhile.  We could see from one end of the valley to another, and it was just stupendous.  We saw where we had started and where we had ended up.  I would show you the wonderful panoramic we took, but I am having some formatting issues with it, but needless to say it was breath taking.  I did however find a picture that looks about as amazing as I remember.  It was worth all the pain, worth enduring the cold, brisk winter air, worth every step.

     Now, this is all important when we take a eternal perspective on things.  We kept our sights on our goal of reaching the top - that which was desirable above everything else we came across.  Just like our Heavenly Father wants what is best for us by keeping our sights on Him as so we can receive all that He has in store for us.  I want you all to know that I know that if we endure our trials in this life well, God will give us all He has, and we can return to live with Him again.
   

Tis the Start of Another Transfer!

   With the New Year also came the start of another transfer, or in other words, a time of changing and moving the missionaries around in our Washington DC North mission.  As for me, I have left my happy Capitol Ward and headed off to the Bowie Ward straight east of where I was.  With this change has come new companions and a totally different area in which I need to learn where and where not to go.  But its weird having to say good bye to all the wonderful people I have met so far out here.  It feels as if I have ended one mission and started my next mission here in Bowie.

     While one can reminisce over time well spent, one can not help but look forward with an eye of faith to what the future may entail.  I found this quote by President Thomas S. Monson saying,

I especially love those last two lines, 

Everyday of your life is a special occasion.

     

     I told one of my dear friends recently that each day is a new day and we should do something worth mentioning in our journals, for each has that potential.  Now by this I do not mean that we all have to go skydiving every day, or bungee jump off a cliff in order to have something noteworthy to write about, but it's what we take from the day, however monotonous it may be, and then make it special.  For example, if you look at the life of a missionary, we pretty much do the same thing everyday, week after week, and month after month.  After a while, we all lose track of time and the days seem to blend together.  What I have learned in order to tell the days apart is to take the small blessings of my day and treasure them up. Yesterday someone gave us three delicious biscuits to take home for breakfast the next morning.  While I was eating said biscuits this morning, I got to see the fog roll into the complex and just blanket all that it touched with the rising sun casting a perfect light on it all.  Now, to most people, this would be water underneath the bridge, or just some crumbs in the corner that need picking up.  But to me, these experiences are what set my days apart from the rest and make them special occasions in my book.  I know that recognizing these small things in life will help to make every day a special occasion, and showing your gratitude to God for these things will make you happier in the days to come.  

Year-end Flu

     Oh how change is a constant here in the mission.  Things that you think are constant can change right before your eyes.  The person who you thought was stuck in their ways is now back on the path of righteousness.  Or, you are feeling great an hour ago, and now you have a 100 degree fever... Yup, that last one was me.  Change is everywhere and you are never far from it at any point in time.  Surprisingly enough, we just have to learn to deal with whatever comes our way, mostly because we can't do anything about it most of the time, just like succumbing to illness.  We just have to deal with whatever comes our way.  Now, sadly, we did not get much work done yesterday because I was ill, and well... in bed... but we tried nonetheless to do what we could.  For a moment when I thought (thought being the key word here) I was feeling slightly better, we went down to some computers in our apartment complex to do some online proselyting time.  When we got back, we tried to contact as many people as we could using our phone, just trying to make the most of what has been given us, because that was our lot to carry this day.  I could have just stayed in bed and slept away the day (even though I did do that for most of the day), but I at least tried to do something for others.
     So, why did I share something that feels a little like rambling with you this day?  Well, only because through all of this I have learned some things that I want to share with you today.  The first one is what I already mentioned up above:  That we all have trials that we have to work through all the days of our lives.  But it is not just that we have to work through our trials, but we also need to rely on our Savior as He helps us through.  When I got out of bed to go and try and do some work online, it was probably the hardest thing I did that day.  I had absolutely no strength in my body to get up and get going.  My companion kept trying to encourage me, but my body wasn't having any of it.  It's at times like these that I am very eager just to lie back down in my very comfortable and warm bed, but instead I offered a small prayer to our Father in Heaven for help, and then I went and tried to get ready.  It was awfully difficult, but I knew that it was what I needed to do to fulfill my purpose as a missionary that day.  By the time I was ready to walk out the door, my body had the strength, be it barely, but enough to get myself downstairs to do this small bit of work for the day.  That in and of itself is a miracle to me, in relying on Christ.
     Then there is the second lesson I learned, which was humility.  That day I was down for the count.  I literally felt like I could not even leave my bed for any reason at all.  Whenever I did somehow manage to get out of bed, I was rolling along the ground to go where I wanted to go, but my loving companion helped me out so much this day, and I was treated like royalty.  He catered to my every need, that being mostly just getting me some water every few hours, or retrieving a blanket, but it was something I pretty much could not do for myself.  I like being as self-sufficient as possible, and try not to burden others, but I realized that it is still good to have some help every once in a while.  In the eternal scheme of things, we have to completely  rely on the Savior so that we all can return to live with our Father in Heaven after this life.  While feeling helpless is not a pleasant place to be in, it helped me to continue to refine my course of being all that my Savior wants me to be.