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.