Whole Lot of Nothing and Something

Man it feels like nothing really happened this week.... I don't think anything did happen. The last two days I was inside the apartment all day. Elder Gasser was pretty sick. I have never been so bored in my entire life. Holy cow. It was horrible ha. I read through Our Search For Happiness and most of D&C and the student manual and watched all of the movies that we're allowed to watch. Rough. Real rough.

Earlier in the week we had a lot of good teaching opportunities. Nothing different than usual... same people.. same problems. We did find two new investigators though. That was cool. We knocked on the apartment two buildings away from ours and a guy opened the door and told us to come right in. We started talking and figured out that he's met with missionaries a lot before. He wondered why we stopped coming by so he was really excited that we found him again. His cousin lives their too and they want us to start teaching them every week and come to church. That's some good news right there.

Those are bee's in the picture if you can't tell. The assistant's came with us to help a guy in our ward unload 6,180,000 bee's one night. Yep six million. We took them out of the truck and vacuumed all of the loose bee's and then stacked the crates side by side in the garage. Pretty intense. It was my favorite night of the week. Didn't even get stung... look at me now.

So I had a thought this week and I'm going to try and write it out. Maybe it'll make sense. I noticed that my desire dies when it's not fed with action. On the first day that we stayed in from working, my desire and motivation to get out was high. I hated being inside and just wanted to work. Over time and towards the end of the day I just became lazy and stopped caring as much. It was weird. I could almost picture a fire that dwindles without the additional fuel. By the end of the second day (yesterday) I just wanted to stay inside. I did go a little crazy and want to leave the apartment but not to go work. I don't know... it's just a weird principle. I think it's true though. I wish it wasn't. I wish my desire was just constant despite my circumstances but... it's not. I need to feed it with good things. Productive things. My hands can't be idle. I put the concept of desire and action into the scripture from Alma while I was thinking about this:

But if ye neglect the tree (desire), and take no thought for its nourishment (action to increase the desire), behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

Maybe it's a stretch but it rang true to me. I always want to have that desire in me. It takes work to get it and to nourish it. I can't just be still and hope that it comes sweeping me off of my feet and into the pavements to knock some doors. I have to get up myself, go to work, and the desire will come. I need to act and to do. I'm not an observer of this beautiful work. I'm in the game. I'm a piece to the puzzle and I have to do what it takes to do my part. I had some other thoughts but they don't really make sense and there's too many moving variables to write it out. Maybe I'll sort it out and get back to you.

So from what I hear on the street I'll be staying in the area. My zone is about to become a lot bigger. We're getting another district. We're also getting a new companion, so I'll be in a three-pack now. I'm pretty excited. The only potential downside is that in the past, when a three-pack happens with the zone leaders, it means it's a troubled or disobedient missionary. So here comes another adventure. Bring it on.

Elder Trent Jay Merrill

Dad Mom: I got your letters this week. Highlights of my week. Thank you so much (: Mom did you get my card yet!? Happy Birthday yesterday!!!!!!! I love you so much