With the Birds

I'm lost in it all. When I lie awake at night I'm not thinking about home or anything I miss... I can't shake the thoughts of the day. My investigators. The missionaries in my zone. This past week I've had the biggest... stirring. Everything is up. I've been skipping lunch, dinner, anything I can to go out and work. I have no idea where this energy and motivation is coming from. I've heard it been called, "the spirit of urgency..." call it what you want... I'm loving it. I don't even want it to be preparation day today... I just want to work. If I was around another missionary that was like this at the beginning of my mission I'd probably be annoyed. How pretentious. Well... maybe.. but it's not coming from me. It's a gift from God. I'm just going to hold on to it while it lasts. My studies feel like pure intelligence flowing into me. They're not always like this. I don't usually feel like this. I don't even know why it's happening. I'm finally not sick. At all. It's been probably three months of off and on sickness... never fully recovering. I feel back up with the birds. Ready to fly. Speaking boldly. Clearly. The spirit gives you words when you act. Not when you sit and hope they come. Act of faith. Never fails.


I had a cool time being with the Spanish Elder in his area a couple days ago. He's one of the district leaders and goes home pretty soon. We had one good time together. We decided to have a five minute lunch and then skip dinner and just work all day. I usually like to set goals with the missionaries I go on exchanges with to keep it fun and have something to accomplish. Our goal was to shatter any concept of a comfort zone. Anything that feels uncomfortable initially... we push through it and do what we need to do. It was sick. I learned how to look for the Hispanic culture in apartment complexes. I felt like Shawn Spencer... observing all over the place. I would try and speak Spanish but it didn't work ha. So I sat there praying for the gift of tongues and gift of interpretation of tongues and was just waiting for it to click and I'd go off in some Espanol! Ha but it never quite happened. Someday... someday.


Oh hey I don't know if I told you that Jon Schmidt is coming to our mission this Sunday for a special musical fireside. Stoked! You should look him up on youtube if you haven't heard of him. His son is in our mission. Stud missionary. Or look up the pianoguys. That's his group.


So... yep. Pretend like you have energy.... act like you have energy... you'll get it. Play it like you're tired... you'll feel tired. God has blessed us with beautiful, incomprehensible minds. The power is unfathomable... Keep it clean. Keep it focused... and he blesses it with inspiration, with direction, with peace. I can't think about all the blessings I receive everyday... I wouldn't have time to think of anything else. I'll never be able to repay Him.... but I will always serve Him. Always know Him. Always love Him.


Cheers,


Elder Trent Jay Merrill