Tuesday and Wednesday we went around with President and Sister Bonham to all of the zones for a nice little introduction meeting. Elder Draper and I called it the “mission tour.” We wanted to make t-shirts for it. We took turns conducting the meetings. We rode around with the Bonham’s like giddy little school girls… just so excited to be around them. We had hours just to talk. They are hilarious. It’s so relaxed but at the same time I still feel very focused and fulfilling. I think some would call that the best of both worlds. He has a gift. Well several of them. He can observe people better than James Franco can smile. Which doesn’t even make sense but it’s the best I’ve got today. He definitely has the gift of discernment. I want that. Real bad. I think I’ll start praying for that one a little more.
I feel like I’m learning at an accelerated rate. Have I said that before? Well I mean it a lot this time. I promise. I’m still learning the responsibilities and objectives I’m over plus I get to learn and see what a mission president does.. because he hasn’t really done this thing before. As it turns out, neither have I… so I often feel like my Dad always says, “drinking from a fire hose.” So we’re learning together. I’m loving it. Thanks, Mcdonalds. The only problem is that we’ve been so busy that we haven’t been able to proselyte at all. We get to the apartment after midnight from doing all our stuff and then we can’t stop talking so we get to bed an hour or so after that ha. We made a zone meeting outline last night that took a good while. I like going to meetings that I wrote the material for. It’s weird. Really weird. We wake up at 5:45 to get ripped. Get ripped. Then rinse and repeat except completely different.
Oh so the woman we met in Bellingham came to church this week but we were only able to teach her once. I invited her to be baptized. She knows it’s true. She feels it. Wants it. The only hold up is her family. They’re not into this whole “mormon” thing. Her mom asked her to ask us if we’re allowed to shower ha. Ah man… I love hearing what we believe. Always learn something new.
Hey I had my first Mission leader council as an assistant. So we had to create part of the training and some other stuff. This is the meeting with all the zone leaders in the mission remember?... oh and the STLs (Sister training leaders) that’s another story. I didn’t say much, if anything at all, the first time I went to this meeting a couple months ago. It was intimidating! Still is.. except I was calm and ready this time because I prayed for it. That was cool. I love when prayers are answered like that. We taught this concept that we came up with around midnight the night before. It all just kind of came together out of no where.
Picture this: You’re in the pre-earth life. What’s happening? Well a third of all your brothers and sisters just rejected the Savior’s plan after a grand council was assembled. Their whole purpose of existence from that time on would be to lead you away from your Father in Heaven and into the arms of their false master, the devil.
About 100 billion people have been born on this earth throughout the history of the world. Now without hurting yourself try and apply a little math here. 100 billion represents 2/3 of all the spirits in the pre-earth life. That means there are, say, 149 billion total people from beginning to end of earth's existence. Think about how many of our fallen brothers and sisters are here to drag us down to the gulf of misery and endless woe... 1/3 of 149 billion (or about 49 billion). I don’t know about you, but that’s not very comforting to me.
Well maybe this will help. We know that God’s purpose is to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” So I’m sure he’d have a pretty big army to bring about his purposes. How many has he chosen, set a part, and called to be his authorized messengers and “soldiers” on the earth at this time.. about 72,000. Think about that for a second. 72,000 vs around 49 billion. I’m still thinking we can’t do this alone.. well I guess I can’t fully speak for you but I definitely know that I can’t do it alone. I know that through something I like to call failure. He and I have become closely acquainted throughout my life. I’ve learned a lot from him too. He is quite the bitter-sweet relationship.
Mathew 19:26
D&C 82:10
D&C 10:5
Here is the kicker: The battle is already won. Christ has defeated death. He has been crowned with the Glory of all of the Father. He is my brother who knows me perfectly. Because of Him and because of His perfection and triumph in accomplishing the will of His Father… we are entitled to promises and blessings from our Father. We don’t even have to be perfect to receive them. I always like hearing that part.
He will strengthen us. He will carry us. He will carry our message through the holy ghost to all those who will allow their hearts to be touched by it’s majesty and subtle whisperings. He will save us from sin and despair. He will comfort us, lead us, lift us. Why would we try to fight the battle against hundreds of billions of enemies when we are promised victory and everthing that the Father has by relying and following the Lord. It seems simple. Simplicity isn’t always cake. But it still is that simple. Our main goal for that training was to help the zone leaders think about ways they can bring their zones and this mission to understand and apply the concept of dependability and serenity to the Lord. We don’t want the new missionaries to depend on themselves. They’ll lose. Every time. They need to serender themselves to the Master, the King, the Promised Messaiah and the Savior of their souls.
I still get nervous standing in front of people. Thought that I would be over that by now. I kind of like it though. I’m kind of on a “facing fears” phase right now. I’m sometimes too afraid to do it though. I’ve been trying to volunteer for the chance to be uncomfortable. If I stretch then I’ll grow. It makes sense to me. I think I really need some stretching right now. It’s easy to become complacent when life is the way you want it. I’m kickin it with my good buddy, getting along perfectly, always laughing and getting stuff done. Trying new things together. Figuring out problems and praying for answers. Non of those are bad things, obviously. Life just couldn’t be better. I just need a different kind of growth. One that’s outside my comfort zone. I remember being in Big Rock and feeling like I was going to shrink into the dark hole I’ve come to call fear. I was full of anxiety. Like anything, that could have taken me to or from God. I’m grateful that I depended on Him for my strength. He delivered me. He taught me things about love, people, endurance, and patience that I would never have learned if I was with my best friend in a killer area. Or if I was home rock climbing in college. I had to be there. I had to be broken down… and I still need that now. Always will.
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