You know the guy who rings the bell as people scurry by in and out of the store. Well, I was that guy. I loved volunteering for the Salvation Army, doing a toy drive for kids for Christmas. 2 hours of service turned into 4 and then 6 but for a good cause.
Transfers came around and Elder Seu and I will remain in the Samoan Ward. Yet another opportunity to perfect our Samoan language skills. 😕We had to say farewell to so many in our zone. That is always hard but we wish them well.
Goodbye to Elder Stayner, Elder Tongolei, Elder Miller, Elder Huntsman and Elder Hatch. They are awesome!
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| Disappointing! |
Despite the challenges, disappointments and setbacks this week seems to have brought, I thought about some of the amazing spiritual insights I gained from listening to Elder Neil L. Anderson and Elder Brent H. Nielsen. What I wrote wasn't what the focus of what they taught, but this thought is something that I felt. I believe it to be a spiritual message to me, and one that I love and wanted to express.
People say, "Well God just wants me to struggle, he's put me in this place to test me and I just need to be patient until things get better/easier"...
Do we really suggest this so often? I don't like this mentality. I'd rather believe in saying, "Well God loves me, and he must trust me and my agency a whole lot to give me such challenging circumstances and expecting that I will endure them with optimism, joy and gratitude". God does not just want you to struggle. We have to be careful putting reasons to why God does things and using that as an excuse for why things aren't going well. Missionaries say, "Well I'm in a tough area, no one wants to be baptized, God must be trying to teach me patience or humility - there's no way he's trying to have me fulfill my calling as a missionary to find teach and baptize".... We too often evaluate, before we calculate. We are drawing conclusions before we finish living the experience.
We also invoke God's timing.. This is surely sacred, yes, but I feel it's said often without understanding. To say, "Well in God's timing things will get better"... But if we don't do anything, if we don't put forth the work, how can we say, "Well then it's not God's time for us to do something.." I feel that this is a thin line that can make us believe God will force us to do his will. This is not the case. There isn't going to come a time when God forces our agency. The key is not using God's timing or will as our reason to not do anything! For all we know, the time could be now. And we act like, well if God wanted the person we pass by on the street, a stranger or a friend to receive His Gospel, if He wanted us to be friendly or say something he would've made me do it. If it was really "His will" and was important enough He would've made me do something, I guess it just wasn't God's timing... They'll receive it later, some other missionaries will take care of it... Let us have perspective yes, but let's not try to wrap up answers, or justification, like a present with a bow. Sometimes the present God has prepared is still being wrapped. For better, not for worse, God trusts us. Trust may have a deeper meaning of love tied to it than we realize. It means a lot for God to have confidence in and trust His children, who can fail.
I love the gospel, I love the missionaries out here and it's sad to see friends finish and others move to new areas, but this next transfer has plenty of beginnings I'm looking forward to experience! I pray that Christmas is a special time for all of you,
Love Elder George
