Rejoice Evermore - 05/21/12

Things are continually going well for for Elder Tyler.

Another week in paradise! If paradise is the inside of a microwave. The "inland empire", as the Californians call it, is hot and dry. But despite my sweaty shirts, I seem to be doing all right.

I have a new favorite scripture! I know I'm not supposed to assign all of you guys homework like my investigators, but everyone should memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16.

 

Don't feel like tracting? Get over it. Rejoice evermore!

 

Nobody answers your calls? You're doing your job, and God will bless you for it. Rejoice evermore!

 

Investigators won't keep commitments? Love them anyways. Rejoice evermore!

 

Salt Lake sends you a media referral to an address that doesn't exist? Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff. Keep on working. Rejoice evermore!

 

Didn't teach a single lesson today? Don't worry, be happy (they read that song to me at the MTC). Rejoice evermore!

I encountered some reminders of my past life this week. I tracted into a potential investigator that reminds me of an old friend from home. Sadly, I don't think she's going to let us into her house to teach her, based on how our phone conversation went last night. But I'm looking forward to trying my hardest to share the gospel with her, and I know that we'll be friends in either this life or the next. Sometimes, you can just tell these things, and that's how it felt.

At 5:58 on May 15, I walked into our dinner appointment and was reminded that a computer game I've been looking forward to has now been unleashed on the world (Diablo 3). The wife of the house had her PC hooked up to the TV, and the husband and another young married couple had set up on a card table in the living room and had been playing it since they got home from work. While it was fun to ask them how it was going, it was comforting to me that I wasn't really that jealous. I'm having so much fun serving my mission, and there is absolutely nowhere else I'd rather be. I'm serving a much higher calling now, and I'm glad that I can push everything else aside and focus on being a better missionary. I'm constantly asking my trainer for help and looking into Preach My Gospel and the scriptures for answers on how I can be more effective. In fact, I'm eager to get good enough at my calling that I can start training missionaries myself.

 

This week also reminded me of a few of my weaknesses. I hate feeling like I'm wasting time that could be spent proselyting. One night, we got back to the apartment at 8:30, and I had received 4 letters in the mail that day. I really wanted to open those letters. But I told my trainer that we needed to hurry up and get back on the street. I couldn't turn in early knowing that I could have contacted more people that day. But that's only one instance where I was strong. I can think of a few where I didn't jump up and head out to do more work, or where I let someone walk by me without me offering a proper testimony. I can surely do better at that. I was actually a bit peeved that I had to set aside almost an entire day's worth of proselyting for a multi-zone conference, but the training and teaching that went on made up for it. I'm learning to have faith in the meetings that we're supposed to attend.

I also had my first experience with exchanges. There are only 4 elders in my district. One of them is widely regarded as the strangest and most annoying elder in our zone. I got to spend all day Saturday with him, living in a converted barn, and riding on a borrowed bike. I prayed so hard that I would be patient with this elder. As it turns out, he and I got along quite well. It's just that I haven't been on a bike since I was 11, and 14 miles on bike was rough. Every time he'd take me up another hill, I'd be praying that I wouldn't die on the way down. It was hard. I could hardly walk by the time the day was halfway done, and he still took me out again in the evening. I need to get stronger. But I'm very glad that this Elder and I learned to love and understand each other.

My time is running out. Next week is Memorial Day, so I'll be e-mailing a day late. Have a wonderful week everyone!