From Ben: Tears That Never Fell Christmas is a wild time as a missionary. It becomes more challenging to meet with members and a bit more difficult to find people to teach. Everyone's busy with Christmas shopping, family plans, and a multitude of festivities. But I guess it also provides a cool opportunity to get creative in the ways we usually try to find people, meet with members, and contribute to the season instead of being nagging missionaries. Tis' the season, eh? We had a lesson with one of our recent converts in our ward. She's a young woman in Grade 9 (I think). So it's been an interesting time to try to figure out ways to connect with her in a way that's not awkward, cringy, or ineffective (I've never been a 14 year old girl in Junior high, so while it's been fun to try to empathize with some of her struggles, I straight up don't know what it's like) We taught the 10 commandments and got to the 9th. Not bearing false witness. Or, for...
From Ben - Anti-Automation Our morning schedule is as follows... 6:30 - 7:00: Wake up and daily plan 7:00 - 7:30ish: Work out 7:30ish - 9:00: Eat breakfast, have conversations with the dear Elders, eat some breakfast (hopefully healthy), shower and prepare. Then 9:00-10:00: Personal Study What it truly feels like however, is... 6:30-7:00 Wrestle for dear life to snuff out the morning grumps as we look at our day and plan our activities (the only thing that really works is a prayer honestly) 7:00-7:30ish: Hype myself up to walk up the stairs. (Pause) Hype myself up to lift a single weight. (Pause) Do some... necessary stretching... to stall a little bit, then, when Elder Mercado comes up to motivate me more, do the actual work out. 7:30ish-8:30ish: Go ponder what breakfast to eat, and decide for a couple minutes between my three regular options, and usually go for the breakfast burrito. Go pray again, because my first morning prayer didn't cut it...
From Ben: The Unexpected Need for Courage For the last time, President looked at me with his discerning, piercing, and experienced eyes. The final interview. He told me to not artificially delay the making of my final covanent (getting married) He explained how crucial it was to maintain habits of prayer and study. He explained and made me commit to attending the temple at a bare minimum of once a month. He explained that if I ever left the behind these truths, that he would hunt me down. I accepted these conditions happily. I asked what books he'd recommend, he gave me some. I asked what thoughts he had about planning and goal setting, he gave me some. Then it ended. I don't know why it takes me so much courage to believe and accept the fact that someone truly, and deeply cares about me. Maybe it's because I have an incorrect perception about "losing myself" in the service of others. I don't want to be selfish. Maybe it's because I ...
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