April 25, 2022
From Ben - The Apathy Trap
Elder Blum and I are still very slowly getting our feet underneath us for the Social Media game.
We've got the general gist, but all the nuance and the micro details that make a big difference we are still trying to wrap our heads around
In the local library, after a small blitz of trying to understand paid advertising and where our mission stands on that front, Elder Blum saw a book with the title of something like, 'Emotions Explained by really Muscly Dudes'
In a moment of weakness, we spent 20 minutes laughing at this hilarious comic strip book in the middle of the library.
Because we were in the library, we had to suppress the laughter somewhat, and the classic awkard moment happened.
My vocal chords betrayed me and in the midst of our silent laughter, when inhaling the oxygen I needed to live, something happened as it entered my lungs I wheeze-cackle laughed really loud.
The silence of both the library and the readers in it silently judged us as we put the book back and started walking home.
Yesterday, vengeance was on my mind.
For a lake.
We went to a local lake to try to talk to some people in the afternoon.
Finding parking was a nightmare and there were some wild bajillion point turns that had to be made in the midst of parents and children eating their ice cream and watching us stress.
When we finally found a place, we took a nice stroll around the park looking for some souls to bless.
How many did we try talking to?
3 people.
Devastating.
For some magical reason, lake people are scarier then city people.
We went home, took dinner, had an angry nap, and went to the lake again after.
This time I had done some mental reps and was raring for round two.
Round two was a better fight.
We started with a prayer for the Spirit (and tried to really mean it this time) and it made a difference.
We met our friend Babak, a cool guy from Iran, and will be talking with him later this week.
Got a copy of the Book of Mormon to some cool Venezualins.
Was tragically rejected by a couple sitting near us on some cool rocks.
(I asked them if they'd be down for a two minute adventure, that being, hearing about the Restoration of Jesus Christ's Gospel, and they declined. I was shook! What an offer!)
Then finally got toasted by this sweet old 87 year old lady for 10 minutes.
The Sabbath truly is a delight.
There's an idea used in missionary work that is very useful to consider.
The idea is this: that there is a difference between why you came out on a mission and why you choose to stay out.
And in one context, this is a golden question to ask.
It may help one see the faith they didn't know they had, or maybe it will help others see the growth they have experienced.
There is another, and this is the one I've been considering.
My fear is that sometimes, I choose to stay out because I've already been out for 11 months.
Now, this is not to say I've ever considered coming home, and it's not to say I don't have pure motives.
It's just to say that sometimes there is the risk that past routine has become the core motivating force behind future daily actions.
Not the desire to bring souls joy. Not to make a difference.
That is not good. That dams the flow of miracles.
God's power is one that we must consciously claim, it doesn't just happen (in the sense where we are active in its usage).
A chosen faith, a striven for obedience, a fought for charity. These are things open the doors.
But, like President Nelson said.
"Lazy learners and lax disciples will always struggle to muster even a particle of faith"
Effort is a divine principle.
Faith and works, works and faith.
Each individual person has incredible capacity to make a difference. "The power is within us" but that's hard to believe sometimes.
Past habit has shown us to be fearful, scared, unmotivated, procrastinators, shying away from the harder right instead of the easier wrong, or the easier less-right.
And this is where the divine hand enters the picture.
Thank goodness we don't have to struggle against the floodgates of the world on our own.
We've been offered both a Rock and a rod of Iron.
We've been tethered eternally with our family and to our God.
We know our goal, it "lies in a straight course before [us]"
And even in moments of terrible pressure, when noise is calamitous, vision is darkness, and buffetting is ceaseless, the hand of a Savior who has conquered such blows alone is outstretched, anxious to pull us back to the immovable rock, the firm rod, the eternal tether.
Elder Suarez in Conference talked about the power of choosing to be in awe of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I think it's a pretty cool principle.
Love you all!
The struggle is very real in many cases, the triumph so epic in others.
But such is our journey
- Elder Smith
1) Using a Swiss Chalet gift card a member gave us and realizing it was only 25$ so I had to use the rest of the money that Grandma Smith gave me to cover the rest.
(Love you, Grandma!)
2) Elder Blum, epicly walking into the tunnel with dual Book of Mormons
3) Elder Blum making heavenly stir-fry.
4) Ads team brainstorming despite partial ignorance.
5) Tragically, I have completely forgotten where this elevator picture came from.
6) Getting some delicious food after Elder Blum's Chiro appointment. (We cut it CLOSE getting this grub)
7) Ice cream with the beloved Newmarket District.
8) One of the comics that had us wheezing
Dear Ben,
This was a good week. The boys are preparing for summer change up and the girls are stressing over school. Josh found a new place to stay and Sam broke up with Hunter and heads down to Grassy Lake after this week.
The favorite part of my week turned out to be attending Stake Conference. I didn't realize how much I missed meeting together with our church family. Here are a few highlights and impressions I had in conference.
- President Johnson stated that when he was first called as Stake President. he prayed that he would do a good job in his talks during Stake Conference. As he has progressed and evolved in his calling, his prayers have changed to asking the Lord that the members of the Stake will feel the spirit and receive the revelation they need to receive.
- Since we can't really live without our phones, we need to learn to live well and intentionally with our phones
Attending the temple and participating in ordinances is like adding rings to our tree that strengthens our ability to weather the storms of life.
The covenant path is primarily uphill.
I truly felt the spirit and loved the chance to connect again with others around me.
Mom had a couple of bursts of energy this last week. On Saturday, she started digging into her dreams for the front sidewalk and deck. We're feeling a bit leery about trying to grow things this year, as we had some disappointment last year, but spring blooms hopeful.
She is applying the principle of small and simple things to make progress 5 feet at a time.
The other spiritual moment I had was on Sunday morning when for some reason I was looking through family memories on my Mom's side. I found some good pictures and learned some things about my Great Grandpa Redd. I learned that he suffered with prostate problems and then died of kidney failure at the age of 59, 2 years before Grandma Torrie was married. My family history of prostate and kidney issues tells me I better start paying attention to my health!) My Grandma Irene Redd lived for close to 40 years after that passing away in 1984. I"ve been thinking alot about my ancestors as I contemplate and internalize the fact that my Dad may not live out the year. We have a rich heritage of faith and dedication to family and the Lord. One of the memorials was by my great uncle Phillip Redd (The one I mentioned who got his doctorate in education) and I think he may have been the sealer who married Steph and Tyler (Steph do you recall?). His final words struck me:
To all of my family, I would tell you that you will enjoy making the acquaintance of my Dad
I don't think we really realize how wonderful it will be to meet and be with our extended family in the life to come. I pray we will live well and make them proud of us. I believe they watch over us and are concerned for our safety and happiness. You have literal family angels watching over you to bear you up.
We loved chatting with you tonight. Amelia shared the experience with you, I think, of feeling a feeling of warmth and confirmation that she felt from her Heavenly parents that they valued her and that she made a difference in building the church and Zion, after wrestling with a hard gospel question. I'm grateful for those brief spiritual vistas we sometimes see after toiling up the hill and through the trees and trials of life.
God bless you, Ben.
Dad.
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