So...it's Halloween here at the MTC. That doesn't really mean anything, but I wore an orange shirt this morning so I've done my part. And the fact that it is Halloween doesn't mean much to me either. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a huge fan of Halloween. The one exception was probably last Halloween when I dressed up as a minion from "Despicable Me." But other than that, dressing up isn't my thing. I'm just going to lounge around all day in my "Party at Gatsby's" sweatshirt and that'll have to do. Of course, the best part of holidays never is the festivities. The best part is spending time with your family. I wish I could see Trey in his little puppy costume again, and the costume that kept Brad up until one in the morning. But pictures will be enough :)
I'm not really sure what to share this week - I got sick but it only lasted for a day so it wasn't too bad. Also, I accompanied an elder in my zone, Elder Holmquist, at the Senior Missionary Orientation on Monday. We didn't think we'd be chosen to perform because another elder sang the exact same song at a devotional, but I didn't think about just how many meetings they have here and how many musical numbers they need. Now that I survived accompanying that musical number, I'm accompanying another one for an elder in my district, Elder Reeder. He has a really great voice and the music is easy so I won't mess it up, so there's a chance we might perform it in front of EVERYONE. We're trying out tomorrow so....we'll see how that goes.
I was released from my calling as the Coordinating Sister for our zone, and my companion Hermana Ivey was called in my place, so I have less meetings on Sundays and more free time to study. Even though I didn't do too much for my calling - since there were only three other sisters in our zone and they left a week ago for Guatemala - I liked the trainings and the meetings. I liked being in branch council because it reminded me of the ward council in my singles ward that I went to for a year because of my calling as an FHE co-chair. I just like having the opportunity to serve and help people.
And I was again reminded of that this week. It seems like something I shouldn't forget, but sometimes I lose track of it. I've been trying to regain that focus in the past few days. I can't remember exactly what the Sunday fireside talked about, but I remember it made me ask myself, How can I remember my commitment to think of others before myself? How can I remember that as the reason I am here? Pretty much everything I do as a missionary is to help other people, except for writing emails and letters to friends and families. But at last night's devotional by Don R. Clarke of the Seventy, who also spoke in Conference this month, he reminded us that what we write in our emails should be uplifting to those who read it. So, I'm trying to focus more on relaying the things I have learned here, in the chance that it will bless the lives of those who read it. I'm no fountain of knowledge, I'm still figuring things out - I was even hesitant to get a blog because I felt somewhat uncomfortable asking people to listen to me. I hate it when things are all about me - I am not even a huge fan of my own birthday. So I don't want these emails to just be boring journal entries, or just a layout - a schedule - of my week. I decided to serve a mission because I want to help people - that's my whole purpose for the next 17 months. In an effort to do that, I may not write every week anymore - sometimes it gets exhausting just thinking about all I've learned in only one week's time. But I will write to share important experiences I have and essential lessons I learn.
That being said, and in reference to the devotional last night mentioned above, Don R. Clarke focused his talk on one of the most important words in our missionary purpose. The missionary purpose is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." Elder Clarke mentioned several different ways that we can help people. I know that if I focus on that one word - help - throughout my entire mission, I will be given the ability and power from God to change lives by bringing them to a knowledge of the truth. In Sunday School one day, a while back, my teacher related that the central message of the gospel is love: love of God, love for others, the love of Jesus Christ displayed through His Atonement. If we show love, which can only be done through serving each other, we can change lives by taking upon ourselves the name of Christ. There was this quote on my boss/uncle's computer from Gandhi that said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." If you heard the talks from Elder Holland and Elder Hales, it tells us how to be Christians: love God and love others. And that's the simple message that I'm sharing, and that we can all share wherever we go.
Anyways, that's my little two-cents for the week. Hope you all have fun tonight!
