 |
| You know that Mustang from last week? This was inside the house of those people. They said their grandfather made it like back in the 1940's. It sounds great. |
Yesterday, I went on exchanges. I worked in our area with Elder Rice. Elder Rice's other names are Elder Kan-on, Elder Poso, and Elder Homay (all different words for rice. You can bet he gets that a lot.) He's from Cedar City, and he's been out for about 7 weeks now. Elder Rice rocks, cause he reminds me a lot of me. Everyone reminds me of me, but Elder Rice really does.
I was talking to Elder Rice yesterday and expounded to him my mission, about my areas and my attitude about it all. I realised the hand of the Lord in my mission, in changing me to become the man I am at this point. I want to share it with you right now.
 |
| Me, Elder Rice, and Brother Ederson. |
When I entered the mission, I was very excited to be in Cebu and to serve on this tropical island paradise. I wanted to see this beautiful land which has been prepared for me to serve in. I still had the attitude I had before, where I would be very happy going and riding my bike in the hills, even alone, and at the beginning of my mission, that's what I would rather have been doing. So I was assigned in Lawaan, which was a densely populated river plain. There wasn't a hill in our area! And I was very concerned about that. I would spend half my time looking at the hills and just thinking about the fun I would be having if I were a missionary out in some remote area. And that's all I was concerned about. So I was only in Lawaan for one transfer. After 6 weeks, I got transfered out to Escalante.
Escalante still wasn't hilly, but it was beautiful, and adventurous. I told Elder Rice, the Lord put me in Escalante just to get me to shut up about being stuck in the city. So for my first weeks in Escalante, I would still just marvel at the beauty of the landscape, but when I was there, I learned something. I am not here for myself. I'm not here to see the sights. I'm here for the people. I learned, when I'm riding through the countryside on a tricycle, I need to talk to the driver, not look at the mango trees. Even if I don't know what to say, just talk to someone. That's what I learned in Escalante.
 |
| Elder and Sister Vickroy have been in the mission office for ever. They go home today. They're Ogden folk, and Elder Vickroy's a Navy airman, he worked on electronics in post-war aircraft. |
 |
| Brother and Sister Hernandez, and President Sobredo, from Bindoy Branch! They had a temple trip, so I got to see them. |
Because I learned that principle, I was ready. Ready to be tested, and to be rewarded. I was assigned in Ayungon. My tropical island paradise. You know how I feel about Ayungon. When I got to Ayungon, I now knew, I am here for the people. I applied that there, and while I was there, I learned, I'm not just here for the people, I'm here to preach to every creature the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ. I tried to do that. I wasn't sure how to do it at times, but I figured it out. Preach My Gospel taught me how. The Lord taught me how. And because I got to do that while I was in my paradise of Ayungon, the people there will always be in my heart.
And because the Lord is merciful and has a greater plan, he gave me a second chance, and put me back in my first area, in Linao. And since then, my mission has been becoming more and more important to me.
 |
Elder Marturillas, from Linao! He's the one who's assigned in Phoenix. He's going to be temporary in Quezon City. He's going into the MTC today!
|
This is what I told Elder Rice last night, and I think it's true. I think it's significant for me, that there is an actual plan and reason that I have been in the places where I have been. And It has helped me to become more of a man.
I studied about humility this week. I read in Jeremiah 8:7-9 a really cool parable. The birds know that when evening comes, every 6pm, they are to fly away together. Because of that they are safe. If we just follow our commandments, we will be the same.
I know that the power of the work we are doing is greater than any powers in the world.
Love you,
Elder Dunford
No comments:
Post a Comment