I've had a lot of interesting experiences this week.
I've been working hard to apply the following principles in my life.
Consecration: Exact obedience to the Mission rules. Gotta get out there and do the good work!
Daily Repentance: Okay I'm not always exactly obedient. I have my flaws. When I pray at night, I reflect on the day, repent of my errors, and strive to not let them happen again.
More meaningful prayers and scripture study: Talking with God should be something that is valuable and means a lot to you and it should mean a lot more to me. For that reason I'm working hard to show respect before the divine maker. I hope that better communication between us can help me become more consecrated.
WORK: Um, yes. I am working. I'm learning how to do things by my self!! You know, like, have a schedule. Talk with different people. Spend my money wisely (and maaan am I doing much better with that). Learning how to force myself out of bed in the morning, step outside and do some excercise (putting those boxing gloves to work), and then eating right.
I feel like a hugely different person than when I left and I've got plenty more time to progress.
I've been talking more in the contacts and the lessions with Investigators. I'm trying to learn how to grab a hold of all the diverse operations of lessions and how to take desicions for myself and not just rely on my missionary companion...
That's something really hard for me! My brain can't get wrapped around all of the possible outcomes, needs, and lessions that could go down with a person, let alone know what message would help this specific person progress.
If there's any need for divine help, it's that! I really need to figure out how to make and take desicions and INITIATIVE! Hoo! What a task.
Little by little I'm working on it. People are telling me that I'm a really good speaker. I'm not so sure about being "great", but I always say what comes from my heart.
We've been working hard and talking to everyone possible. It's a new goal of ours. I'll admit I'm not perfect, because I still have fears and lack initiative... but I'm moving forward! Not every missionary or person is the same.
So, here's my funny story for you.
Saturday we get done with a really cool lession. We wave our goodbyes to the family and we get on our way. Walking home, a brother from the church offers to give us a dinner to take home. He's prepared some charcoal grilled hamburgers in front of his house and they're awesome looking. We box them up and start heading back home. My companion and I have a long conversation on the way back about how much we love the gospel of Christ and how we've seen the blessings of the restored gospel in our lives... and it's a long walk back home. I've got this hamburger in my hands and I'm so happy because our day went well, we've had a nice lession, we're talking about the Gospel... and of course, because I'm going to eat a nice, hot, hamburger for my dinner.
We're walking for more than 10 minutes in the dark. We're less than 3 minutes away from the house, and everything seems just peachy...
Until I trip on a rock and my hamburger flies out of my hands and into the dirt path.
I wasn't ready for that. Nope! The perfect day I had just had until that point shattered into a million pieces. I was incredibly frustrated because I was incredibly excited to have that hamburger dinner.
My companion still has his hamburger and I ask him to split it half and half, but he says that he'll only give me a quarter at best. At this point I'm pleading with him to share, but he doesn't budge. He offers to buy me a hamburger at a little roadside cart that's close to our house, and I humbly accept because It's in between that or nothing.
Well, as they're putting the burger into the box, my companion reaches into his wallet and realizes that he didn't bring his money... so I end up paying for the hamburger.
It wasn't too bad or too good... but it passed and I get a huge laugh out of it now. It's like a cartoon story plot or something. Heheheheh...
I'd like to share a brief scripture with you all today. Something from my personal studies. When Alma and his people flee into the wilderness and begin to construct a city, the Lord finds it fit to see how faithful his people are in this moment. The scriptures give us a fine promise in verse 22.
21 Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
22 Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people.
23 For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God, yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob.
When we sin, when we make mistakes, when we do not follow the commandments and stray from God... we are putting ourselves into bondage. Spiritual bondage. When we suffer from disasters and difficulties, illnesses and ill-fortune... we suffer a more temporal, physical bondage.
Whether we have strayed from the fold or are merely passing through a time of trouble and difficulty... we are to put our trust in the Lord our God! The God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob! A God of freedom and a God of peace!
Who are we to say that he cannot help us or know our pains? Our God can break any sort of physical or spiritual bondage we face, if we but put our trust in him and his will, repent and come unto him in humility, and follow his commandments. Our God broke even the bondage of death so that we may be free. His arms are forever outstretched, and he calls us unto his love in this day as he did in days past.
I love you all. I miss you loads. Please stay strong and know that you are loved from on high.
-Elder Bowlby
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