An Interesting Week

February 6,2011

This week has been really hard. Though I suppose I shouldn't really complain. Having difficult weeks is a fact of missionary work. The most difficult thing is that the 7 investigators we had with baptismal dates no longer have baptismal dates.

Having weeks like this really wears you down. It's interesting how you can be physically, mentally, and emotionally worn out all at the same time. Especially since all you are really doing is walking from empty house to empty house.

The week was not without it's highlights though. We visited some previous investigators who were more than eager to listen to us again. The wife even told us she had been praying we would come back. We also got permission to go to this super huge mall in the neighboring zone to buy some supplies for our new house. We still are living out of suitcases, but it's starting to look more like a functioning household.

Life is difficult- but we can look for all the simple little miracles that fill each day. They are harder to find on some days, but they are always there.

ANOTHER THOUGHT

This week's reading took me through 3rd Nephi, one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon. The thing that stuck out to me most was chapters 8-10. These are the chapters just prior to Christ's Coming. The world is filled with storms and earthquakes as a sign of Christ's death. After the storms, the people experience 3 days of darkness. The scriptures describe it as a veil of darkness that pressed upon them. The people could literally feel the weight of it. I tried to imagine what it might have been like for the world to feel so dark and hopeless. I think many of them probably wondered if the light would ever come back, or if they were just doomed to a world of darkness forever.

But Christ came, he spoke to them with words of peace and comfort. Through his power, the darkness dispersed and the weight went away. He came to them and healed them and comforted them after they experienced so much.

Sometimes in life, we go through really tough trials. Sometimes we feel the weight of it is too much. Often, I've felt like the things I'm going through have lasted so long and that they will never end. I wonder if I'll have to live the rest of my life with the pressure of that problem on my shoulders. But that's not true. Christ came to earth, he died for us, and he lives so that we might live. Through him every burden can be eased, every illness taken away, and even the darkest nights will end with a glorious sunrise.

Lotsa love and hope everyone there is well.

ps- I'd really appreciate it if you could include a date when you send me a dear elder, otherwise I have no way of knowing when it was sent to me. Love ya!