Well this week has been interesting.
We have not met with Gaby and Jason in almost a month now since
her ex husband has been in the hospital with liver failure. It's been really warning
on her since she has a lot of responsibility with him, and so we haven't been
able to meet. She texted us on Friday with questions about if we knew any liver
specialists, and I was finally able to talk with her for a little while. I
asked if she's been able to read the Book of Mormon much during all of this,
and she said not has much has she was before. She said that mostly she would go
on Mormon.org while waiting in the Hospital to take her mind off of things.
Watching all of the videos about how others have drawn on the Power of Christ's
Atonement in trial had been helping her. It was good for me to hear that that
was what she had been doing. Comforting. She texted us again however on
Saturday letting us know that her ex husband had passed away. Keeping her and
his family in your prayers would be good.
We met with a Less-Active man this week, named Lenard. He sure
was stubborn. His marriage had been struggling and he basically was very bitter
with God for a lot of things and had become more humble. Still stubborn. We
talked briefly -outside in the heat- about doing things God's way. Even though
it's hard and probably uncomfortable, we are asked to do it God's way, and not
our way. Talking to him and explaining how becoming active again and reading
his scriptures would make a difference in his life, it was a good reminder to
me, that it is more important to do it God's way.
This last week has been very emotional. I don't think I
anticipated this these last couple of weeks. Lot's of things have surfaced and
have needed to be talked out with Sister Hopkins. She has been so patient with
me these last few days.
These last few days, what has helped me the most has been
reading the Book of Mormon. I've been trying to finish a faith study in the
next couple of weeks, and I've been reading the Book of Mormon backwards by
books (Moroni, Ether, Mormon, 4th Nephi...etc), and filling any spare time I
have, at night before bed, during breakfast, during lunch, and time I could
get. This week I was reading the war chapters in Alma, there not ones you might
normally think would bring a lot of comfort and peace, but they did. Just
reading changed so many things. I've come to find that the more I am reading
the Book of Mormon, the more I love reading it. i want to always be a student
of the Scriptures. I learned a lot from them these last seventeen and a half
months.
Another thing that helped a lot has been writing thank you cards
to members in the ward here and other missionaries. I was thinking last night
of all the people I have met here in Texas, and how blessed I have been to know
them and learn of them and from them. So blessed.
We had dinner with a family last night who had a very
intelligent eight-year-old boy. He said that he started reading Harry Potter
for the first time about a year ago, and has since read the whole series
five times and the first book at least twelve. We looked at him with raised eye
brows and his parents said, "you think he's kidding, but he's really
not." I was blown away. Respect. He said that he read fourteen books in
three days once as well, and these weren't like picture book ones, there were
real ones. I asked him if he's ever read the Book of Mormon all the way
through, and he said only with his family. I said I'd give him a candy bar if
he could do it in a week and he said "Deal. it's totally work it."
He's going to study prayer while doing it, and we are scheduled to come by next
Sunday to Follow up. I wish I had time like an eight-year-old. While Sister
Hopkins was in the bathroom before dinner he was talking to me and said
"okay, I'll quiz you..what is the capital of Taiwan?"...uh, let's not
go foreign yet, got to remember all the stateside capitals first. He did have
fun guessing what capitals my first and last names were. "Cheyenne
couldn't be a girls name, no way" he said. He started singing that Star
Wars American Pie song at dinner ya know..."my my mister Anikin guy, may
be Vader some day later, now he's just a small fry..." I'm not sure who
was more surprised, the eight-year-old or his parents and my companion when I
started singing "he left his home and kissed his mommy good-bye saying
'soon I'm gonna be a Jedi, soon I'm gonna be a Jedi'" with him. Thank you
Jed and Ammon for ingraining that song into my veins for my whole life. Then he
gave us a play-by-play of how the Spurs one. Can you tell I enjoyed dinner with
them? hahaha
This
morning I was studying in Alma 32 as part of my Faith Study and I thought a lot
about something Elder Bednar said while he was here. He said something along
the lines of self checking too much and ripping and yanking our testimony and
character and understanding trying to see if it was growing and developing yet.
He told us to have patience and to just let it grow. It reminded me about what
Elder Uchtdorf in his talk Forget Me Not in October 2011. He said (referring to
Willie Wonka's golden ticket):
"So
many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket—the ticket that they
believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about. For
some, the golden ticket may be a perfect marriage; for others, a magazine-cover
home or perhaps freedom from stress or worry.
"There
is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings—we hope and seek after things that
are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.” The problem comes
when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event—our golden
ticket—to appear...
"The
happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are
those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty
and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily
thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These
are they who are truly happy."
I
feel that often in my life I have yanked and ripped at my desires for being
happy. Especially when waiting for what I think will make me happy. Buying that
Camera. Having someone get baptized. Getting a Job. Finishing school. Having a
different companion. Not having companions. Getting Married. On and on and on.
Always double checking: "Am I Happy? Am I Happy? Am I Happy now? What's going
to make me happy"
Why
do I do that? Why do I have to check? Why can't I just try to found happiness
right now, not dependent on what my circumstances are?
Just
let it grow and learn happiness now.
I've
been thinking a lot about that. What is happy? What is sad? What causes them?
Is being happy different than having happiness? Yesss...many
thoughts.
So
anyways. That's about been my week.
That's all. Love,
Hermana
Cheyenne Montgomery
No comments:
Post a Comment