Happy P-day!
Tuesday, we did a test run of the service opportunity in the san antonio food bank. We spent 3 hours in a giant refrigerated warehouse taking boxes of frozen black bean patties off a pallet, opening the boxes, putting 2 stickers on the commercially sold boxes that read "peanut allergen" and then putting them back in the original box, taping them up and re-stacking another pallet as high as the first. We went through some 1,500 pounds of patties and 2,000 meals by the end of it. It was really fun, and we could leave feeling like we'd used our time more effectively than trying to find people at home at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday. We later pitched the idea to the zone during a zone meeting on friday and everyone was excited to get to work in a refrigerator. We have 21 missionaries signed up to work tomorrow.
I worked with Elder Black on Wednesday. We're all striving to be more converted, and his companion is striving to get to the point where he is at least obedient to missionary rules. Elder Black has been a very good example to him and his companion has made some very positive changes in the past 6 weeks; he studies now because he wants too, including spanish, and will get out of bed at 6:30 all are important weapons of rebellion he's given up to the Lord. The day of the exchange elder black had committed him to make 6 pretty big changes that would basically put the rest of his behavior in line with what the first presidency expects us to do. He agreed through his teeth. Elder black and i practiced how to respond when missionaries (and investigators) do and don't keep committments. We first practiced as ourselves, then we said, if our mission president was this Elders companion, how would he handle the situation and it helped us catch a higher vision of how building we could be, instead of demanding. We next asked ourselves, if the savior was this missionaries companion, what would be his response. It was obvious then the focus wasn't on us, the good that we might do as a more obedient companion is irrelevant, and I could feel a sincere love come from elder black as he got ready to go back and work with his companion again. I was grateful for the experiences i had with elder dewitt that helped me relate to Elder Black in his situation.
I went on another exchange with Elder calley on friday, one of the assistants to the president, and we worked on the principle he'd taught earlier that day during zone meet "we invite people when they understand.' Unfortunately, the lessons we set up for that evening fell through so we had a good while to chat about how the missionaries in the zone are doing.
What I did take away from that exchange was more confidence in inviting others to be baptized once I was comfortable they had a solid understanding of our message. We found 2 families on saturday, and have since seen again the sauceda family who committed to be baptized on the 20th of june. (I cannot believe we're planning for june already - time is flying)
The study topic from this week was Grace. We rely entirely upon the mercy of and grace of God to be saved. No amount of work we can do will merit us even the little finger of our resurrected bodies. My question was, well once we've all accepted Christ by living the principles of his gospel, why should I be killing myself to do all that I can do if I'll ultimately end up in the same place having done only a part of my best. I just think now that if we really have faith in the fulfillment of God's promises, than we'll do everything we can do to attain them. If you desperately need a job, and someone offers you a job, you'll do everything you can, make the phone calls, drive the distance, wake up early, to get that job because you know it's there waiting for you. If salvation is waiting for all those who repent and are baptized, believing on the name of Christ, and you believe that, you'll do everything you can to meet that condition so Christ can save you. You'll live in the light.
I love you!
Stay Salty!
Elder Tyler Meidell
No comments:
Post a Comment