It's been a phenomenal week in the area. We spent virtually our entire
first week here with leaders of the ward or on the street, trying to figure out
the needs of the organisations as well as finding everyone possible in between.
Something that is nice about not having a car anymore is the greater
opportunities to have people placed in your path as you use public transit more.
Pretty sweet!
Yesterday at Missionary Leadership Council we had an awesome training on
leadership. We learned some very important differences between leadership in our
church and in the world. One thing we discussed was that the hallmarks of
leadership in the world are charisma, strength, and intelligence. These
characteristics are good, but the difference with how God calls people is that
He doesn't look at these as qualifications, and will call the diligent, humble,
meek, and worthy. As a person involved with leadership both in my school back
home and church, it has been a source of potent growing pains at times as I have
realized that I have not really possessed these attributes, but it's something
we can all set out to develop.
I'm making a goal to work closely with the young men and young single
adults in the ward. They're all awesome and I find it to be very normal and not
forced to communicate with them, which is good. If I could help get one person
on a mission who otherwise would not have wanted to, that would be
worthwhile!
---The following is primarily for personal reference for me as I have
thought about this a lot in the last few days. You are welcome but not obligated
to read this (or any) part 😊---
Lastly, as a missionary, it is crucial in helping people to know why they
should try our message out to promise them benefits in their life as a result.
One of the blessings I've had the audacity to promise is lasting and constant
peace and happiness in this life. "How, though", I have been asked, "is that
possible, or even necessary? Everyone has bad days, and everyone has challenges.
There's no way that one can constantly be happy". That is true in the sense that
we don't, and can't, constantly walk around with smiles 24/7, regardless of how
well we live the gospel. I am sure Jesus himself had many days where he was
tormented as a result of the physical and emotional pain that surrounded and was
inflicted upon him. As a missionary, who is presumably at a high point of life's
spirituality, my days have also not always been great! So, where is the
happiness?
In order to answer that question, we need to rethink what happiness
is.
I don't believe that perfect happiness is compulsorily identified by a
bright grin and skipping, though we may see it as such and may often be
accompanied with these things. It is, I believe, less obvious. I don't think the
wordage is all too crucial as the words are often interchangeable, but I like to
think of gospel happiness as "joy" (Joy is used about three times more often
than happiness in scripture). The scriptural term "fulness of joy" also comes to
mind, which Christ is said to have in 3 Nephi 27:31, which is subsequently also
contrasted with sorrow in verse 32. As children of God we are promised to
inherit all the our Father has if we remain true, and I can't help but feel that
is our destiny.
Joy for me does not necessarily mean that we will never be sad, pained,
disappointed, grieved, or bogged down. God and Christ have both wept (John
11:35, Jacob 5:41, Moses 7:28) and both are and were in states of perfection and
are also therefore possessing of a fullness of joy (right?). If we have joy, it
is my belief that we are still capable of being sad from time to time. The
difference is that there remains an inner conviction of safety and security
regardless of our environment. This has proven itself true to me in the highest
sense on my mission. I have not always been "happy" out here. I mean that in
that I have not always had energy, and I have not always felt like going out the
door. I have not always been encouraged. I have not always been smiling. I dont
know if living the gospel guarantees that you will always feel these things. But
I do think there is something it will always bring: I have always felt peace on
my mission so long as I have magnified my calling, repented, and tried to live
the gospel, and this is, in effect, the joy we offer. It is the enduring peace
and conviction of hope in our souls that becomes woven into our nature as we
progress towards godliness. If we don't feel like jumping with happiness now, we
can find joy in the hope of that later. We can all have this joy if we live
according to the gospel of Christ.
Again, this wordage is perhaps varying among individuals. You could swap
joy for peace, I would say. But let me know what you think. If you agree,
disagree, whatever.
I love you guys!
Elder Wallentine
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