Hey guys!
It has been a good week! Transfers are this
weekend, which should be interesting. I am saying there is a 50% chance that I
am gone, a 30% chance I stick with Elder Stacy, and a DISTINCT 16% for if Elder
Stacy leaves, with a lingering 4% that we both leave. We will see.
This week was normal, though. I mean, not a
whole lot happened that is out of the ordinary. I did get to help with a street
display in Erlangen on Saturday and I was able to find 10 potential
investigators. I love street displays because you get to work purely at your
own pace and have a bunch of time to find as many people as possible. I am so
DARN grateful that I don't have to take breaks when it comes to contacting until
we're done. That's been one of the greatest blessings so far because I feel
that it has enabled me to really enjoy my time here. In Bavaria specifically,
we tend to do a lot of finding, and my time would probably be a little miserable
here if I dreaded doing it.
We also got to do a little bit of service on
Monday and did some yard work, which was cool. We had family home evening with
our Branch President afterwards and he fed us some delicious barbecued meat. It
had been a while!
One thing I've missed the most on my mission so
far is being able to run truly freely. If I want to run a lot, I can only do it
if the companion I have runs a lot. I often times think back at all the GOOD
OL' DAYS to cross country, and track and field, too, in high school and if I
had to make a list of things I would miss the most from that time, running would
definitely be near to if not at the top. I can't wait to do it when I return
someday, and hey, if any of you want to run a marathon someday, let me know so
we can train together when I come back someday. It is going to happen.
The only prerequisite is a preexisting willingness to do repetitive, long
runs with me when the time comes. You're all invited.
I was reflecting on some of my notes the other
day when I remembered the story of the stripling warriors. The memorable story
of these two-thousand warriors stands today as a powerful example of the rewards
of righteousness when we do it willingly and without hesitation, placing our
trust fully in the arm of the Lord. We read in Alma 57:21: "Yea, and they
did obey and observe to perform every command with exactness, yea, and even
according to their faith which was given to them." With their
stalwart obedience and loyalty, these warriors went into battle, and came out
with not a soul lost! I think about how great a miracle that is, and see that
it was a result of their obedience, and think about then how important it is for
all of us to be obedient--especially for us as missionaries, too!
Notice the lack of fear or doubt that they had!
Notice that they showed, through their actions, that they knew full well not
only that their parents believed, and others for that point, but WHY they
believed, too. As missionaries, we must be careful. Do we find ourselves
inversely mumbling: "we do not doubt that our parents or Priesthood leaders sort
of asked and wanted us to be out here so that is why I am here" as we mosey out
the door? Do we "obey and observe every command" as far as it is comfortable to
us and then smudge out the rest? Or do we know our calling and recognize it as
directly from God?
I have been really trying these past few months
to be exactly obedient, and although nobody is perfect, I continue to see the
blessings increase as I try to give more and more. Both with the rules of
missionaries for missionaries, and the commandments for us in our daily lives,
it is crucial that we strive to obey God with exactness. We cannot allow
ourselves to be convinced that we are exceptions to eternal laws of obedience
and virtue. We can't simply assume that disobedience can be justified on the
basis that our hearts were, perhaps, "in the right place". I am convinced that
the metaphorical highway to sin opens up when people begin to think that
commandments given to us apply only in certain circumstances (with no doctrinal
basis, that is), or that they are justified under self-imagined situations. God
is a constant and unchanging being, who cannot look upon sin with the
least degree of allowance. Thank goodness we have a Savior, who we will
be celebrating this weekend, who can purify us--but we have to acknowledge our
part, which is constantly striving to be steadfast in keeping every commandment
given to us, and continually showing our willingness to follow God. Because of
Him, we can luckily find opportunities to take U-turns when we find ourselves on
that previously established highway of sin--on which there are no speed limits,
and although the scenery may be nice to some on the way, it leads to a final
destination that nobody wants to visit. Seriously, that place is like
the worst. It's an expensive trip, too. I definitely would not recommend it.
Two thumbs down.
Anyways, thanks for humoring me with the good
reads. Love hearing from you guys and I anticipate your emails. I love you
all.
Love,
Elder Wallentine
P.s.: German names:
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