Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Learning Lessons



 Hello my loved ones!
  I am glad to hear you all enjoyed conference! Down here we watch it at the stake centers a week later at he same times they do it in SLC. 10:00, 2:00, and 6:00. It is the full sessions, just like we are watching it live! Most of the members take little peeps through out the week so they don't have to go to the Saturday sessions or something. It is fun to have it that way.. I don't know... I like gathering together! It is much easier to pay attention and receive revelation when you are dressed up showing your faith and in the chapel. In the Baulkham Hills stake the missionaries pretty much have to be at the stake center all day.. causing that much traveling back and forth just really isn't worth it, plus it is a lot of K's! (We are limited on the # of kilometers we can drive if you didn't know that). The stake President in a meeting on Sunday said they are trying to get the YSA to pack and bring lunch for themselves and a missionary. ha. He is watching out for us! Should be fun! Gotta love supportive stake presidents. Most are. ha
  I am e-mailing so late in the week because Monday was a public holiday so the libraries were closed. And yesterday we had a special zone conference! Went from 9-4. So petty good amount of time! Plus, appointment s that night and what not. Then we had district meeting this morning! So here we are! ha. All good though. She'll be right. 
   My core experience this week came from exchanges. I was serving in the Dural ward with Elder Lonitenisi. I get along better with him than I have with any other Tongan, missionary or not. He is fun to be with, love him. Anyways! We had a good day, accomplished most of our goals and learned a lot. I told him "sorry we didn't reach our goal for new investigators today.." His response was my core experience. "Elder Ford," He said, "Did you do your best today?" I sat there for a second and thought. Before I could respond he continued, "Then don't worry about it!" We talked for a while more about our day and the good things happened. The things he saw as miracles that i just took for granted. He made me realize... I don't have to do THE best, as long as I do MY best. That is all the Lord requires. This comforted me. It continued to help throughout the week. Don't get me wrong, I don't try less and think I am still doing my best. But I am relieved by the knowledge that as long as I continue to do my BEST work, the Lord will accept it. It seems simple and cliche, but that was my experience this week! We can learn so much from those we serve...
   I realized today, after district meeting had ended... that all the things I  had assigned and prepared worked perfectly to fix a concern shared by the district last week. I had not intentionally planned this. I truly believed I was prompted to assign and prepare various topics. At the time they seemed unrelated, but I figured I had better follow the promptings, yea? Yea. As a result I see now that it all flowed together perfectly. I pray that the spirit will continue to guide and direct me in all I do! I wish the same for you!
   My vision was non-existent at the beginning of my mission. As I have learned more and more my behavior has improved. I feel that I am more mature than I was when I left home. But obviously there are still many childish habits and attitudes. ha. I feel that the more we learn spiritually and the more accountable we become, the more our behavior and attitude "grows up!" Establishing a vision amplifies that! It does not dull personality or sense of humor, but builds situational awareness and mental appropriation.  There is a time and place for all things under the heaven. I feel that in order to truly see the time and place for all of the different facets of our soul, establishing a vision and "growing up" is essential! This all made sense in m head... I don't know if I got my point across but.. I hope that it helped some how!
   I love you all! Thank for all you do!
      Love,
         Elder Ford

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