Family,
What a week! This will be a shorter (not short, i type fast) email because i only have a few minutes left. Haha i had some comuter problems so it took up a little bit of my time. ANYWAY.
It was kind of a tough week. I was starting to get down on myself because i thought i would be better at spanish by now, i just wasnt as excited anymore, and i kind of was just focusing on myself. But i had some really good experiences that i would love to share and hopefully might help some of you not to make the same mistakes i did!
First thing, people who think about themselves are never happy. I learned that this week from personal experience and from looking at others. This week, we visited a recent convert who stopped coming to church, and for an HOUR, i couldnt say a single word because she was complaining. She was complaining about how the missionaries didnt visit her enough, how the branch leaders were bad, how no one caredabout her. All i wanted to say was "have YOU visited any of the other inactive members of this branch?" like i felt really bad for her because she has had some really difficult experiences that truly are sad, but they were nothing that merited that kind of behavior. She was so miserable because all she cared about was herself, and what was in it for her. It made me think of the savior, and a talk given by Elder Bednar called the Character of Christ. He highlighted a whole bunch of events in the new testament that show christs dominating character trait - the ability to be selfless (turn OUT) when the rest of us are selfish (turn IN). Immediately after the garden of gethsemeni, where he has just taken upon himself EVERY sin of mankind, he still turns out. Just imagine that! He is currently feeling everything we have ever felt. Like think of your most sad, most depressing, most sinful moment, and then times that by everyone on the earth. I know i would be feeling a little bit overwhelmed with even just all of my moments at once, and certainly not be in the mood to help anyone. But as the guard´s ear gets chopped off by Peter i think, the savior immediately turns to this man and helps him. This little bloody ear was NOTHING in comparison to his own problems he went through, but the savior turned out. We dont do that. Until I can learn to be more christlike, i certainly will be unhappy just like this poor lady was.
Another thing on that note was Jacob 5:22 in the book of mormon. The master of the vineyard (christ) says something along the lines of "Counsel me not. I knew it was hard ground, and I have nurtured it for many days to bring forth good fruit". Thats us! He puts us in hard ground, makes us deal with difficult situations, and does it all because he loves us. he just wants to help us, and thats why he gives us these trials. We cant counsel the lord and complain to him that we have all these hard circumstances, because he KNOWS that we do. he knows that! HE does it to allow us to grow, and to cultivate qualities that are good. If it wasnt for these circumstances we couldnt grow.
I am out of time, next week i will write more. Sorry! I need to figure out this computer situation and not get computers with problems.
Also, why did i play lacrosse?? Most useless thing ever here. I suck at futbol and they always stick me in the goal because i cant do anything else. Haha i try and explain lacrosse and they just look at me like im stupid because people throwing a ball aroudn in nets DOES sound kind of stupid when you think about it.
Haha i love you all so muhc, thank for your emails. Sorry this was short, i will figure this out next week and write more! LOVE YOU ALL!!
Elder Tengberg
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