Things are warming up around here. I'm happy, a bit tired and a little bit sore from the ultimate frisbee that we played this morning. I'll explain that a little further on.
It's been a long hard week. We're still really looking hard for the chosen that are waiting to hear the gospel we're not finding too many people that are wanting to progress. I actually told Elder Mar on Friday that I feel bad that everything seems to have dried up in the area since I got here. Trial of faith right? Anyways, we just keep chugging on and on and on.
We're using the bikes some days, and some days we're not, because it's getting so hot already that we're showing up to lessons almost literally soaked in sweat and that's just not too presentable. We work up less of a sweat by foot, I have my cowboy hat still, the only down side is, we take a little bit longer to get to our lessons instead of zipping around on our bikes. Really the biggest reason it's so hard for us is beacuse the entire area is situated on a set of decent sized hills and so we just have to plug up and down hill after hill and at like 1 and 2 in the afternoon it's just miserable. Let me tell you a little about Elder Chiilders, one of my new best friends. His is in our district and on Saturday's we do divisions. He and I got along really well. He's from St. George and so we can talk about anything we want and know exactly what the other is talking about. He's really goofy and loves to write so we just got along swimmingly. I hope so much that I will be able to keep in touch with the elders that I've really connected with on my mission.
Alright, so today as a zone we went to the bañario. It's like a pond and wilderness park area about 10 minutes outside of town. Elder Mar and I went and stayed at the house of Elder Childers last night, (because we live so far away from everything) and this morning the entire zone went out there because we met our zone baptismal goal last month. We have such a good zone and they are all so fun and get along so well. We played ultimate frisbee and mafia (the card game) and uno and just had a lot of fun during the morning and a lot of the afternoon which is why I have so little time here. I really didn't take pictures because you know how chill I am (almost to a fault) so i just didn't want to worry about pictures. Anyways, it was like any park in Utah that has tree-y portions and open areas like all the parks up Provo Canyon. Lots of fun.
We had fun with the zone and did a banana eating contest between one of the sisters (she volunteered.....) and one of the elders that we recruited and me. They blind folded the three of us and had us start pounding bananas down. Well....problem is.....I just took of the blind fold and started eating a banana because I was peckish and the rest of the zone started cheering and shouting and saying that I was eating like a machine (all according to plan). So the elder and the hermana started pounding banana after banana for like 2 minutes. I think the hermana quit after 4 and the elder got 6 and a half done and they pulled of the blind folds and I was just sitting there with my arms crossed leisurely eating my second banana. Pretty funny.
In my district I have one set of Hermanas, 2 sets of Elders and 1 of the zone leaders. I really like my district a lot. I've been having a problem with one of the elders in my district who likes to try and change everything that I say or ask of him which just really bugs me, but I don't want to sew the seeds of strife and so I just side step a lot of potential problems by not letting it bug me. It's both a lesson in charity and in patience. We'll see what changes bring, if i'm still DL and if he's still in my district, all quite possilbe. Not that I want changes to come, but we've always got our eyes on the future out here.
We usually have a rough plan of the next 6 weeks, every single week so it's really hard not to think of dates and numbers and statistics. That said, I don't like the focus on numbers out here. I know that they are supposed to help us grow and indicate performance. All of that is great, but I refuse to put of good numbers on empty lessons, and eternal investigators. There are some elders that do that and it's their call, but I just don't feel like that's okay. I've really been trying lately to love the people here, develop my charity and learn more about the atonement in this area.
I feel like I know what I'm doing is true but that it's become monotonous and hollow. as such, the lord answered my prayers through Mosiah 3. Great great chapter on the atonement and all things that have to do with it. So yea, zone conference tomorrow, no real investigators and it's getting hot. Life is good, the gospel is true. I spoke on sunday about sharing the gospel through our testimonies of Jesus Christ and meditating upon the eternities to open the windows of heaven ( see D&C 76:19-24)
19 And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about.
20 And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness;
21 And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever.
22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
23 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
24 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.
Pretty awesome. I love speaking in church.Have a great week,
Elder Simpson
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