Letter #76

So here's the beef.  Good week.  We are learning a lot.

Looking back on my mission it's super easy to see how much that I've grown.  This week me and my companion got a little frustrated with each other, simply because we're not perfect people.  Elder Souza is super great, and I'm doing my best, but sometimes people just don't understand one another, even when they are with each other all the time.  But, like I said, this was a good week.  Why?  Because we were able to maintain the channels of communication open.  Both of us, even with our differences, were able to talk things through without shutting down or getting super angry with one another.  In every moment when we felt like it was too much, we sat together for a minute and said a prayer and were able to keep the Spirit as our companion.  We are growing a lot.

Ellie asked me in her last letter about what I was thinking about pursuing as a career.  Before the mission I was thinking about being a doctor, but you know me, my dreams change a thousand times every ten seconds, so I no longer want to be a doctor.  My companion was studying environmental engineering, which sounded pretty cool to me, so I'm gonna research some more when I get back home.  He told me that environmental engineers in Brazil have the job of removing full-grown trees from one place and then planting them somewhere else, which seemed pretty intense to me.  Who knows, I've got time to choose.

We have been learning a lot these weeks because of some trials, but it's been for the better.  We learned more about the importance of Family History, getting referrals from members, and helping the missionaries be organized.  Boss mode.

Love you all a ton,

Jack

Letter #75

We had a good week this week, just like all the other weeks.  It seems like every the week the mission is becoming more and more of an intense experience, because we always have a new challenge coming our way.  But like I said before, I think one of the greatest lessons that I have learned from serving a mission is from the example of the sons of Mosiah.

Alma 17:13

"And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders ofthe land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves anddeparted one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken."

That last phrase makes this scripture my all-time favorite scripture.  Why did the sons of Mosiah have such great success?  Because they had vision, they believed that what they were doing was something spectacular, something beyond comprehension. That's the attitude that we need to have every day of our lives, we need to believe that everything we do is going to be the best thing ever.  It's optimism at it's finest, and it makes life more fulfilling. 

Another cool thing that I learned these days that makes me want to live life to the fullest: nobody writes books about failed attempts.  We always here the classic phrase, "The good guy always wins."  That's because nobody writes books or makes movies about the average guy that doesn't ever succeed.  It doesn't even have to be a huge success, just some sort of victory.  

To illustrate my point, just wanted to include a scripture that said that a lot of people tried to rescue the lamanites from their own unbelief, but only one short scripture was written about them. And why wasn't their story included?

Enos 1:20

And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey;dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us.

Love y'all so much, hope things are going well!

Jack