Family,
This week has been by far, the best week of my life. It began on Tuesday with a multi zone conference with our mission president (The Best Mission President on the Face of this Earth). He started off by talking about the importance of missionary work. We read from ¨Preach My Gospel¨ about how ¨When all is said and done, the most important work is PREACHING THE GOSPEL.¨ Then he asked us how we were handling this responsibility. Were we treating our missions like the most import work on earth? He told us a story about when a return missionary reported to him one day. He didn´t even have to say one word to him. He knew from the moment he saw him, that he was not the best missionary he could be. He told us that the day we report to our stake presidents they will be able to sense the exact same thing. I took this conference as a pleading. He was pleading for his missionaries to focus and serve with their whole mind, might, heart, and strength.
Now, for the past like 10 months, people have been telling me basically the same things he told us. However they never really stuck. I heard what people were telling me, but it didn´t cause any change in me. After hearing my mission president speak, it sparked a huge change in my heart. I realized how important this mission really is for me. I only have 16.5 months left to fully participate in the most important work on earth. We can serve a mission and learn to be a good teacher and learn lots of doctrine, or we can serve a mission and learn to become a disciple of Christ; an unmovable force always abounding in good works.
Anyway, so this past week I felt that change… the change from someone who just does what is right and works hard to someone who is constantly trying to do what Christ would do. Every second, when a thought of soccer or something pops in my head, I try to switch my focus to how I could help my investigators. I’ve thought to myself countless times, what would Christ do in this situation? I have felt the difference. I have felt the difference in who I was, compared to who I am.
This change of heart and focus of mind has brought about a lot of changes. I realized finally that the numbers do not count the way I thought they did. They are important. But they are worthless if they are used to compare to anyone besides yourself. So, for the first time, I lost the desire to want to be senior companion or a leader or a trainer or anything like that because it is not what is important. They are all great things, there is nothing wrong with being any of those things but it all has to do with why I want to hold those positions.
So crazy enough, just at the time when I forget about being a junior companion, and not having that many baptisms, I get called to be a trainer. Last night, we got called and were told that I had changes. I packed my bags and this morning headed for the Terminal in Guayaquil. There, I found out I was now a Senior Companion and going to be a trainer. Immediately, I realized something else. I was changing sectors and going to be a trainer. This means I also have to open a new sector. Where? Tomorrow I will pick up my fresh new companion from the Temple and take him to Cuenca. Cuenca is 4 hours or so from Guayaquil. It has an elevation of something ridiculous. Like 6500 feet. And it is freezing. It is known as the rich part of the mission.
Anyways, I am super excited to train a new missionary. I am so thankful for my mission president and the things I have learned from him. Cuenca will be a very new experience.
I can´t believe Christian got called to Ogden with Ashley. That may be the funniest thing I have ever heard.
Love,
Elder McRae
This week has been by far, the best week of my life. It began on Tuesday with a multi zone conference with our mission president (The Best Mission President on the Face of this Earth). He started off by talking about the importance of missionary work. We read from ¨Preach My Gospel¨ about how ¨When all is said and done, the most important work is PREACHING THE GOSPEL.¨ Then he asked us how we were handling this responsibility. Were we treating our missions like the most import work on earth? He told us a story about when a return missionary reported to him one day. He didn´t even have to say one word to him. He knew from the moment he saw him, that he was not the best missionary he could be. He told us that the day we report to our stake presidents they will be able to sense the exact same thing. I took this conference as a pleading. He was pleading for his missionaries to focus and serve with their whole mind, might, heart, and strength.
Now, for the past like 10 months, people have been telling me basically the same things he told us. However they never really stuck. I heard what people were telling me, but it didn´t cause any change in me. After hearing my mission president speak, it sparked a huge change in my heart. I realized how important this mission really is for me. I only have 16.5 months left to fully participate in the most important work on earth. We can serve a mission and learn to be a good teacher and learn lots of doctrine, or we can serve a mission and learn to become a disciple of Christ; an unmovable force always abounding in good works.
Anyway, so this past week I felt that change… the change from someone who just does what is right and works hard to someone who is constantly trying to do what Christ would do. Every second, when a thought of soccer or something pops in my head, I try to switch my focus to how I could help my investigators. I’ve thought to myself countless times, what would Christ do in this situation? I have felt the difference. I have felt the difference in who I was, compared to who I am.
This change of heart and focus of mind has brought about a lot of changes. I realized finally that the numbers do not count the way I thought they did. They are important. But they are worthless if they are used to compare to anyone besides yourself. So, for the first time, I lost the desire to want to be senior companion or a leader or a trainer or anything like that because it is not what is important. They are all great things, there is nothing wrong with being any of those things but it all has to do with why I want to hold those positions.
So crazy enough, just at the time when I forget about being a junior companion, and not having that many baptisms, I get called to be a trainer. Last night, we got called and were told that I had changes. I packed my bags and this morning headed for the Terminal in Guayaquil. There, I found out I was now a Senior Companion and going to be a trainer. Immediately, I realized something else. I was changing sectors and going to be a trainer. This means I also have to open a new sector. Where? Tomorrow I will pick up my fresh new companion from the Temple and take him to Cuenca. Cuenca is 4 hours or so from Guayaquil. It has an elevation of something ridiculous. Like 6500 feet. And it is freezing. It is known as the rich part of the mission.
Anyways, I am super excited to train a new missionary. I am so thankful for my mission president and the things I have learned from him. Cuenca will be a very new experience.
I can´t believe Christian got called to Ogden with Ashley. That may be the funniest thing I have ever heard.
Love,
Elder McRae
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