Week 19 - "Pray don't talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing."

Hello, all!

This week's quote is from "Good Heavens Gwendolyn" in The Importance of Being Earnest. 

Things are pretty good here in Warren. The weather is starting to clear up, and that's good news for us: We've been running our mile count up pretty aggressively here at the beginning of the month, so we'll need to use our bikes more in the coming weeks, and clearer weather always makes that easier. Also, I've noticed as I've been here in Ohio that the weather really has a big impact on people's moods. I didn't feel like that was the case in Rexburg as much, but maybe I was just less aware of it. People in general are far less receptive and far less cheery on a cloudy day than they are on a sunny one. It makes the work a little difficult as far as contacting. So the problem we encounter isn't so much the weather but its effects. "Whenever people talk about the weather, I always wonder if they mean something else, and that makes me so nervous."

It seems like the weeks are going by faster and faster, but it also seems like the days that make up the weeks go pretty slow. Missionary time is a real thing. And then there are preparation days like today, which fly by before you feel like you've had the chance to attend to everything you need to. Because of that weird missionary time phenomenon, I'm having trouble thinking of everything that happened in this past week. I guess we'll start with conference. 

First, a funny story as far as that goes: Elder Anderson and I were planning to watch the second session of conference at the church building, and when we got there, no one was there and nothing was set up. We tried to watch it on our phones but couldn't (I think there must be something in the phone's governor that prevents us from streaming, even from lds.org), and then we tried to set up the satellite as well but didn't have any luck. We had to call a member last minute and see if we could crash their conference party. The Williamses were able to help us out, but we arrived late and missed the sustainings and Elder Ballard's talk, which we downloaded and listened to later. Also, Mom, Brother Williams served his mission in Argentina, Buenos Aires South around the same time you and dad served yours. You served in Buenos Aires North, right? It's a small world when you're a member of the church. Anyhow, after that we went back to the church, expecting that the priesthood session at least would be shown there, and then no one was coming, and we contacted a member, and he helped us remember that the priesthood session was being shown at the Stake Center, but not the chapel where we usually meet. So, as they seem to say in the north parts of the mission, "RIP miles." We ended up going 50 miles that day (when our allotment normally allows for about 30 per day), so we'll have to make that up on the bikes. And we arrived to the priesthood session late as well. I felt a little sheepish as a missionary walking into a session of General Conference late. So that was my crazy story as far as conference goes.

Good stories from conference, though, include the following: We watched the first session with two investigators who soaked it all up and were loving it. After the session was over they took us out to lunch, and on the way there one of the investigators said, "So what's the next step for us?" I was like, "Well, we'll keep teaching you, and then I guess baptism, if you're open to that." They took that pretty well. So I'm hoping they'll be our next baptisms. They indicated that they might want it done before the end of the transfer, which is the beginning of May, so we'll see what happens. They're awesome. I may have said this in an email already, but it seems like everything that normally raises some eyebrows about the church or about church history they just shrug off. They're like, "No, that makes sense." It's definitely a different experience. Also, we've been promising people that as they come to conference with a specific question, they will get an answer to that question. When we arrived at the restaurant to eat, one of the investigators said she had her two big questions answered in the first two talks. They told us after the last session that it was a wonderful conference, and they loved every minute of it. I'm trying to stay calm and not freak them out about how excited I am for them.

In other news, I got to be at a confirmation this past week, and after the man was confirmed, there was a noticeable change in his countenance. He deals with a lot of health problems, so he's kind of in misery most of the time, and he didn't seem like he was jumping for joy when we were about to confirm him, even though I know he wanted it, but after we had, there was a happiness and I light I saw in him that hadn't been there before. That's part of the reason I'm excited for John and Jeanne: I'm excited for the greater light and understanding they're about to receive as a result of that first covenant and first and second ordinance of the gospel. It will make a huge difference in their lives, and people will notice that difference.

As far as conference itself, I thought Elder Holland, Elder Kim B. Clark, President Eyring, President Oaks, Elder Renlund, Sister Eubank, Elder Bednar and Elder Kyle McKay knocked it out of the park. Even as some of them were just barely starting their talks, I felt the spirit tell me what was coming was important, and I wrote out to the side of my notes, "To study." I'm excited for when the messages come out in print. There was some really good stuff. I think one of the messages I appreciated the most, even though I didn't feel like I was in great need of it at the time, was Elder Kyle McKay's. I think he understands what it's like to experience mental illness, and he addressed the challenges some people face in exactly the way they needed to be addressed. I felt like he said all the right things. The message I felt like spoke to me the most, though, was probably Elder Bednar's. When he said, "Temple preparation classes should take place in your home," I was like, "YES." That felt so right to me. And it just got better and better as he elaborated. Also, on the topic of what was great about conference, didn't that choir from BYU just absolutely nail it? I'll be downloading their rendition of "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" as soon as I get the opportunity.

One of the things I noticed the most about conference was that I felt like the speakers and I were on the same page. I don't intend to elevate myself to the position of general authority by virtue of anything I've done, but one of the things Jeffrey R. Holland said in a talk called "Missions are Forever," which is shown in the MTC is that while the Twelve Apostles of the church are Apostles with a capital A, missionaries are apostles with a lowercase a. He encouraged all missionaries to take every opportunity to be apostolic, to live up to that calling. I say that because it's interesting: In the past sometimes I've felt like some talks in conference were difficult for me to relate to or understand, but I felt this time like everything was accessible and like everything that was spoken needed to be said. 

There's definitely power that comes with being a missionary. I've learned, however, that it's also true that "Whom the Lord calls, he qualifies." It's not the other way around. We are called, and then we must rise to that calling. Because of that, callings in a way become a privilege: We are given instruction from God to do something, and because he gives us that instruction and points us in that direction, we feel his help as we go in that direction. In other words, as we work to magnify our callings, we are able to grow and improve and make lasting change far more effectively than we would have had we not been called to the work we are doing, because our Heavenly Father is behind us all the way, helping us to grow and change and be better servants in his work, specifically in the arena to which we are called and the skills that calling requires

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That's basically it for this week--I'm sorry this email is probably shorter than usual: Conference just took up a lot of the week, so there were fewer missionary events to talk about. I encourage you all to revisit the talks that particularly struck you and study them. I know as we strive to understand more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our efforts will be magnified by the Lord, and we will be edified more than our own power could ever allow us to be.

Elder Davis