Shoot...so much has happened in the last week and a half...I don´t even know where to begin or what I should share.
Yesterday I had the privelage to work with a missionary in the city of Eindhoven. We had a solid day of inviting people and giving them the chance to hear the gospel. We were on plan to visit a member, who is going on vacation to America for 3 months, in the evening. I called them and told them about the exchange and asked if we could play a little prank. We told the missionary that this was going to be a first lesson with someone and that we had met them along the door a few days prior. We knocked on the door, were invited in, and taught our member friend, the 1st lesson. At the end, we had the new missionary extend a baptismal invite. When he did that, the member said, ''yeah for sure....but wait a second..'' They went and came back with all their scriptures and then the missionary learned that they were a member! Priceless.
It has been interesting trying to figure out how to do missionary work here. In Rotterdam, I got so used to being in a big city where as here in Eindhoven, everything is so spread out. It was so easy to travel with public transportation in Rotterdam. Everywhere was connected by trams, bus´s and trams vs here....you just have bus´s which take forever to travel around. We´ve been using the car to get around but we felt that being in the car felt that we weren´t getting to know the city or the feel like we were kicking the cities butt.
We´ve started to use the bus´s and be out in the open as much as possible in order to help us put in as much time as possible, as we do missionary work. We´ve been able to speak to a lot more people and have been able to feel good as we meet people who are happy to see us and also as we get to meet those are not so happy to see us : )
We worked with our good buddy and 5th companion, Harry, in order to make our front garden and backyard look like a real family lives there....a family or a bunch of ladies with class and good taste in flowers. It looks really good and it was nice to put some work into some landscaping #HeritageNurseries4Life. It looks really good for a bunch of young men and one not so young man. I bet if visitors came by they would not expect 4 dudes would live there. One of the missionaries worked for a flower green house so he knew a few things about what plants need what in order to survive and I knew a little bit about how to plant and make a cool design....plus we have my 2 other companions in the 4 man are really classy and artsy....so with all of us using our heads...and Harry being the final say...it looks pretty dang good.
We had Koningsdag on Monday. Our district head out to Maastricht and had a really cool area picked and made it so that it caught peoples eye. We spent a solid 6 hours in our spot talking to people, handing out cards, pamphlets and Book of Mormons. A lot of people wanted the missionaries to come by to share more so overall, it was a really good day! It was suppose to rain but it didn´t rain one bit throughout the day. The Lord really helped us there.
I've noticed the change in my motivation and my willingness to live the gospel grow the more energy and effort I've put into the Lords work or as I've strived to abide by His teachings. I was exhausted after our day in Koningsday. By the time we got home....we ate dinner and I had convinced myself that it was time I needed a nap, which would mean that we would've left us with only 1 more hour put in some work.
It's like life. Sometimes we do so good and are kicking butt but, eventually, we start to feel a sense of tiredness. We feel like we need a break or that we need to ''take a nap''. Which is 100% naturally. After all, we're all human. Praying, living and following in faith, repentance, and enjoying to the end can we sometimes feel like you're walking on a dirt path on a rainy day. It's hard, slow, tiring and sometimes we may just one to take a break and sit down.
I was kind of feeling like that after Koningsday. I felt like I worked hard and I put in my time. I felt like I did good and that take a nap was no big deal and more important. Energy and strength is needed in order to fulfill a weeks worth of exchanges. The more I was trying to reason my choice and convince myself that taking a nap was ok, the more I didn't feel comfortable with my decision.
I knew what I needed to do but I didn't feel motivated to do it. Luckily...the thoughts and feelings that I felt, helped me to remember and re-realize that my time isn't all that long to be doing what I'm doing. Matter of fact, we all don't really know how long we'll be doing what we're doing. We just know that in this moment and in the moments to come...that we have that time to give it all we got to keep trekking that muddy path.
Elder Ames and I grabbed our bags and a copy of the record of a people that has helped me come to know how precious time is and how I can best use my time. The Book of Mormon. We went outside and walked those streets and knocked those doors giving it all we had. For all that are reading this who know what a ''joggers high'' is. You could say that we experienced that. We eventually didn't feel tired at all and we felt like we could have kept going for a lot longer.
So is it in our lives. We may feel tired to help someone in need. To phone someone we haven't seen in a while. We may feel like we deserve a break or that we just can't keep going...but we've been promised to provided with all that we need to fulfill or tasks as long as we have the righteous desires. 1 Nephi 3:7 and all I can do is let you know that I've experienced it and to help you know that you can too. That's what life is all about anyways. Personal Experiences.
The more we go, the more we push...our good ol' Friend and Saviour, Jesus Christ will help you. Just keep walking that dirt path on the rainy day and know that the Sun will rise again and when it does...the path will not be so hard to walk...we just got to keep going with the knowledge and the hope that the sun will come. I've been blessed as I've read the Book of Mormon and the scriptures that help me understand and know what I must do in order to make the most of my time. It's my hope and prayer that we'll all make it a priority to read this special record. It's not just a book, but it's the experiences of an entire nation for hundreds of years. It's truly made for you at this time. But this life is about your experiences. I would invite you all to find our yourself and to keep re-discovering for yourself as you read it everyday. The more you read it...the more it comes together and the more powerful you understand the messages and guidance that your God has made for you in order to keep finding more happiness.
Love you and I'm sorry I forgot my camera. I wish I could send photos but hopefully next week!
Love,
Elder Holt
No comments:
Post a Comment