We're trying to write to Thomas as a family each Family Home Evening. We've been pretty good to date. I expect he will receive them in spurts since they are all being sent to the mission home rather than his address where he lives. I think this is a good plan, because missionaries move so often that they would have constant mail forwarding problems. I'm sure it also lets them see who is getting regular mail and who is not. Support from friends and family at home is so important!
Dearest Family-
So you're making the property into a bit of a farm, I see. I can't imagine how different it's going to look when I get back. You should send some pictures when everything is finished. Also, are you able to send a little photo "scrapbook" we were talking about before I left? It would be great to have pictures of everyone, and maybe a couple photos of Grant. I feel like if I don't have pictures I'll completely forget what everyone looked like.
My asthma is really kicking up now that allergy season has started. It's in control, despite all the walking, but it's good to be sure of things like that. In England though, they have free healthcare to anyone who has lived here for over 2 months (legally). So before too long, I believe I can apply for that as a missionary. I'll let you know how that goes, and how it works, when I've been here long enough.
So... this week has been busy. We had zone conference on Tuesday, which meant we had to take a bus all the way back down to Leeds, a good 2 hour trip. There were some really uplifting talks given, especially Sister Stock's, which really focused on developing Christlike attributes ourselves. There was a strange moment later though, when President Stock quoted D&C 93... more specifically, the exact verses that I wanted to put on my mission plaque before I left! It was so strange because the only time I've ever heard those verses talked about was in our mission preparation class in Sunday school. I took notes from the zone conference and it's helped me when I'm a little down, to look at them and remember what was said.
It's been easy to get a little dragged down this week. Almost all of our investigators decided to drop us or just aren't answering phone calls/door knocks. We found a couple new investigators and we're meeting again with them this week. But for the most part it's been hour after hour of knocking and street contacting, with not many lessons being taught.
Despite all this, I really feel myself being strengthened as I continue to find those people that the Lord has prepared. I'm sure Dad knows how it feels to go through all that, and maybe everyone has those feelings sometimes in their life. It's important, I've realized, to just keep moving on no matter what happens and to trust in the Lord that he has the best intentions for us. God isn't someone that would lead us deliberately through difficult circumstances without a divine purpose for it. The refiner's fire is truly at work out here. You can tell those missionaries that have been out a long time, yet continue to progress, because their strength and faith is visible to all those around them. My original goal was to come off my mission a better person, having helped people to a better way of living, but if I were to come home right now I would have already acheived that! And so, it's important that as we progress, we continue to set brand new goals that stretch us and cause us to make greater and greater leaps in faith as we trust the Lord.
Incidentally, one of my goals is to read and understand the Book of Mormon in Spanish, in its entirety, by the time I return home. I don't have much free time at night, but when I do, I devote it to reading El Libro de Mormon and looking up new words when I don't understand them. It's more of a fun goal than anything else, but who said having fun is wrong? :)
One of our investigators is 28 and he's into the same kind of music that I am, except he really appreciates the basics of music a little more than I did. I told him I can't really talk about or listen to much music, but he recommended that if I like Muse's singer (which I do) then I should listen to Jeff Buckley, who I guess is a guy with incredible range and a pitch-perfect voice who only came out with one album before he died. Since he's just a singer, I'm wondering if his music might be considered "uplifting" and I was hoping you could check it out for me. Right now we're only allowed to listen to MoTab (sigh), which is a rule that apparently not many mission presidents decide on, so if in July when we get a new mission president, if he changes the rules for music I want to be prepared. Don't get me wrong, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is nice, but there comes a point where beating your head on the table is considerably more "uplifting" than listening to the same 2 CDs over and over when your companion (and trainer) absolutely loves them. I am eagerly looking forward to the day when something else can be considered appropriate music.
As for letters, I have only received 2 sets of letters from the family thus far, the ones right after I left, and the ones in the package. Last week I also received a letter from Amber and one from Alisa (which is strange because Amber's letter is way older) and so just let them know, if they ask, that I'm writing back today.
Looks like I'm out of time again. I'm going to work on taking some pictures to send, because right now I was looking through my camera and they are all MTC pictures, I haven't taken hardly any at all since I've been out in the field. Good luck, and stay safe.
Love,
Elder Alsop
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