April 29th, 2013

Hey!! How are you all!?

So we have this investigator, Elmira. She is an angel. She is so ready to get baptised, and she worked up the courage to tell her husband and his reply: "You can do whatever you want... after we get divorced." 

Devil.

So he put this ultimatum on her, and she's determined to get baptised, but she doesn't want to get divorced... so she's stuck between to flames right now. 

She brought her friend and her friends daughters to chuch with her this week. They all loved it and are coming next week. I love people who have caught the fire and just want to spread the joy with those around them! It's one of my favorite part of seeing someone's progress in the gospel, because they become this big... candle! that's not under a bushel! 

This week ahs been really bi-polar weather-wise... cold hot cold hot. It's not too bad, but the rain ruins it. I don't like rain very much as a missionary. 

So I didn't write anything down in my planner about what I wanted to share this week... so I'll just share 5 things I'm grateful for about serving a mission here. These are not in order of appreciation, I'm just thinking of them as I go.

1: I love learning how to live with someone. If I didn't learn how to do this, then what on earth would make me change myself so that I was more pleasant to be around? honestly, I would do what I wanted my way all the time and... no one likes that guy.

2: I love learning what a companion did for you months, even years down the road. I'm still learning things from my trainer, things I didn't realize he taught me at the time. Yeah, I had a tough time with him, but as every trainee does, I take back the way I thought I felt about him. 

3: I'm grateful for the faces I've remembered. Many of these people I won't see until the other side of the veil, but now I realize that that's simply what I said to them last time too. Luckily next time, I won't ever have to say that again. Plus, this time when I go through the veil, I won't forget them.

4: I'm grateful for strengthening my friendship with God. To paraphrase Regina Spektor, many people laugh at God until something bad happens in their life. No one's laughing at God when their kid doesn't come home from his party. No one's laughing at God with their husband walks out on them with three kids and no job. I'm glad to say that now, I really understand a lot better my relationship with him. I'm happy to say that I can laugh with God.

5: I'm grateful for my family... finally. haha! I always loved you guys and everything, but I had a hard time showing it. And honestly, I don't know how easy it will be for me to show it when I see you again, hopefully easier... haha! But honestly, I did not appreciate what I had. I have seen a million and one different paths of life at this point. I have seen dark paths and light paths. Crooked paths and straight. I can never deny that the straightest, brightest path I have seen out of all of them are the paths of people in THIS chruch when they work together as a faimly. I want to cherish that more. it's a rare blessing in this world.

There are a billion other things that I'm grateful for because of the knowledge and experience I have obtained here, but my little activity to drain time worked... and now I'm out of time. 

Love you all!!

Elder Skvortz.

PS: Christy, I'm sorry, I don't have time to write you back this week!!! Write me aother email and I'll write you next week!! But write me so that I don't forget!