So sorry I did not write you yesterday, and sorry my e-mail last week was
so inadequate! I should have warned you that it was transfers! I no longer
reside in Corvallis, I am now in an adorable little town on the coast known as
Brookings. It's in the very bottom left-hand corner of Oregon, I actually had
to drive through California to get here! First time in the CA woot! I even got
to drive through Redwood National Park! SO GORGEOUS......
Yeah I was definitely blessed yesterday. I woke up at five, left Corvallis
at six, rode the transfer van to Grants Pass, got there around noon, then drove
with Brother Griffith to Brookings, arriving at about two. My new companion is
Elder Mock from Kansas, I'm follow-up training him, but he's very mature and
responsible so I probably have a lot more to learn from him. I also got
released as District Leader! (deep sigh of relief) I got to meet some of our
investigators who are on date for baptism, Maya and Renee. Maya is twelve, and
is very intelligent, Renee wasn't feeling well, but she came down at the end to
pray with us and is really nice. So is her mom, Jean (they all live together,
as well as a ton of other random people). I met some members and the Ward
Mission Leader, and they're all awesome.
Brookings Fun Facts: While most of Oregon's coast gets very cold in winter,
Brookings stays very moderate due to some complicated wind inversion thing
caused by the angle the Chetko river enters the ocean.
My whole mission up till now has been in the Willamette Valley (referred to
by the Indians as the valley of sickness), and I just crossed the Coastal Range
to enter the bizarrely named Illinois Valley.
I'm definitely enjoying the new glasses, but the driving privileges are
iffy. I never knew how bad of a driver I was till I became constantly monitored
by the dreaded tiwi. I was recently informed by the vehicle coordinator that my
driving score is a 1.4 (or something) out of 5 and if I got another violation my
driving privileges would be revoked. - n - It's not that I'm reckless, Mom, I
just have really poor handling skills.
I'm going to steal from Brittany and share a new favorite scripture. As
members and missionaries it is our duty to do all that we can do. We must
improve ourselves daily through careful study of the word of God, and through
constant prayer, and we must reach out to those who are in want of things
spiritual and physical, and to share what we have with them. This is how we
serve our Lord and King.
Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully
do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the
utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
(Doctrine and Covenants 123:17)
Some things lie outside of our power, and we have to learn to not worry
about those things. When we feel unsure of where we are and wish that things
were easier, we would do well to remember the advice of Gandalf the Grey when he
said, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide.
All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you."
Choose to do the very best with the time that is given to you. Time is so
precious.
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