Americaaaaa! Happy late Independence day. I hope you guys had a killer
time watching fireworks behind the middle school with the whole city of
Yorba Linda like we have every year of my entire life. I got to see
like, three fireworks. In people's front yards. Cause I guess that's
legal here. I also celebrated my independence by completely
disregarding several personal health standards. Ice cream and
candy-shop fudge for lunch (nothing else), twinkies and mini donuts
during our planning session, and the best banana pudding ever plus
Special K peanut butter bars at bishop's that night. I regretted
nothing. Except the mini donuts. Not worth it.
We had FHE with the ward mission leader and his wife,
Book of Mormon pictionary. We love them a lot, they're like our ward
parents. Except they're, like, my age. Or younger. It's only weird
sometimes. Weirder still when I get pictures in the mail of my own
friends, younger than me, that have babies. I can barely cook for
myself.
We aimed again for daily contact with the newlywed
less active, who jumps back and forth between being really committed (in
word) to do what's right and simply not caring i.e. not coming to
church because he doesn't feel like it. I'm glad he said he welcomes my
chastisement, because I went hardcore this week. I basically told him
(through the scriptures) if he doesn't bring his kids up in church and
they go off the deep end, the sin is upon his head because they were his
responsibility, I told him that the Savior rarely if ever did what he
"felt like doing" because he was always doing the Father's will and
NEVER thinking of himself. I told him that not coming to church is
being totally selfish, and refusing to change and overcome the natural
man is blatantly rejecting the Savior's Atonement. I did not tell him
that I wanted to punch him in the face for drinking with his friends on
the Fourth. But it better not happen again. I think one of the things
that stresses me out the most with this guy is this fear I have that I'm
going to have a son someday with his same attitude and it's going to
rip me in half because when it's you're own child, you can't say "welp,
transfer time, you're someone else's burden now!" It's a lifelong
stewardship. And if they don't change, a lifelong frustration. That's
just the nuisance of agency. They're free to choose, and some just
consciously choose the wrong. japgo;ish;lskdfj. But we'll worry about
that later.
I learned in my studies this week that if you don't
live the law of consecration when appointed to do so by an apostle,
you'll fall over and die. New testament. I learned in our continued
"end of the world" discussion at Bishop's that when we all have to leave
society and live in Independence, Missouri, we'll most likely be living
the law of consecration there. Better give it all, or you give up the
ghost (so says Acts chapter 5).
I got to teach my own family this week! The Valdez
family. Ha. His progenitors are from Mexico but we're probably cousins
somewhere down the line. They make good burgers and delicious fried
chicken at a local convenience store, currently don't have a church
(because everyone judges the plethora of.... artwork... on his body),
and he's curious because he worked in a jail and once saw an inmate
reading the Book of Mormon. We met them awhile ago and finally got to
sit down and teach them. Quite promising so far. We also got to teach
this young family, who totally look like Utah/Cali/Arizona Mormons, even
with the tats on the dad's arms (who also looks like he should play
guitar in coffeeshops on weekends) and they're really open. Said
they've prayed about the Book of Mormon and haven't got any "negative
energy" so maybe learning more is a good thing for them to do. (Answer
is yes, it's actually the best thing you will ever ever do.)
We've been keeping a tally of shirtless old men we
spot while driving around town and we're up to 8 for the week. One of
them we actually got to teach, Plan of Salvation because he said he was a
recovering drug addict whom God had preserved but for what purpose, he
doesn't know. So we taught the purpose of life. He liked it enough to
agree to another lesson. Maybe next time he'll put on a shirt. We can
only hope.
I know I've complained a lot about how hard the work
is out here (and don't think for a second I'm exaggerating anything
because for realz you don't even know) but like. It's like what our DL
told us once. In the world, it's like this: input --> output. Your
efforts determine your results. In the mission, it's like this: input
--> AGENCY --> output. There's this giant wall between the two,
and that's other people's freedom choose. To accept or reject. To act
or to ignore. To pursue or to cower. And there's nothing I can do
about it. I know it's how it has to be, because Satan's plan was that
no one has a choice and life is meaningless. But it's really a bother
to us laborers over here.
So I was reading in Alma 43, about how the Nephites
are battling the Lamanites, and the ill-prepared Lamanites are fighting
like dragons and somehow killing many Nephites through their armor, and
there's twice as many Lamanites so the odds of winning just aren't so
good for the Nephites anymore.
So they end up winning, of course. And it's all because they
remembered why they were flinging swords in the first place. Their
cause was noble and God-sanctioned, so of course He was on their side.
No battle is too big for God. I'm here to do that which I feel is the
duty which I owe to God. And even if I don't come out conquerer, if I
die before my journey's through.... happy day. All is well. At least I
was fighting for the right side.
Sincerely,
Sister Valdez
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