Hey everyone! :)
I think that posting on this blog around once a week is really what it is going to come down to. I mean, that`s what I`ll be doing when I`m a Missionary. I know my parents won`t believe right now that I will be writing them one letter a week but hey, it`s gonna happen! And they can`t do a thing about it. ;)
First off, even though it doesn`t have much to do with the topic of this post, I have to announce that I have probably seen the neatest thing EVER last Wednesday, and it all happened because of a really weird prompting. So, I decided to get dinner at this heavenly place called Eastside Diner on Harrison Boulevard here in Ogden, and I was facing some off-time right after (about an hour or so) until I could legitimately go over to a friend`s new place to embark in a little apartment shower. So, after eating extra slowly, I left the restaurant and saw myself with nothing to do for quite a while, wherefore I went on a walk. I walked around part of the neighborhood I used to live in last year and felt some major nostalgia, and when I realized I still had like half an hour, I decided to walk around the Dee Events Center. Just like that! It was weird, because really, there is nothing to see there in this giant parking lot. But I just felt strongly that I should do it. After walking around for a good 20 minutes not knowing why exactly I was doing it, I decided to finally go over to my friend`s place. Anyhow, I walked by our Stake Center and saw that they had just got done with EFY for the day, which means like 800 youth of the Church were headed for the exits. And, here`s the great thing...all of them were singing Called To Serve! Just like that. No one told them to, but they just did it. The Spirit was so strong, I almost started crying! :) Such an awesome display of love and readiness to serve among the youth of our Church :) I can`t wait for all those who sung that night to be Missionaries :) I really want to give a hug to all of them, right now. It was just an amazing sight! For anyone who needed another testimony about God`s chosen generation (see my second-to-previous post), this would be it! I wish more of you could have been there to see this. I literally had tears of joy in my eyes while walking by. And y`all know how rare that is. It maybe happened to me once before haha :)
The actual topic of this post though is a pretty basic one. Preparation. Now, the closer I get to going out (Five months?? Ya bet! It will be there in a jiffy!), the scarier the thought of going on a Mission becomes. Let me clarify: I`m not peeing my pants yet. I know over a million people have successfully done this whole Mission thing before me. And when you look at just the last few years and the experiences I`ve made, I might be among the, say, 10 most prepared percent of those, ever. But I also know that I will return much more mature and brave and wise when I get home, so there must be a lot of potential for me to learn.
So, I made a pledge to prepare myself more diligently by doing a lot more of the little things and actually doing them consistently. So, here is my pre-Mission bucket list :)
[ ] Personal Scripture Study: Half an hour + /day
[ ] Prayer: Adding depth. Pray more for others than myself. Pray for my family & the Missionaries and the people they teach. And, pray before every meal and throughout the day, if necessary. Overall, make prayer a permanent companion.
[ ] Service: Once a day, AT LEAST. Oh, and just be kind and offer help to everyone.
[ ] Church Attendance: Don`t miss a Sunday till I leave. Severe illness exempt.
[ ] Personal Worthiness: See Jacob 6:12.
[ ] Temple: Go every two weeks. Be endowed by November 1 and do at least 3 proxy endowments, one sealing and one baptism session as a Priesthood holder.
[ ] Splits: It`s a little hard in Utah, so I would say one split a month, or at least five while I`m here.
[ ] Letters to serving Missionaries: Now, that`s interesting. Brother Simon from Institute asked us last semester to "raise our bar" in certain personal ways, and writing letters to Missionaries was one of the things I really wanted to improve on (and I failed epically). So, I want to write two Missionaries a week! At least :)
[ ] Institute: GRADUATE. This is my big goal, and it`s awfully close. Also, serve more efficiently and do everything to help the Presidency and the Council.
[ ] School: Get my Associates and at least a 3.8 for the fall and a 4.0 for the summer. Make sure I`m good enough for BYU before I apply there.
[ ] Social: Keep a social life and have some fun. That would be great!
[ ] Financial: Save as much money as possible before going out.
Those one dozen points should hopefully turn out to be really helpful. I want to close with my testimony (since the computer lab is about to close) that I know that preparation to return with honor is something that has to start way before going on a Mission. This path should be entered early and not be left for anything. I love Christ and His Church and I know with more and more certainty that it has indeed been restored on the Earth today, and that I am a member of it. :) And so should you by the way, if you`re not already. Go to mormon.org and ask the Missionaries there. They can help you! :)
Much love to y`all! :)
-- Pascal
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen