Dear Home,
First of all, the Transfer news. We got our call last night, and I'm staying in Oakwood (same address as before), but Elder Grimshaw's not. He's going to the Battlefords and will be serving with Elder Higginson. I'm going to miss him. It's been kind of a rough two transfers, but that's only because I've been coming to grips with how abnormal I am. I hadn't really noticed that it was a problem until I started serving in Saskatoon again and hung out with other missionaries more. Now I know when to be myself and when to be normal, so I'll be more "wise and mature in [my] conduct" from now on (Quote from the white handbook).
That's pretty much all I NEED to report. I want to talk about Tom too, but I'm not sure how much time I have left, so I'll just start and see how far I get.
Tom is doing well. He's been hanging out with the Andersons a LOT, and that's been really good for him. They have fun together (good, clean fun, which is more than his coworkers can offer him), and with the Andersons being as out-going and gospel-loving as they are, the subject of religion almost always comes up. And Tom /really/ loves to learn! The other day, we taught him the Plan of Salvation, and he wasn't done learning, so we taught him about the Atonement too. He has such great faith in Jesus Christ. ^^ He's quiet, but deep down, he knows that he's part of something bigger than himself, and after what he's experienced, he /has/ to know that the church is true. As he said himself, he's there in his heart, but his mind hasn't fully caught up yet. What does that mean, you ask? It means that we'll keep teaching him until his doctrinal conversion catches up with his spiritual conversion, and since he loves to learn, he has no problem with that. I'm really excited about Tom. He's such a great person, and his story is SUCH a testimony builder. Having seen his conversion unfold thus far, there is no doubt in my mind that this church has God's full support. I already knew the church was true, but after having met and taught Tom... Wow. It couldn"t NOT be true!
But anyway, I'm out of time. Talk to you later!
Love, your blessed missionary, Elder Andrew Robarts
2 comments:
Elder Robarts (or is it Elder Andrew - forgive me - I am not certain).
I have been a faithful reader (lurker) here since you left.
I have been a reader of Motherof8 and am a facebok friend of your mother's.
I would like to make one comment here.
BE TRUE TO YOURSELF!
"Normal" and "wise and mature in conduct" do not necessarily equate one in the same.
Remember... God made you who you are.
"Normal" is overrated anyway!
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "I know when to be myself and when to be normal"... and that is the key my friend... THAT IS THE KEY!
Just do not forget to be true to who you are.
From one "less than normal" to another... Good luck!
Yes, definitely don't give up who you are, or be fake just to fit in, but it's also good to learn what is appropriate in different situations.
It's fine to be goofy if you like to when you are hanging out with friends, for example, but it's not approprite to be goofy in the middle of a meeting or when someone is talking about something they take seriously.
Behaving with dignity & maturity shows respect for those around us, and that is something that should be part of all of us (normal or not so normal). We can develop different talents as part of being true to ourselves. Being true to yourself is trying to be the best you can be.
Good for you, Andrew. Learning these skills will be an asset in your life.
Post a Comment