This last week we got 105. Which was a real success, because we have usually gotten under 70. And as we were doing this, Elder Lowe and I were able to push ourselves to talk to more people. And, after speaking with these people we were able to Plan, Check and Adjust for the next time. We ended up with goals such as; testifying to everyone we meet and share a truth of the gospel, trying to learn what is important to them and then use the energy they have for it and attach it to the gospel so that they have a desire and drive to go to action on our invitations. I love serving and getting to know people if they let me. A lot of the time, they let their "experience" or walls get in the way of us teaching them. We are just here to love, serve, and help the people improve their lives by coming closer to Christ.
I have seen miracles in trying to improve myself as a disciple and representative of Christ. I am trying new methods, or in other words, learning what to focus on by reading Preach My Gospel, our guide to being a successful missionary, and hearkening to the Spirit!!! I want to give all I can to the 교문 area!!!
Tomorrow we will have our actual P-day, and we are going to the TEMPLE!!! I'm sorry I didn't have time to reply to any emails this week. I love to hear from you all. Here is what I sent as a response to my mom. This is what took all my time today.
She asked: Are you happy? Any hard things in life? Frustrations?
Yes!!!! I love being a Missionary.
Um. hard yes, but I like hard things, like when I decided to change my life back home. (Here are the turning points that made me who I am now)
~Millennial Choirs and Orchestra - beginning my freshman year - The birth of my own personal testimony of the gospel. I gained this through the STRONG Spirit I felt there and through the music and direction given. This gave me a chance to then testify of that truth through song with great power. (It just gave me the chills thinking about it.)
~ Landmark- August and September of my junior year- This opened my view of the possibilities in life and how there are so many things that I didn't know I didn't know. (There some things we know that we don't know, and there are things we don't know that we don't know. Things we are completely blind to.) I learned how to clear up all the negative and false perspectives I had and to open my eyes to more. I gained a hope for better things to come, even if all my questions and struggles were not resolved by this program it was the start of striving for a better, changed way of living.
~ Trip to DC- summer in between junior and senior year- I learned how great my love was for my family. I soaked in every second of Grammy time! I love everything about her!!! I learned that we can do things differently than what we are used to, I learned how to DREAM. I loved all of the life changing books that we read and listened to, introduced to us by Sam. The Magic of Thinking BIG (dream), Personality Plus, How to Win Friends and Influence People, etc. It opened my mind to all the many things that I can achieve and become when I let go of mind limitations and accepting what the devil wants me to think.
~ My Patriarchal blessing - beginning of senior year- It showed me so many different things. The main ones being God KNOWS me!!! How I really can accomplish anything I want to, from education, mission, career and anything else! It reassured me that I am doing good things and that I am on the right path. And many, many other amazing promises as I keep my covenants with the Lord. I have no doubt of the truthfulness of the Gospel! This further strengthened my testimony.
~ New Year's Resolutions 2017- I was asked to give a talk about this in church. I know that the assignment was given to me so that I could start reaching and stretching for more! Because of the many tiny turning points and things I learned while preparing for this talk, I actually set goals that I would be willing to do anything to achieve. I was going to have integrity and be diligent to my word because I know that with God I can accomplish all things. My goals were to be prepared for my mission by reading the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, beginning to end, between then and my mission report date, and to learn to play all of the hymns in our hymnbook, as well as many, many other goals. I wanted more for life and I had hope!
~ LIFE Leadership- Because of joining LIFE, I was able to keep myself committed to these goals. LIFE opened my eyes to more, and more, and more. There was so much to learn! The only reason I joined was because I SAW the change in Sam from before to now; and I wanted to have that too. I had no clue what it's details were, but I saw the results I wanted. And, there was so much more that I didn't realize was there. It is truly a company made to help you achieve your dreams and to improve yourself and life in infinite ways. If I hadn't learned all of these principles and skills before my mission, I would have been in shock!! And, blown away!!! Because of LIFE, I was able to get ahead of the game and learn things that I see other missionaries learning right now. I was even able to begin learning Korean through their program!
~ Going to Aaronic Priesthood Camp- before and after senior year- This really opened my eyes to acting on and experiencing the Gospel in all aspects of my life.
~MY MISSION- Thousands of Turning Points!!!!! So far, I am realizing that it is through relying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we truly become more and achieve! I have had too many more breakthroughs and realizations to say in this email!
The thing is, before these things happened, I hardly had opposition, trials, or hard things in my life. Having grown up in such a loving family and having a home built on gospel principles, kept me safe. I am Eternally grateful that I was born into a family like that because I was SO blessed!!!!! I was a good kid because of the Gospel, but, I had no huge opposition to push me, so God blessed me with these experiences and turning points to challenge me to reach for more and learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. It is the only way we grow. The Plan of Salvation says it clearly in 2 Nephi 2: 11-13 and Mosiah 3 19. There needs to be opposition for anything to come about, and it is through the Atonement that we can have all of the good things.
I love Hardship!
I didn't have time to make captions for the pictures, so good luck guessing. It is so beautiful here!
If you want to see short video clips from Elder Timmy, you can see them here on his youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa34Oh8fFsdtLSun6OfxhYA
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