Well this has certainly been an interesting week for me. I have definitely seen a lot in just the short time I have been here.
Well to start off, every single appointment with investigators that we had fell out this week. That includes them coming to church as well. I see this as a test of patience and faith. Oh well, going back to last weeks email about goals and wishes, I have a circle of concern and a circle of influence. The circle of concern is what I may be focused on mentally, but the circle of influence determines my actions. I just need to define these... haha.
I was reading what Joseph Smith wrote about persecution and such. He said, "Marvel not, then, if you are persecuted; but remember the words of the Savior: "The servant is not above his Lord; if they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also"; and that all the afflictions which the saints have to pass are the fulfillment of the words of the prophets have spoken since the world began."
I was reading that yesterday and I thought, wow it totally is true. Every time someone yells "sect" or "satan" or "pharisees" at us, it really makes sense to me. It's really sad to hear them but nonetheless they are there.
And as I went on reading, Joseph Smith talked about how just when we are going to do the most amount of good, the most amount of opposition comes in out way. It is so true. What I have found is that people downplay and even outright deny the power of the opposition of good. It exists and I believe that is one of the precious pieces of knowledge that has been lost over time. It sure is scary.
Well on to other things, Elder Birth and I love chocolate. It only fits that we are in Germany where the chocolate is amazing. Last week we got a ton of chocolate and a ton of ice cream, it was awesome, but at the same time it was pretty bad. We came up with a quote: "The easiest way to get rid of a temptation is to give into it. Then its no longer a temptation but a regret." I will just let you savor those words of wisdom.
It was so bad last week, that Elder Birth and I had a massive sugar crash. We named it "The great sugar crash of the 12th of August." It was really bad. No energy. Haha.
Also, I got these awesome talks from Elder Mayle by a guy named John Lund. We listened to one recently and there was something in it that struck me pretty hard. "Mature love is when you learn to appreciate differences and not resent them." It just made sense to me. It applies both to married life, dating life, missionary life, and just life in general. I find that when I focus on people's good qualities and spend less time focusing on imperfections of others, I am generally more happy. Truth! This is truth!
Well, we wont have zone conference until the second or third week maybe in September. So yeah. Oh well. I was actually hearing some good advice. When you send Christmas packages, make sure you send them a couple months early otherwise they will get here late. Deutsche Post... crazy.
Well, that's about it for this week. Hope all is good and I will hear from you all next week!
Elder Trevor Baker
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