A Day in the Life

 

 

Sometimes, no matter how much one tries, one cannot avoid gluten. That's what I've learned this week. We had two eating appointments one day that were basically only gluten. It was rather delicious, but not that healthy for this pile of bones.

The next morning,

I awoke and felt like I'd been flattened by a steamroller....the Mannheim Steamroller to be exact.

Hehe

Anyways,

I stumbled through morgen sport, like a puppet on a string, except the puppet master was a puppet novice and got all of the puppet strings tangled up.

So I moved on, and tried out getting ready for the day.

I was blow drying my hair, dog paddling through my thoughts like a chewawa in a hurricane, and without thinking, I yanked the blow dryer cord out of the outlet.

 

I pulled too hard.

 

The outlet was hanging by its wire threads, pulled completely out of the wall.

I grunt...partially in panic

Then grumpily stick it back in the wall, trying to get it to fit.

I tried too hard.

It got stuck, half way in, half way out.

I attempted to yank it out again, since it worked so well last time, but it stayed stuck.

I had to pray it back out...

 

I wasn't feeling too hungry, so I grabbed one of my special yogurts to eat for breakfast.

(I only had four for the week)

 

 

It was frozen.

 

 

But that's ok, because it was actually tasty frozen.

Speaking of frozen nourishment...

I missed out on spiritual nourishment because I kept falling asleep through all three hours of study, and was basically a zombie by lunchtime.

After a short nap, I jerked awake, but I felt as though I awoke to a dream rather than from a dream, like I was stuck in some missionary level of Inception, and the top kept spinning and spinning...or maybe that was my head...

At this point in the day, I'm about ready to call it quits, so I pitifully cry to Heavenly Father in prayer, and He reminds me that sometimes days are meant to be endured for a stretch, just until we get to the happy bit. I told Him I'd keep going, but I didn't think I was going to be able to do a very good job.

 

Little did I know what was in store...

 

We get to city central, so we could do our chalking finding activity.

Sister Megli and Elder Beverlin start drawing the plan of salvation, and I look at Elder Ostler, who immediately starts contacting people with his signature "HOW!" hand sign and authoritative "Hey, Entschuldigung, Herr.", then I look at all the people walking by me and I'm like

Uh...I've been turned into a cow...can I go home? (name the movie)

But I knew the only way out was up, so I start talking to people.

 

Out of the corner of my eye, I see these two...well...German dudes, and I was like

Uh oh

And all of a sudden we were talking.

And all of a sudden, he was proposing.

 

Flattering, with a refillable side of awkward.

 

He tried all of his angles. I tried to let him down easy at first, by saying that I couldn't because I'm a missionary, and he immediately asked me when I would be finished with my mission.

 

Uh...

 

Then he's like complimenting me on my looks with a "Mama Mia!" finger kiss

 

And I'm like

 

Ehhh?? Chubby white girl with a side of sourpuss? Whatever floats your boat! (actually it was more like. Eep! May your ship set sail, and may it sink in a sudden summer storm, because that ain't happenin, Sonny)

 

I wish him all the best, and I'll be forever grateful to him for shocking me out of my gluten stupor.

 

The best part of the day, however, was by far the opportunity to have an appointment with two people who were deeply interested in the church. Their questions were beautiful, and the Spirit was there. It was the Balm of Gilead, and a clear witness to me that things were going to be ok.

 

We also met with this amazing person who asked us a lot about faith and how we can have faith deep enough to facilitate miracles when the human mind is so susceptible to doubt. A scripture from Mormon came to mind.

Mormon 9:25

To me, faith without doubt means acting on hope without having all of the answers.

Sister Megli and I talked to a lot of people about hope these last couple of weeks, and specifically what brings them hope. So I ask you the same question.

 

What brings you hope?

 

Perfect hair, unfrozen yogurt, a specific text, an award, recognition?

 

What fills your soul with self-peace?

Here is some wisdom from Elder Maxwell:

 

"Thus we see, brothers and sisters, how we are justified in being of good cheer for ultimate reasons--reasons to be distinguished, however, from proximate circumstances. If, for instance, our attitude towards life depends upon the praise of men, the level of interest rates, the outcome of a particular election or athletic contest--we are too much at the mercy of men and circumstance. Nor should our gratitude for the gift of mortal life depend upon the manner in which we die, for surely none of us will rush eagerly forward to tell Jesus how we died!

 

  Instead, Jesus calls upon us to have a deliberate trust in God’s unfolding purposes, not only for all humankind but for us individually. And we are to be of good cheer in the unfolding process."

 

Even if the unfolding process sometimes makes you feel a little "bent out of shape" know that this Sister missionary in Germany knows it's worth it, and knows you're worth it. It brings me a startling sense of hope to realize that I am worth the pain I experience. And so are you. The goal is always to lay it all at the feet of Christ. Have the boldness, the courage, the consistency, and the heart to give your insecurities to Christ and have Him transform them and you into something breathtaking.

 

 

So, here is my proposal:

*Take one things that hurts you, that scares you, or that tears you down, and write it down on a piece of paper.

*Then find three ways in which this thing has brought you hope, or brought you to the Savior.

*Then think of one example in Christ's life where He felt something similar.

 

These kind of activities are the ones I sincerely dislike, so I'll give you an example so you know that if I've done it, these no excuse for you not to. ;)

 

*shutting down when I feel like people think I'm dumb

* 1) compassion for others 2) practice not being an object, but an agent 3) more prayers to see the situation more clearly--stronger relationship with Christ

*Mark 6:1-4

He did it, so that we can too. The plan's perfect. That I can guarantee. Go figure out why. He says we can prove Him, and He'll bring us hope every time.