This is an all-too typical response from my companion. Classic.
31 October 2024
大家好！Hey Everyone!
How was Halloween! Or Day of the Dead? Or All Saints Day? Or All Souls Day? Our Halloween was among the most boring days of the mission. Elder Kim and I struggled to figure out what to do all day. We knocked on a couple doors and found no one at home, and we also felt like knocking on doors wasn’t the right thing to be doing that day. We eventually found a service project for the cemetery, so we tried that for a bit. We ended the night at home with the lights out as directed by our mission pres., but we did have a bowl of “treats” for any passers by.
It’s funny how effort and results correlate differently in different scenarios. Last week felt a lot like God magnified our efforts a ton! This week felt like he allowed us to struggle a bit. We made extensive plans to bring our friends from the reserve to Stake Conference—setting up rides, calling friends, coordinating routes, double checking with friends, meeting up with the members, triple checking with friends—and still no one made it. Cowabummer! Stake conference was good though. The stake choir was really trying! The visiting authority had a cool backstory with the Community of Christ! He was a big fan of singing hymns loud and fast, to which I said “AMEN, BROTHER!!”
We had a big volleyball activity on Saturday for the youth that was fun . . . not much more to that.
I've been thinking a lot recently about this painting by James C. Christensen, titled "Gerome Spent His Free Time Daydreaming of Being Reincarnated as a Snake."
The artist said he painted this on a goofy left over piece of canvas, but said, “the more I look at Gerome, the more he speaks to me. I think it’s true that the things we devote our time and energy to are what shape us.”
There have been quite a few times recently where I’ve felt a bit like Gerome (often before 9:00 in the morning). I’ve let discouragement or plain laziness get the best of me and get in the way of some happiness that I could have had. After all, Happiness is not something that we enjoy unless we make things Happen in our lives. Being proactive brings joy! Doctrine and Covenants 88:124 has always been a favorite verse of mine, since it blatantly addresses the procrastination and avoiding responsibility. This week I challenge all of you not to procrastinate! Make a plan or a routine for your days and follow through with it, and when you feel like putting something off, remember the words of the Lord and “cease to be idle.” You truly will find more satisfaction and Happiness as you work to be proactive.
Have a great week everyone! Love you all!
爱你们！
Elder Baer 熊长老
照片：
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yBaTy1Mc3BcoogrG6
District Halloween Doppelgangers
-What the Duce?!
Halloween Snacks by Elder Kim!
for trick-or-treaters
nutha landscape
Volleyball youth activity
What is this!? Does anyone know??
[Answer: it's a disc harrower, used to return crop residue to the soil and to prepare fields for planting. Look's scary, doesn't it?!]
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