Hope everyone is doing well! Here's a quick accounting of our week.
First off, it has been super foggy!! For almost 4 straight days we had super thick fog. It was nice weather to do missionary work in though because it was nice and cool. At this time last year it was super hot in Cole Harbour, but it's always pretty pleasant here in Saint John. It's usually around 75 degrees. Perfect weather.
Anyways, weather aside, it was a pretty good week in other ways as well, even though most of our investigators have been sick or tied up with other stuff lately, so we haven't been able to meet with all of them.
Our Chinese investigator, Yaohui, is doing great! He even got work off so he can come to church this upcoming Sunday. He also came to the YSA activity this week and had a good time. We played this intense board game, and he destroyed all of us at it haha. He also brought one of his friends named Lee to the activity. Lee has sat in on a couple of our lessons, so we're hoping we can start teaching him as well.
We also knocked into someone named Beverley this week. She's really cool! She said she's been praying for spiritual guidance lately because she's been feeling a bit uneasy at her church. She thinks we might be an answer to her prayers. The sad part though is that she can't meet until after August 13th because she's going on vacation. I might be able to teach her during my last days in the field though!
This week during district meeting I was asked to give a training on goals. It was most likely the last training I'll give in a missionary meeting, which seems really weird. But, I really learned a lot as I prepared it. I read a talk given by Elder Marvin K. Ashton called, "The Word is 'Commitment'". In it there was a quote that stood out to me. He said, "True happiness is not made in getting something. True happiness is becoming something. This can be done by being committed to lofty goals.... To reap the full benefits of life, we must fill our days with commitment to worthy goals and principles. There is no other way." I loved that.
A practical application of the doctrine of Jesus Christ in our lives can be making, and being committed to, worthy spiritual goals. Examples may be attending the temple each week, reading the Book of Mormon for 30 minutes everyday, gaining a greater understanding of a certain Christ-like attribute we want to develop, resisting and avoiding a specific temptation we struggle with, or maintaining weekly contact with those we are assigned to minister to. The list goes on and on! Elder Ashton also said, "The journey of success," and I may add, exaltation, "is long and is dotted with a series of commitments to worthy goals."
I challenge all of us to set some worthy gospel goals. I also challenge us to actually be invested in those goals we set. Doing so will bring the power of Jesus Christ into our lives, and we will all become the disciples we want to and should be.
Love you all!! Have an awesome week!
Elder Haslam
