Title: Don't Hate--Consecrate
So absent-mindedly before I
took a shower the other morning, I said "don't hate--appreciate." I
don't know why. I just say things sometimes without really thinking
about them. So anyway, it came to companion study and my companion had
apparently been so inspired by that 3 word statement that she spent her
entire personal study studying charity and all of the things we could do
instead of hate--relate, create, instigate, rate, wait, congregate,
illuminate....and all other things creative. We had made a transfer goal
to be more charity minded, and so these little chant things have now
become our life. For example-- "when your companion makes you late and
you have to catch a train--don't hate, accelerate."Or..."when the road
is split in two so that a boat can go on through--don't hate, wait."
Or..."when the dikes break and put your life at stake, don't
hate--evacuate!"(hopefully that wont happen...but it is the first monday
of the month and that's always the day they test the dike alarms to see
if they work.) You get the point. We have decided that the overall
THEME for our transfer, however, is "don't hate--consecrate." And this,
because, well, have you read the talk "Becoming a Consecrated
Missionary"? That's why.
The crownin event this week
that helped me stop hatin was that General Conference. I love when the
prophet and apostles get up and speak. Their words are so good and I am
so glad to have been able to hear them. I am so thankful for the
opportunity that we have to recieve guidance and council from them.
They're words are definitely inspired and I learn so much. The spirit is
real there. We played conference bingo,ate an M&M for every time
they said the word "atonement," and enjoyed. The talks about love are
probably soon to be printed out and posted over our whole apartment.
This week was really special
because we had some really great days. We went from town to tuin (tuin,
pronounced like town, means garden in dutch. the backyard type of
garden. the ordinary garden. not the super special hof type of garden.)
anyway, we did a lot of garden work. I feel like doing garden work
really enhances one's understanding of the scriptures. On friday, we
basically lived Jacod 5 and the parable of the olive tree and grafting
in of the branches in the vineyard. I did a lot of pruning, all the
while, the phrase "I am the gardener here, and I know exactly what I
want you to be." and "thank you, Mr. Gardner, for cutting me down. For
loving me enough to hurt me"(if you don't know that mormon message, look
it up!) I did a lot of grafting in of the branches, all the while
thinking of the Savior's love for us and patience with us. It isn't
easy, grafting branches. You have to wait until they match up really
well and then bind em together. You have to make sure you don't cut your
thumb. You have to make sure the top isn't too heavy for the bottom to
support.But the servant in the vineyard goes forth everytime, to prune
and to graft in the branches, all the while knowing that there is
nothing more that He could be doing for His vineyard. What more could I
be doing for mine? I like to think that that is my mission question-- I
hope that I can look back and honestly be able to ask myself-- "what
more could I have done for my vineyard?" That is my unquenchable quest.
Highlights of the week (besides general conference and living Jacob 5) are:
-jumping on a trampoline
-holding a duck
-acquiring duck eggs
-swinging across a tiny canal on a rope swing
-climbing a tree
not sure if these things are
really that kosher with the white handbook but I wasn't able to find
evidence against it. Also, we were with an investigator..'s neighbor.
That's good, right?
well, kids. Don't hate.
Consecrate. Give life your all--these are your "four minutes." And if
you're thinking "I already messed up, I already blew my 4 minutes' then
you need to STOP thinking that and NEVER think it again."
Love's the only house.
xoxo
Zuster Hoff
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