Life is Always Changing...

Lake Butler, FL

Hello Family~

This past week has been pretty eventful, to say the least. I attended another funeral (I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but about a month ago, me and a couple other missionaries were pall bearers for someone who passed away in his early fifties) this week and it was [for] a young man whom we were trying to reactivate. His name is Randy and he became a member a little over a year ago and he had to overcome some major obstacles to be baptized. Late last year he was in a car accident and had to have metal plates screwed to his chest because, I believe, it caved in during the crash--and unfortunately, the doctors put him on some medication that he had previously struggled with and things went downhill from there. We have been trying to see him and teach him ever since I came to Lake Butler and were beginning to make progress and then it all ended. Last week, same day as today, he was walking home very early in the morning, in the middle of the road, and passed out due to some cause or another and was run over by a semi-truck and killed. He was 25 years old. It is strange to see how many deaths I've been surrounded by these past few months and it's sad to have to see. Two major differences between the funerals I went to, one family had the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and the other didn't. I'm sure you could imagine which parents and or relatives and friends had more trouble with the deaths. We are blessed to know what we know.

Secondly, on Sunday, just before sacrament meeting I was informed that I was to be speaking in place of the individual who had not come to church and soon after I received a phone call from one of the counselors in the Elder's Quorum letting me know that me and Elder Brown were going to be teaching the class. One thing I have discovered is that it is much easier to speak and teach when you are put on the spot. Number one, it forces you to rely on the Spirit; and number two, it lets you know the importance of preparation for the unexpected. Thankfully, I was prepared. Ironically enough, I was asked to talk on "obtaining guidance from the Holy Ghost". Figures, right? I did notice, however, that as I was speaking, my voice had a strange accent to it--not much, but enough for me to notice--perhaps I was only being expressive (wow, I'll bet you never thought it was possible), or maybe the Deep South has corrupted my voice box. I guess we'll find out soon enough. A couple things I learned from the experience is that it isn't so much what you say that matters, rather what matters is that the Spirit is present and testifying of the words which you are speaking. Funny enough, I ran across a scripture last night that I thought summed up everything I needed to learn about teaching and speaking, and even life in general:

Doctrine & Covenants 63:57-58

"And again, verily I say unto you, those who desire in their hearts, in meekness, to warn sinners to repentance, let them be ordained unto this power. For this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words. For I, the Lord, am not to be mocked in the last days."

The simplicity of the verse is very powerful in its effect. Going along with what you told me, Mom, I'm positive you can figure out what I learned from this scripture. And if you think my imagination has gone wild on me, next week I'll tell you what I learned :) All you need to do is ask the right "questions" and you'll know!

One other scripture I read yesterday that I really liked, I found it just before I was to speak in sacrament:

Jeremiah 29:13

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

If we search with all our hearts, we'll find the Lord.

I'm nearly halfway done with James E. Talmage's Jesus the Christ and I have found that it isn't as hard to understand as I previously thought. One thing is certain, however, you have to pay very close attention to the words he uses otherwise you most definitely will not understand. As I have read it, I have come to learn that the Savior is the most brilliant, inspiring leader there ever has been. I think there is a reason the scriptures teach us that it is life eternal to come to know Heavenly Father and His Son. The more you learn about Them, the more you want to become like Them.

Anyhow, some of the mission-wide changes include an allowance for member dinners (provided we are creating a family missionary plan with those we visit), a reprieve of nightly phone calls from district leaders and the freedom to become our own mission president. Granted, there are stipulations to all these things, but in general, I like the changes. The Lord wants us to learn to rely more heavily upon Him rather than any other when it comes to missionary work, and so, we will no longer be having monthly zone conferences, but quarterly; no longer are we having monthly president's interviews, but quarterly; and transfer meetings have become non-existent. We are to study, pray, and study and pray some more, and learn to be taught and guided by the Spirit in all things that we do. It is a wonderful opportunity, but our personal responsibility has greatly increased as well as our accountability. It has come the time for us to be the ones who take care of our areas (entirely), rather than our leaders. They are there to help, but only on matters of great import and nothing more. I like the idea, simply because I never liked being told what to do anyways--but even more than that, this is a great opportunity to learn and grow and become who I'm meant to become. This applies to everyone else as well--we all have a great opportunity to do what is right and to grow, or to remain the same and possibly fall even further backward. Choices...so many choices!

Before I go, Eliza asked me to respond to her question as to whether or not I missed and everyone else also:

Yes, I do miss everyone, and I think about my family all of the time. That means you included! I love each of you very much and am always thinking of ways that I can be a better example to you, my younger cousins and siblings. That is one of the most important things I think I have learned while being on a mission, that love is the greatest gift that you can ever have. Keep on smiling and doing your very best and before you know it, I'll be home again :) I love you!

Tell everyone else that I love them as well and thank them for all that they do. Tell Uncle Dave & Aunt Michelle thanks for the package they sent and that I am planning on making the brownies and scones real soon! Tell Uncle Mike thanks for his email and for the neat pictures attached! Aaron, Billy, & Kendall, I love you and hope you have a good week and I'll talk to you soon :) Bye Mom, bye Dad, I love you too!

Love~

Austin

"If It Ain't Greasy or Fried, It Ain't Good!"

Lake Butler, FL

Dear Family & Friends~

This past week has been a long one and despite some of the good things which have happened and the many changes which our mission is now undergoing, I can't [help] but feel slightly overwhelmed and stressed out. Sometimes life just isn't fun. I guess it always depends on how you choose to view your situation, whether it be through an optimistic lens or something else; nevertheless, it has been rough. Being a Senior companion is slightly more difficult than I imagined--mainly because the burden of making decisions rests almost solely on myself. Not that I don't get some degree of help, but it is a more trying position than normal. I guess I cannot say that I haven't been a leader before, however, it is still different than being a captain on a sports team. The main difference being that one deals with sports and the other deals with bringing Heavenly Father's children back to Him. Slightly different type of pressure. When it comes to choosing what to do, I compare it to my experiences with painting and drawing. Since I absolutely have to have what I draw or paint come out perfectly, I'll often sit there and wait until I am mentally prepared enough to begin. Then it becomes a constant game of maintaining perfection throughout the work until it is completely finished, no matter how long it takes. I'm sure you understand quite well what I am saying, Mom. Remember the essays I wrote for my English AP test? The ones that never quite got finished because time ran out?! I have learned much about making priorities, yet as far as organization is concerned, I still find the majority of my problems. Why? Because I have issues with perfectionism...and it's killing me. I'm sure there is some hidden lesson as to which I will soon learn as to why trying to be perfect is not a good idea, but I have a feeling that it is going to need to slap me in the face before I can entirely understand. One day I'll get it. However, we are commanded to be perfect, so am I contradicting myself? Who knows...only time will tell and I'm sure it will speak up soon enough. Patience is key! :)

I have been asked a few questions concerning life in Florida and so I'll do my best to answer them right now! First of all, it is extremely hot, all the time. The humidity is like a constant wet blanket that covers the immensity of all the land and so there is no escaping (except when you go inside!). The people in Florida are, for the most part, a very religious people. I cannot tell you how many times I have been out walking around, or inside of a restaurant, or grocery store, and had someone pass me by with a "Hallelujah, Brother!" or "Praise Jesus!" exclamation. It is definitely different than Utah. However, I would venture to say that although there are many differences in culture, the people I have been surrounded by are generally kind and considerate. Everyone talks to everyone and nobody is shy. Also, you better be able to eat, because they will stuff you! I have been told several times by several individuals, "If it ain't greasy, it ain't good!". Good old Southern cookin'! We eat meat with just about everything and I'm quite positive pork is the staple food. I have never had so much pork in all my life--hopefully it isn't enough to give me gout when I'm older. I've heard from quite a few people it feels a lot like broken glass stabbing into the bottom of the feet and or hands, everything being ultra-sensitive. Insects populate nearly every square inch of the ground and apparently a spider can be found every four square feet in Florida. Banana spiders are a lovely asset to some unkempt homes and they can grow to fairly large sizes (Elder Brown and I saw one about the size of a Book of Mormon). Yesterday I saw one that was about the size of my palm and I got it to walk on a shovel and I tossed it into a pond and almost immediately a fish jumped out of the water and chomped it for lunch. The other day I watched someone blast a hole through a venomous rattlesnake with their .12 gauge shotgun. Florida is a wild, hot, humid, and very green place. Trees, plants, grass as far as the eye can see. There are streams and ponds everywhere. The clouds are the biggest, puffy things I have ever seen and the sunsets here are always beautiful. That is about as much as I got for today on the wonderful environment of Florida, but hopefully it will suffice for now.

It is wild to think that everyone is going on missions right now! Tell Robbie's family hello for me and that I hope they're doing well! Same with Chase's family! How cool is this? Everyone is going on missions!!!

...I figured I'd go ahead and share my favorite scripture (as of this moment) with the teacher's quorum as well: Alma 41:15 and it reads:

"For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all."

The reason I like this scripture is for many reason, but the main being that it lets us know that what we give from ourselves is what will be returned unto us in the end. I learned that Karma is actually scriptural, haha! What you want most in this life, if you put forth your best to get it, the Lord will make sure you have it. On the other hand, if your desires are not good, and what you want are things not aligned with God's commandments, then unfortunately those are things as to which you will receive. So it gives us further insight to the Lord's teaching on keeping our eye's single to His glory rather than anything else, since if it is Him we want most, then it is Him we will receive. I'm sure as you ponder it for a little while you'll come up with more thoughts about this fun scripture. Soak it in, you'll be surprised what you learn!

Doctrine & Covenants 88:62-68

62 And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that you shall call upon me while I am near--
63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
64 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;
65 And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.
66 Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness--in the wilderness, because you cannot see him--my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see Him; for He will unveil His face unto you, and it shall be in His own time, and in His own way, and according to His own will.

Another neat one :)

I love you all and I'll talk to you next week!

Love~

Austin

Finding the Right Words...

Lake Butler, FL

My Dear Loved Ones~

These past few weeks have been very interesting as to the things I have been learning and the experiences I have been having. We have been doing well and have been finding many people to teach. It is always nice to have people to teach, especially ones that will listen and who take part in the lesson. I won't go into all the names of the people we're teaching, since that would take a little too much time; however, they are wonderful people and we have hope for much progress in these coming weeks. One thing I have definitely learned over this short period of time is the fulfilled promise of being given what to say in the very moment that you need to speak (D&C 100:5-8, I think...) As I have studied the scriptures more and more, it would almost seem that I have an endless supply of things to say and to relate to those whom I speak. I have discovered that listening is also key when it comes to gaining trust from our investigators and in teaching the gospel. When you listen intently, and with love, you are given what to say when it needs to be said, and the words you speak by the power of the Spirit gain the trust of the individual or family you teach. Over and over this experience repeats itself and it may well be one of my favorite experiences to have!

We have been provided many member dinners lately and at each dinner we share a spiritual thought. Each time it is our turn to speak, we are directed to some scripture or another that is specific for the family we are with and the message it contains is always what needs to be given. Also, when it comes to teaching class when the assigned teacher is absent, same thing happens. One experience I had earlier this week shocked me... Elder Brown and I were teaching an older woman, whose ex-daughter-in-law is a member of the Church. Over the course of the discussion we managed to get on the subject of "why bad things happen to good people". We spoke about the constant wars in the Middle-East and how although it is a terrible thing to behold, the Lord allows such things to happen. She asked us why and we taught her about the gift of Agency. After Elder Brown shared his thoughts, I decided I would expound a little further, and so I told a story, hopefully to illustrate agency in a clear and simple way and to answer the question of the subject we were speaking. I told her that if, at this very moment in time, I wanted to change the course of my mission and life and go and get drunk at some bar or another, I very well could. I told her that after I had become drunk, if I so wished, I could get in my car and choose to drive while under the influence of alcohol. I told her that after I got in my vehicle and took off down the road, I could choose to speed; however dangerous my driving was in my current condition. I told her that there could be someone patiently waiting at a stop light a few hundred yards down the road and that they could be the most innocent and kindest person she ever knew, this person may have never done wrong in all her life. That this individual could be the most happy, bright and shining light there is around; the type of person who never fails to make your day a better one, who always leaves you smiling when they're gone. Yet, I continued, because I chose to drink and drive, my reckless behavior caused me to crash into this wonderful person as they began to travel on the green light. And that as I hit this poor girl going 80 mph, I ended her life and certainly she didn't deserve such a thing...but because I chose to do what I did, she was lost, and it was my fault, and I am the one accountable for my actions. She was innocent, yet she was taken to the Lord before her time because of me. There was nothing she could have done to stop this thing from happening, nor was there anything anyone else could have done to prevent it. Nevertheless, the Lord allowed it to happen, and now she is with Him and she is in a better place and has found peace from this troubled world. As I was sharing this story with her, I noticed about 2/3's of the way through she began to cry and began to weep sorely... As the story ended, the former daughter-in-law said that my story hit a little close to home. As it turned out, this mother had lost her daughter to a drunk driver a few years earlier...and the story I shared brought back all of the memories. I couldn't believe it! There is no way I could have ever known such a thing, but the Lord knew she needed to hear this story to help heal her heart and bring her closer to Him. The story put things into proper perspective in her eyes and now she is starting the process of healing and repair. Strangely enough, midway through the illustration I felt that I knew this thing had happened in her life, yet I felt moved to continue anyhow. So I did. We'll see where it takes us with her, but I think over time she will be ready to start anew and begin her life again by starting over with a promise to the Lord, which is baptism. I'll let you know how it goes over the next few weeks.

I'm glad to hear that all the farewells went well and that Robbie and Chase were able to deliver good talks. Robbie had been asking me several weeks prior for some advice on what to say, so I gave him a few pointers, but mainly left it up to him to pray and study so that he would be given what to say when he spoke. I can't believe it's already time for them to enter the MTC, but I'm excited for them both and I know they will have a wonderful experience if they will stick with their decision to serve. Missionary work is HARD!!! But I don't think I would ever be where I am at today, even ten or twenty years down the road, had I not decided to go on a mission. it helps you to be the person you were always meant to be, and for that, I am very grateful. I know they will share the same experiences, but in their own unique ways and times. It's good to hear that some of my friends were asking to see how I'm doing. It's always fun to see how people have changed and grown over time. Hopefully they're all doing well and I'm sure things will work out for them so long as they do the things they're supposed to do.

Until next week, have a good week and I'll talk to you soon!

Love~

Austin

Happy Fourth of July from Lake Butler

7.5.10
Dear Mom, Dad, Aaron, Billy, Kendall, Family & Friends~

I finally got to meet President & Sister Barry. They are wonderful! I am so glad to have them and I know I will learn so much from them. I think that they are just the example I need at this time to help me prepare for the future. We are going to be learning a lot more from the scriptures and a lot more from Preach My Gospel. I'm glad, because I love to learn, and I love to be taught by someone who is good at teaching. Not that President Newman wasn't an excellent teacher, but what I needed to learn from him was more of an attitude thing, one concerning boldness and confidence. I am grateful for all he taught me and I know it will benefit me for the rest of my life. But I also know there are things that I need to learn from President Barry and I am excited to see what they are. One of the stories he told was of a young boy whose mother wanted him to learn the piano. So in order to motivate him to learn she decided to take him to the concert of a world famous pianist. They were seated near the middle of the stands and the concert hall was packed. As the time grew near for the concert to begin, the mother lost focus of her son and was absorbed in a conversation with one of her friends. Soon after, the lights began to dim and the mother hopelessly realized that her son was gone and she knew there would be no way for her to find him. The crowd grew silent and the stage lit up; there sat the young boy upon the bench of the piano and the audience quietly listened as he played a child's rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". From behind the curtain the world class musician walked out and he silently walked behind the boy and whispered into his ear, "Don't stop, just keep playing". Then the master placed his left hand beside the boy's left and his right hand beside the boy's right--and he began to play. The audience was mesmerized at the sound of the beautiful music. [President Barry] then went on to teach us that oft times we are like the little boy, doing our best to play a simple melody and in so doing the Master comes in behind us and whispers gently in our ears, "Don't stop, just keep playing" and then proceeds to work the most gracious of miracles right at our sides. He said to us that we shouldn't give up, but that we should continue playing and the Lord would come to work a grand miracle for each of us. I thought it was a neat story and it really motivated me to keep trying my best. I thought of the joy the boy must have felt as the Master played with him, how excited he must have been... If he didn't want to learn the piano before, surely he wanted to learn then. I know we can have the same experience as the young boy as we decide to "keep playing" in our own lives. What joy we will have when we begin to see the Lord work within our own lives! Anyhow, I thought I'd share that fun story.

The 4th of July went well, but we too watched our fireworks on the 3rd. Whether we were supposed to or not, we did anyways. And we had fun being able to watch them! I love fireworks and I was glad that I didn't miss the tradition of having fireworks in July. My companion and I are working well together...I like Elder Brown and I know that he will be a good missionary.

All in all things are going well here in Florida. And I'm glad to hear things are going well back home. I'm glad the 4th of July weekend was a good one. I'm glad you are having fun reading the book (Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Wendy Watson Nelson), Mom. The Alma 5 questions activity was a lot of fun, wasn't it?! I've read that chapter quite a bit lately and I've tried to visualize the things Alma spoke about. I realize I still have a lot of work to do, however, more than anything, I want to be able to stand in judgment with clean hands and a pure heart. So it is good to check myself every so often to make sure I am still on track for where I want to be. The world is going crazy on us, but at least we have one thing that will always stand still...and that is our Savior and His teachings. We at least have reason to hope and reason to have joy. That is what matters most. I love each of you and I hope you all have a wonderful week this week. And I'll talk to you next Monday! :)

Love~

Austin