Things are going good here. My new companion is from Fortaleza, Ceará, and this is his fourth transfer. He´s a good worker. We had an okay week, though, and weren´t able to find many new investigators. I´ve been spending some time trying to be happier with things as they are, so I focused on that a lot this week.
On a good note, I have made progress with my pizza! I finally got the dough to rise for the first time today! So that was exciting. Also, while looking through a pile of recently-discovered Lianhonas in our house, I unearthed a beautiful treasure that I´m bringing home with me.
A vinyl record of an A-ha album.
That has Take On Me on it.
Oh, yeah.
So, in other news, I marked with our ward mission leader to Skype from his house around 4:30-5 on Sunday.
Other than that, I got basically nothing. Well, one more thing.
So, I´ve been pondering a bit in the slow moments at home, ironing my shirt and other such tedious tasks about my life. What I´ll do and the like.
Later, I´d been reflecting on another thing. I´ve realized that I don´t like attention. Maybe it´s from being an American in another country with noticeably less diversity, and having countless drunks/children calling, "Hey, German! Hey, German, speak English!" Having members and non-members make a big fuss because I´m American or tall or have blue eyes and blond hair. It makes me uncomfortable And I´ll admit, I´d been nurturing the thought, "Well, when I get home I can just live a quiet life without attention." Then my current companion unearthed a box full of previously unread Liahonas (mentioned above), and I began reading. On Saturday, I was reading in one when I found a scripture reference, Matthew 5, 14-16, a scripture I often associate with Ella, as it had at one time been a favorite of her´s.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
I felt something that can only be described as repentance. If God decided that I was to be tall, that I would be one that naturally draws attention, who am I to reject it? If I have chosen to go into a career path that would involve a fair amount of publicity, how could I expect to escape it? God had given me to be the light of the world, having the privilege and blessing of being born into the true Church. If I am to garner attention without any effort or desire, then I need to use that to reflect the light of the Savior. I must "let [my] light so shine before men, that they may...glorify [my] Father which is in heaven."
I love you all. Have a great week. Until Sunday
Elder Blaylock
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