Dear Mom,
The Indianapolis, Indiana Temple open house and
dedication were announced this past week and Elder Paxman found out that he
will miss it by 15 days. Yea I was really sad when I found out that I
will miss all the temple stuff... Although it will be alright, it just gives me
a reason to come back in August!!
We had a door bell ditching incident on Friday
night at midnight. I was very mad to say
the least and if I hadn’t been alone would have ran the delinquents down. I shared the whole story with Elder Paxman. The story was really funny, the little punk.
Although, he is also lucky I wasn't there. I am not going to lie, but I am
faster than dad and yourself, and I would run the little creep down. That would
be getting off lightly. Well next time
that happens we will make sure it happens a little differently... I can't make
a malicious face for I would :)
Would it be alright if Brooklyn and guy her
friends use your air soft guns? They may have already used them. ;-) haha Yea she can use my air soft guns. They
all can, it doesn't bother me one bit. I am sure they will take care of them just
fine. It made me laugh that she was the only girl.
How has your weather been? Any changes or moisture? The weather has been pretty moderate; 30's
most days, sometimes lower sometimes higher. No moisture what so ever. So that
will be interesting later.
Did you get your small package and was everything
intact? I did
get the package so thank you for that. I am giving the book to the family
tomorrow. So that will be really good. Everything survived in the package, so
that is also good.
Did you have to go with the Seymour Elders to
transfers or did they go alone? Who is
with Elder Porter in Seymour now? No they drove up on their own. So we just
stayed and did the normal day things. Elder Porter is staying and Elder Baird
is the new one. He seems great, very quiet, but that doesn't bother me.
How has the work been this past week? Any good lessons? The work has been pretty good this last week so
I will address that later in the email. The teaching is going good, still slow
at times, but better and we will keep improving if we can. We have had a few
good lessons this last week and I will get to that a little later.
We pray often that you will be able to find
people to teach. Thank
you for those prayers to find people to teach it helps us a lot.
Do you have a temple trip planned in the near
future? Will it be Chicago or
Louisville? It would be nice if you
could attend the Chicago temple before coming home, since you already got to
attend the Louisville temple. Yes so the Ramirez family is getting sealed in
February, so hopefully we will be going up to see that. It will probably count for my allowed temple
trip for the last six months in the field. Then I will have one more chance to
go sometime, and I am hoping that is with the Diaz family, if they are ready. We
will probably go to the temple in Chicago with the Ramirez family because that is
where they are from. So that should be really nice.
Any more service projects? I enjoy service and we are going to keep going
and doing the wood chopping one. It was really fun, plus that way I can get
better at it.
Do you spend a lot of time with the English
Sisters and Elders serving in Columbus? We don't really spend a lot of time with the
English Elders and sisters in Columbus. The only time is really P-day. Some
times on other occasions, but it is very very rare. The Seymour sisters usually
come up on P-days, but with the current mileage situation I doubt that, that is
going to happen.
You mentioned having all the church films
memorized, is that in English or Spanish or both? haha
yea I have seen those so much!!! I watch them in both, mostly Spanish so I have
them memorized in both languages, it makes me laugh sometimes. It can makes
thing fun sometimes when we joke around and laugh about being able to say the
words before the actors do.
Thanks again for all the prayers they really do
help us so much. Well this week has been really good. So there have been a lot
of good stories this week. Elder Ryan and I had a really good heart to heart,
where I hope I helped him see a few things and one of which is what I will be
talking about a little today because it was the same topic that came up with a
LA (less active). So we were coming home from church on Sunday when I felt just
a twinkling of a thought to go by a LA that lives nearby. She has always been
very friendly to us, but never really let us in for a lesson. So we knock and
she answers the door. We of course were smiling
and she was smiling and you know we exchange pleasantries. So we first start
talking about working out and stuff, because she is doing those things and so
am I, with the whole 6 months to sexy thing. (Which by the way is a lot harder than
it sounds). So we kept talking and she said something that caught my attention.
It was something insignificant, but we talked about it a little. I felt then to
ask her a few questions, which I did. Trying not to pry at all, but just very
loving and concerning. During our conversation it got around to her telling us
about some of the trials she had been having and how she has been exiling herself.
I won't go into a lot of detail with that because it is not my place. She also
shared some more emotional issues that she has, more along the lines of
depression. Now I don't really think I have ever suffered from depression
really, I don't know I usually find myself a pretty chipper person. Anyway, she
says give me a second goes inside and grabs a coat. (good sign it means she is going
to talk with us a while, we didn’t have our coats, coming straight from church.
I was in a sweater and my suit.) So she steps out (also because her husband
isn't home.) and we start to talk some more. It comes to the point where the
spirit was incredibly strong, and we kept giving her advice from our own
experiences. I told her, you know that is truly what we do as missionaries, we
try our best to help others and bring joy into their lives, I said the way we
do this and have it for ourselves is through our savior. Now more onto the part
I am going to focus on also as my spiritual thought. We kept talking and the
spirit was so strong! Lessons like this
one, where the spirit is so strong are the reason I came back, the reason I am
doing this in the first place (along with a thousand other reasons as well.)
Anyway we kept talking and offering her help about feeling alone and depression
and things of that nature. Until I felt so impressed to leave an odd commitment
and give her something. It started with something more like this. "You
want to know something, one thing that helps me get through the day, it is of
something of extreme worth to me. Something so small yet so powerful” I then
pulled off my missionary tag on my shirt. I said “this little piece of black
plastic means more to me than many things in this world. It has brought me more
happiness than I can think of, along with many trials and sorrows. I have
fought for this since I was a young boy, and I have even fought for it twice.
You know I want you to have it." So I gave her one of my tags. I told her
that in my mission and in my life, the tag has helped me in so many ways. I
told her that I have seen my fair share of trials, haha, but that my mission
has brought me hope and something to fight for. She took it and asked,
"How have you stayed so positive through all of this, through all you have
been through?” I wish I could just get inside your head, and see how you think
and what you are thinking." I then said do you want to know? She said
"Yea". I than said "right now three things are in my mind. First
off it is butt cold out here, we laughed. (Remember this is like 6:15 at night
and I don't have a coat) Then I said second, I have the wonderful opportunity
to be standing here talking to a wonderful daughter of God right now. And third,
I always know when I feel down at this time of night I can look up and see my
absolute favorite star. That is the gist of what I am thinking." I went on
to elaborate about how knowing that, that star (Vega by the way) is there I
feel a sense of belonging, a sense of peace and awe at the marvelous world we
live in. I have been blessed with a love of the outdoors. This is one of the
reasons for that, it allows me to know of the great love our Heavenly Father
has for each one of his children. Along with many other things as well.
I continued. (Now this next part is both from
the discussion with Elder Ryan and also the LA). I said that the tag has a
varying value. It is only really worth as much as we give it. It only means
something to those who fight for it and desire it, with all their heart, might,
mind and soul. Now the tag I wear on my chest has a lot of symbolism and
meaning to me, so it would take too long to get into too much depth. Although every
day I wake up get ready for the day and place that tag on my chest. Now after
the mission and during my little "Vacation" as many call it. I will
not be literally putting on a tag. But that does not mean it will not be
forever ingrained on my heart!! The little tag I wear shows I am a worthy
servant of my savior Jesus Christ. You look at a missionary name tag and
several things stick out. One is the missionary’s name, the biggest thing on
the tag. Usually engraved into it. This to me is a symbolism of how it should
be not just a tag, but a feeling we keep in our hearts at all times. Our name
is the name of those gone on before us; we carry their legacy; so make them
proud of the deeds you do while wearing their name, for it is theirs as well as
yours. So cherish it with pride. Second, is the Saviors name, showing who we
are here to represent, and who we have with us always. Now why is our name
bigger than His? We are not more important or better in any way that is
for darn sure. No, I believe it is because you are the one wearing the tag, you
are his messenger. You are chosen by him to do his work. "Every soul is
great in the eyes of God!" Including and maybe especially yours. Sometimes
we will not teach hundreds and baptize thousands, but it will be of no import,
if we can say when all is said and done, I did what I could, and I have him
always with me. He will forever be on my heart, just as he was for those two
years or 18 months, and for some even shorter. This tag that we missionaries
wear better mean a heck of a lot to them, for it does to me! And if it
doesn't... Change that; make it worth more to you. You don't even have to have
a missionary tag to make it worth something in your own life. For we should all
be wearing the Tag of Christ on our hearts. For every member a missionary, and
"I will not leave you comfortless; I will not fail thee nor forsake thee,"
rang the words of the Master. So for me although my time to wear the tag is
slowly (yet lightning fast) coming to an end. I hope to have it forever on and
in my heart. So that when "Some poor fainting struggling seaman"
crosses my way, I may be the lower light for him.
I have so much more to say on this topic
because I feel so strongly about it. But
alas I have already written a huge monologue. So I will close. I love
you all so much and hope that this week is an amazing experience for us all.
Remember that men are that they might have joy. There is always something to
smile about and be grateful for. I know it for I have felt it. I love you mom
and I hope that you and everyone else enjoys this letter if not... well too bad
I already wrote it! 8P hahahaha have a great week and thank you again for all
you do.
Love, Elder Paxman
