Dear mom,
This week
was busy- busy- busy. We were running around all week to the far reaches of
Florence to visit people. I don't remember if I told y'all about K. yet, but
she is a lady who was taught by the Greer Sisters who moved down here. Well she
is doing great, and will hopefully be baptized in the next few weeks. We also taught her relative, D., who is 12. He is going to be baptized on
the 16th if all goes well. It's interesting teaching him for 2 reasons: he is
quite young, so his understanding is limited, and he has almost no knowledge of
the gospel. He knows "God" exists, but had no idea what God is. So
teaching him is fun. Anyway, that's how things are going with our
companionship. The Stake had a meeting last night about missionary work with
all the RS presidents, ward missionaries and WMLs, and all the Priesthood
leadership. All the full-time missionaries in the zone were invited as well,
and President Holm made that invitation mandatory ha-ha. He was there, too. It was a great meeting! I
loved it! One thing that really stuck out to me was when President Barfield
(the stake president) said, "Don't learn what you can't do." Why bother
trying to figure out things that you can't do instead of focusing on things you
can and things you need to do. I thought about that, and the clearest analogy I
could come up with is this: Why would I go out and buy a pair of high-heels to
try and walk in, only to find out I have not the equilibrium to do such a
thing, when I could have safely spent my time buying a pair of shoes that I can
walk in and using the rest of my time to do good? Exactly. President Barfield
is a great man! I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him here in Florence. We
meet with him monthly to do Stake coordination, and we talk a few times
throughout the month. He is awesome. Stake Presidents have a lot to do. It
surprises me how the Church asks so much of us, but it still somehow works out
and we get everything done we need to.
This week,
starting today, is something called "the Big Lift," and "No More
Strangers" firesides here in the Florence Zone. Elder Memmott is off to N.
Myrtle Beach and I'm off to Cheraw at 4:15 today to go with the companionships
there. The Assistants and a few other people on the "lift team" are
coming in to go on exchanges with all the missionaries in the zone. This has
happened a couple times before, but the last times I was one of the companionships
being lifted instead of the missionary lifting. I was kind of bummed when I
found out no one would be lifting me this time... Sometimes I wonder why the
Lord trusts me so much. I can tell why he trusts everyone else with leadership,
but I always look at myself and think, "Why me?" I think we all have
reason to ask ourselves that at times. But then somewhere down the road the
things the Lord trusted us with have worked out for the better, we see the
promise given in 1 Nephi 3:7 was fulfilled, and we realize that we, too, have
learned and benefited from the leadership role. I'm not going to just lift the
Cheraw missionaries, but rather to be lifted by them, too, if not more so.
Anyway, that will start today (for your information mom, cause I know you will
ask, Elder Memmott is riding with the rest of the lift team to meet their
companionships in Conway and I am getting a ride from a member, Bro Prommasit
(who helps us with everything! He's a great guy) up to Cheraw. And the Sisters
coming to lift will drive their own car so that we don't break the "no
elders and sisters in the same car" rule.), and end tomorrow with another
fireside. This fireside is going to be awesome! The zone has lots of people
committed to coming, and there are always miracles at these things! Elder
Memmott and I had to get it all organized and scheduled, so I hope it doesn't
end in a disaster, as somehow I seem prone to experience ha-ha. Conway, Myrtle
Beach, N. Myrtle, and Georgetown (they are not in our stake/zone, they're in
Charleston, but Conway is way closer for them) are all going to a fireside in
Conway on Wednesday, and Florence, Cheraw, Sumter, Hartsville, and Marion will
be here tomorrow. The Conway Elders are in charge of their fireside, so we
won't be going to that one. Thank goodness, we hardly get any time in our area
anymore. I kind of hope I get released from leadership this transfer so I can
just go be a junior companion to a missionary who is better than me.
One thing I
have been studying lately is the difference between the Holy Spirit and our own
spirit. Notice when you read the scriptures the capitalization on the word
Spirit. Sometimes it will be "according to the Spirit" and sometimes
it will be "according to the spirit." I'm learning a ton about
accountability, and about the trust Father in Heaven puts in each of us to
"be agents unto [ourselves]," rather than sending the Spirit to tell
us what to do all the time.
Oh yeah. So
the past couple weeks my huge muscles and my old shirts have been having some
run-ins. I have busted the sleeves on a few of my shirts.. So I've been
replacing them as I go. But it is fun when my huge muscle bursts out of my
shirt and there is a huge ripping sound and everyone turns and looks. The only
way to respond is, "I can't help that I'm so huge." Everyone just
nods in agreement, and a few look away in shame as they compare their puny biceps
to my massive hammer arms. J/k I just made that up. But I am busting my shirts.
That part is true.
There was
once a minister from another church who spoke with the Prophet Joseph for a
while. As they parted ways, the minister said a closing prayer to their
meeting. He prayed sarcastically and boisterously things like, "Thank you
God for sending your mighty prophet (sarcasm) to be with us today,"
and so on. After the prayer, the Mighty Prophet responded, "Thank you for
that prayer. But you don't need to pray like a jackass for God to hear
you." Ha-ha. That's my prophet!
Love y'all
so much! Have a great week and I'll talk to y'all next Monday! Love you Jami!
Feel better. I command you to feel better. Or I will slap you when I get
home. J/k, but I'm praying for ya! Love ya!
Elder Seaver
