Don't Learn What You Can't Do

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