When you think life can't get better it gets better, and when you think life can't get any worse it gets worse, but really, it all depends on what way you are looking at it! If we keep a positive attitude and continually keep our focus on Christ we will experience joy even when things are hard! Having that said, I'm really not going through too much difficultly so it makes my job really easy! God is blessing me and I can feel all your prayers energizing me each and every day! We taught a ton of lessons again even with conference taking up two of our most productive days! I love looking back at the end of each week and reflecting, "How many lives did I change?" Each lesson taught represents a person, a faith that is trying to grow! In our shower my companion wrote: "How many lives will I change today?" In response I wrote, "Let's get to work and find out!" There are people waiting for us to love, care for, and serve! Let's all get to work and find out how many lives we can change today, tomorrow, this week, this life time!
Early this week after having a crazy busy hectic day, full of surprises and rerouted plans, I came to a conclusion that I've reflected quite often through out the week! Elder Honda turned to me and said there just isn't enough time in the day to do all that we need to! There are too many people to see, too many good things I want to get done! I thought about it and replied, "We don't have time to do everything but we do have just enough time do what is most important to us!" My question to you all is what is most important to you? What is a priority? Where do we spend our time? Do we care more about our Savior? Our family? Our Job? Or the next episode on Netflix? Where are we going to spend our time! For me it was a spiritual slap in the face as I realized I haven't been spending my time where I should be, with those that need my help the most!
Here is another event that took place this week truly touched my heart and changed the way I look on those I serve! We have been working with a less active woman who fell away from the church several years ago! She is this older black lady, who lives far from family, has marital problems, health issues, a smoking addiction, and feels like everything is against her! She has become a dear friend and calls us her son! She gives us hugs and kiss us on the cheek and is super friendly! Well, we have been full court pressing her with the help of the relief society! We have been making head way! We helped her throw all her cigarettes out and she has this unbelievable desire to change and come back! A desire to repent! We helped her set up an appointment with our bishop so she can start taking the steps necessary to come back! Well, Wednesday night came along, the night of her appointment, and our plans fell through! By total direction of the spirit we ended up at a hospital giving a blessing. Anyway, because God had moved our plans around we felt like we should go back to the church and make sure our less active was there! She wasn't! It was now dark and rainy and I knew we should call her! She answered in tears crying out to me, "Elder, I'm lost, I'm lost, I'm lost, I don't know how, but I'm lost!" It was heart wrenching but I was able to calm her down and give her directions to the church and met her at the door with a huge hug of relief and gratitude! She met with the bishop and is now taking the steps to come back! I look at this experience and wonder how many of us are lost or know others that are! There is always hope! There is someone that knows the directions to get us back to safety! No matter how lost we become there is a way back! If we are willing to keep driving, keep trying, KEEP REPENTING! We will make it back to those that love and care about us! We will make it home!
Conference was beyond amazing and I have never before received so much personal revelation at conference! Above all else two things stood out to me! I need to learn how to truly pray and truly repent! Things I before thought I knew how to do, but now realize I have so much to learn! As we pray and build that relationship with our Savior it as if we pick up the phone and cry unto him, I'm lost! Then paired with repentance, True repentance we then listen to His word through prayer to receive the direction we need to return to Him again with confidence! What a great lesson I have learned! I have such a long way to go but I am ready to listen to the directions I need to hear!
Sorry for the super long email! There was so much that happened and even more that I've learned! This week I got an interesting hair cut by one of the elders in the zone, I drank my first glass of milk, EVER, helped an investigator pull a four wheeler out of a muddy ditch, and was given gator tail to fry up for dinner... So hopefully I don't burn the place down trying to cook it and I'll let you know how it tastes... Love you all! Remember that "God needs brave sons (and daughters)" and to always "be ambitious for Christ!" Two of my many favorite conference one liners!
Love, serve, and repent always,
Your humbled missionary,
Elder Tracy
Our Awesome District
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