Where Your Treasure Is

This week was a hard week for a lot of reasons. Life is overwhelming right now just with school and soccer and everything else going on, and it's hard to balance it all. I'm also really struggling with keeping the gospel central to my life. I'm missing church more often than I'm able to go so obviously I'm not taking the sacrament as much as I would like so it's hard to remember to put the Lord first. I'm also having a hard time with friends and feeling like I fit in with the people I'm around. I miss Mikel because he's my best friend and there aren't many people that get me like he does. I miss having someone to talk about everything to and he would listen.

The biggest thing I noticed about his email this week is how different he sounds. He sounds so much more focused on what he's doing and loving it more and more each week. He's not so focused on home and doesn't sound near as homesick as he did, so that makes me happy. :) It's hard though, because the less focused on home he is the less focused he is on me, which is so selfish of me to want him to be like that. But I want him to be focused on what he's doing much more than on me, because that's the whole purpose of him being there. It's just an adjustment, and just like adjusting to him leaving it will take time for me to be okay with it. It's just hard to miss him and not have him say how much he misses me back haha, which sounds silly saying it out loud.

Cool house with a lizard decoration on it

some views of Kimberly

He got to go to Bloemfontein to watch the Bloem Celtics play against the Orlando Pirates. He said it was really fun to go to a professional match, but it still doesn't beat going to a Real Salt Lake game back home. It's funny because they obviously had to pay to go to the game, but then on Sunday they didn't have enough money for food so they ate popcorn for dinner.. good planning boys hahah.

They got to do a lot of service this week which he said was good because it makes you love the people! He got a compliment from a lady while he was working in the garden. Gardens there you use a pitch fork like thing to pull up and break up the ground, its pretty labor intensive so while he was working he ended up forking the whole garden. The Lady then said nah, you cant be from Utah, Utah boys cant work like you do haha. She said he must be from somewhere else to have learned to work that hard without stopping. So he said that was a nice compliment haha.

Popcorn for dinner haha

That's not water.. it's sewage. Nasty!!

There was a section in his mass letter home that I really liked that I want to share. 

"A couple of weeks ago I talked about a FHE activity to write down what you would write to your family in 30 words or less, (try 20 to get the full effect)

I wrote.."Dear family and loved ones. Love God, Serve All, Love All. SMILE, LAUGH, pray and read often, visit temple frequently, together forever. You are never alone. I love you.

this is what I wrote to my family and loved ones in 30 words or less. it shows what is important to you, what would you want your family to know if you were separated from them for years and only got one last chance to communicate back to them"

Isn't that interesting? What would you say if you only had 30 words or less?

He says missionary work is exhausting, not physically but spiritually. He said: "Constantly seeking for personal revelation and divine guidance is exhausting and when you come home you just want to go to bed and morning comes fast. Its definitely the hardest thing I have done thus far in my life. I have learned more than I ever could have back home though. I have learned about myself, people, and God and wouldn't want it any other way. There are still hard days and you miss home and loved ones and all those you left back home, but its so worth it and I know there is still so much more for me to learn and do."

Their two investigators, Deane and Erica, are progressing really well but they just have a few things to overcome before they can be baptized. Deane has a smoking problem and doesn't come to church consistently, and Erica feels that she can still do good in her church but knows that our church is true because of the priesthood. So hopefully they can overcome those things, he says that he is optimistic and praying that change will come to Kimberly.

I miss him like crazy but time is flying! He's learning and growing so much and I'm so proud of him. He sent me the cutest thing in my personal email: "My favorite scripture this week was all of 3 nephi 13, but in particular verse 21"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."   

it made me think of you :)"

He found a domino's pizza and almost cried! haha

Their chapel

"Eish life is tuff, I feel like me and you have always struggled with friends and feeling like we are accepted and I think its part that it is tuff and part that we always want to be included and we forget that they arnt trying to exclude us its just they go do something and we arent around. I know things will turn out and you will make friends that will last forever, just give it some more time, you are still settleing in to this new world and it may take some time to really find your place socially, scholastically, and in sports.

It honestly just sucks so bad missing you but I see the blessing coming already and it keeps me going knowing there is more in store, I cant quit and stop now, there is so much more for me to learn and do. I love you babe!

Love always

Elder Mookie"