***June 15, 2004 JOURNAL: Plane Ride to Guam
We just passed over the international date line. Back in Utah it's about 10:30 pm, LIGHTS OUT!
It's been an eventful day. I didn't get to bed until about 1 am.
Yesterday was interesting. Elder Duthrie and Elder Wagner did leave before the sun came up. The rest of us got to go to the temple. Always a good experience. We didn't do sealings this time though. I feel as if I wrote about a million letters yesterday. But I know it was only five or six. I really want to be able to write to more people, but I'll will do the best I can in the time I'm given. I can't believe our MTC time is already over. Sad. I'm going to miss these Elders. I don't know if I'll ever see them again. Lots of goodbyes.
Sister Wagstaff and I slept through the alarm this morning. Two sisters came to get us at 4:30 am. The time we were supposed to be at the travel office. We left 45 minutes later with another group. We made it to the airport in time for our flight to Hawaii. I told Sister Wagstaff her job was to make sure I get back on the plane in Hawaii to go to Guam. Our flight from Hawaii to Guam was delayed two more hours, giving us a four hour lay over in Hawaii (hello!). But it was good. I called home, talked to those folks. Dad is the new branch president with Brother (William) Michael Sessions and Brother Herbert Franco as counselors. Called Greg mostly to offer my condolences about his dad being in the branch presidency. I can't believe that it has been almost a month. Greg once said that time in the mission field flies faster than in the MTC. Too fast!
GOOD: Got on a plane in Hawaii, didn't stay home, got to talk to family and friends, I feel good about this
COMPANION: has a new nephew, good humored, conversationalist, understands the gospel, understands the Book of Mormon, is willing to help those in need
15 April 2013 God Knows Me, Yes He Does
I remember sitting in district meeting after the our last devotional meeting and the question coming up about calling home at the airport. I remember President Eddy saying, he had no official position on whether or not we used the airport phones to call home.
I remember having the realization that I would be flying home before going onto Guam. I also knew that while at the Honolulu Airport I could have, at anytime, called some friends to come and get me and I would have never made it to Guam or Pohnpei. Luckily for myself, and the two hour layover that stretched into a four hour layover, I had a better sense of purpose related to the work I was about to do.
Last week I studied, "For Peace At Home" by Elder Scott. His talk will probably still be referred to. This week I am moving to Elder Holland's talk, "Lord, I Believe."
Yesterday, I was sitting in sacrament meeting letting myself get down on my kids behavior and feeling weighed down by some seemingly minuscule trials. I wrote down my complaints about why do we bring our kids to church when we have to struggle with them for the hour of sacrament meeting and so on, and so forth. Then I looked at the Relief Society Lesson for that day and read the following tagline quote from President Lorenzo Snow, "Every man and woman who serves the Lord, no matter how faithful they may be, have their dark hours; but if they have lived faithfully, light will burst upon them and relief will be furnished." It was a tender moment, where I knew the Lord was hearing my pleas for understanding. But God didn't stop there. The missionaries shared the following thoughts when they each bore their testimonies:
- Doctrine and Covenants 58: 2, 4, "...he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven. ... For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand."
- trials deepen our faith and our understanding
- it's not up to us to remove ourselves from the refiner's fire
- trials as a missionary taught him that life after serving a mission won't be all smiles and butterflies
- the Lord will strengthen us as we are obedient and serve diligently in our callings
- where there are trials, the Lord is there also
- the Lord will not tempt us, but he will try us
The lesson in Relief Society was entitled, "Faithfulness in Times of Trial: 'From the Shadows into the Glorious Sunshine.'"
- The Lord has determined in His heart that He will try us until He knows what He can do with us
- He will try us,and continue to try us, in order that He may place us in the highest positions in life and put upon us the most sacred responsibilities
Heavenly Father saw me coming and met my needs in church. He answered the prayers I didn't realize I had be saying and comforted my soul.
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