This week we worked a little in Key Largo and we stopped at the Key Lime Products store, and I bought a Key Lime Pie in the Keys. I forgot to have a frozen chocolate dipped one, but next time! Just thought I would let you know that I have checked that box of things mom told me to do.
It was delicious!!
Yay! Was it wonderful!?!?
It definitely was amazing, but I will say... that better than the pie was the smoked fish spread that we were given down there by some members! That was amazing! The pie was great too! I still have a slice left, maybe I will mail it to you... ;) or not... ;P
Smoked Fish....?? Hmmm, I am pretty sure the pie would have been better. Fish will kill ya!
... I can solemnly testify that that smoked fish was one of the most delicious things I have EVER tasted and almost, almost made me consider moving down to the Keys after the mission. It was literally a life changing event, you MUST try some smoked tuna.
I understand that your are solemnly testifying, but I think you taste buds are broken...
Well this has been a week of incredible changes, I may now have "advanced taste buds"!
Well this was a week full of changes, I realized due to training's and personal studies that things were not going to change in our area unless I changed and adapted to my environment, I needed to become a creator of circumstance, not a creature of circumstance. Yes, this area is slow. Yes, it is difficult to work with my companion. And Yes, people down here work a lot, but it is my duty and calling to figure out how to make it work down here in Homestead. And so that has been what I have done.
This week we continued our focus on members, branching that out to include less active members that are reaching out and trying to regain the gospel in their lives. Also, we changed when we harvest and knock doors from 5:00 to 7:00 because while that is prime teaching time, it is also the prime finding time here because the people get home about that time. Also, I have been trying to apply any and every training I have been given. Which is difficult because we have a new one every week. But I think the thing that has made the most difference to me has been realizing that the success of my area is directly linked to my obedience and faith. That is something that I have understood, it was a piece of knowledge that I could recite to anyone, but I realized as I read the talk, "Learning By Faith" by Elder Bednar, that faith leads to action, action leads to progress and progress leads to faith, this therefore creates an ever upward and continuing cycle. And so the implementing of my faith and obedience will help me to find the success that I know I righteously desire. And the Lord bore testimony of this to me this past Saturday. I had decided that it was pointless to harvest during the first few hours of the day, we never found anyone and it simply discouraged me early in the day. The attitude of discouragement is not the attitude of success, so even though we were on exchanges I decided that we should go visit a less-active lady that had asked us to come over a few weeks earlier. I regret to say that I really didn't want to visit her, when she had asked us over she had stated that she just needed the support of the missionaries to come by to help her get to church. There are a lot of people that just like us to come by and visit and shoot the breeze but make no progress and she seemed like one of them. But, for some reason she was the only lady I could think of that we could visit. And so we did. As I knocked the door I braced myself for a lady alone in her house that would try repeatedly to get us to come in, no matter how many times we tell her we can't, but was pleasantly surprised when I was greeted at the Door by a LARGE man. Who said, "finally it's da mishunarees" (he has a slight speech issue) Anyway, turns out that there are three kids in the family that want to get baptized, a 16 year-old, a 17 year-old, and a 9 year-old girl. And they ALL came to church yesterday and are preparing to get baptized this next Sunday! And like I said this made me realize that if there is something to do, an assignment, a favor or any thing, do it and do it with faith and the Lord will truly bless you. I cannot tell you the joy that I felt while we taught that family the message of the restoration, to watch joy return to the eyes of the mother who had long ago forgotten the beauty of the restored gospel and to see understanding enter the eyes of those teenage kids, all because we swallowed our pride and aligned our will with God's.
That is another thing that I have learned, "Pride is the great stumbling block of Zion" I have learned that Pride comes in so many different forms and we need to continually strive to strip ourselves of pride to unify ourselves one with another, because "if [we] are not one, [we] are not [his]" (D&C38:27).
But really there has just been an incredible amount of learning going on down here and I am just soaking it in, I really encourage you all to read both those talks and if you have to read them again, they have really changed my life, and my view towards my mission, life, and eternity.
Stay Strong, Push On!
I love you
ELDER PARK
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