Week 89 - missionary "work" from the office. The Lord is still needed.

I´m sorry, it was a really crazy P-day and I´m trying to get caught up on all my work. I had hoped to start writing yesterday, but it didn´t happen. If it makes you feel any better, my week was just as interestingly boring as the week before :) 

I´ve been negotiating leases, which is really fun but really stressful. I´ve been practicing the best way to explain who we are and why we don´t make money and how the apartment will basically be a revolving door for foreigners without a background check or a job.... Nobody really understands the first time. My recent hurdle has been government subsidized housing - It´s exactly what I want, when and where we want it, but.... government protection does not include missionaries. I´ve become more Republican in the office because I´ve now seen what a massive, sprawling, ineffecient goverment does to normal life. Heaven knows we don´t need that. 

I´ve also been paying bills and trying to collect Security deposits - Old spanish people try to take advantage of the American with a only slightly high-school knowledge of Spanish laws, but I´m ok - they haven´t gotten me yet. One guy threatened legal action, another tried to make me pay 70€ for some sheets, and another one just sent me some bills that I already paid. But they didn´t get me :). 

I had an interesting thought last week when I got swamped with a bunch of stuff - and that thought was something I´ve felt at several different parts in my mission - how I can´t do it all by myself. I´ve been blessed with a keen intellect and it´s helped me through many tough spots. But really, the only thing that is ALWAYS guaranteed to push through a sticky situation is the Gospel. Met that several times where Stewart´s critical thinking couldn´t solve a problem but humble prayer could. Be honest, have faith, trust in the Lord, and things will all work out, like President Hinckley said.

Week 88 - Thoughts on Conference and the Prophet

This week was just about average. Right now I feel sick, have a landlord threatening a lawsuit, I´m behind on the bills, and I have a big ´ol tax project to start and then promptly finish.

Needless to say, although the week was just about normal, the day is not so great. Even though I did buy some half-off football boots which are going to make my feet feel a whole lot happier next Saturday. 

Thanks to busy office stuff, last P-day was not a writing p-day. So quick news is that my buddy Elder Regehr (of Sandy) has been replaced by a new friend, Elder Kirby, of Lancashire. He´s British and he´s fun to have around. He´ll be taking Elder Weiss´ spot when he leaves in 2 weeks. 

I want to take a quick second to share two things: The first is from the amazing General Conference we had. I was impressed by President Monson´s two talks, in part because they were short. I had been preparing myself to really listen to what he had to say (he is after all, el portavoz del Señór), and so I hung on to every word. I found myself thinking several times, "Why did he choose that? OF all the things he could have said, he chose to tell us about the sanctity of the Priesthood - and then in less than a minute the awesome power of what it can do." I mean, his talk was less than 4 minutes, and one of the key parts was a modern priesthood holder commanding a boat to turn around. That´s pretty wow. 

So all of that was on my mind when Elder Doxey (using our favorite digital area book that only the office has... yes.) called an American woman who told us she wanted a blessing for herself, her daughter, and her physically handicapped granddaughter. My first faithless thought was, "I sure hope she doesn´t ask us to heal her. It won´t happen." I struggled with this really up until we got into the visit. But by the time that we actually performed the three ordinances, I felt calm enough to say whatever the Lord wanted me to say. Elder Kirby gave the blessing to the little girl, and it was sweet, and short, and the spirit was strong. When my turn came to give the blessing to Barbara, I remembered what President Monson said and I knew I was going to say whatever the Lord wanted me to say. Among other things, I told her that we promised her peace and security from harm if she would hearken unto Jesus Christ. It turns out those were the two things she was looking for most - not a miracle healing. 

The priesthood is the power of God. I felt it, and I feel so honored to have that with me. Wherever I go, it goes - and if I honor it, those promises are much more than empty words. When we finished the blessing, Barbara was crying - who would I be to do something stupid and forfeit the opportunity to give that feeling to someone again? I understand a little more what Brigham Young said when he called the Priesthood an "onerous duty" - it´s hard work to be willing, obedient, and worthy at "all times and all places". It´s stressful. Sometimes, it seems easier to relax and not put the things of God at the top of the priority list - but I know that it was serious pondering of the prophet´s words that made me ready to have a powerful spiritual experience on Tuesday. I know even more now of how important it is to be a worthy priesthood  holder and to surround yourself by them. I know what a blessing it has been to have had that my entire life and if I don´t mess it up, to have it the rest of my life. It´s the one power upon which we really can ALWAYS rely, and as a result, it´s the only one that matters. No, I´m not going to slack off on my office duties, I´ll do the taxes and I´ll get the bills paid, but I´m so grateful for the absolute certainty that I have that those things are overshadowed by the need to worthily bear the Priesthood.

Love,

Elder Maxfield