9-28-15

Goddag Alle Sammen!! 

Stress. That's the word I would use to describe this week. But in a good way...  I think. Basically I just have a plethora of things to do all the time. Which is a REALLY good place to be at as a missionary. I would rather have a million things to do than absolutely nothing to do (where I have also been on my mission). Elder Vance and I have so many different responsibilities and assignments and nobody really understands how stressful it can get but us two. We have trainings on trainings on trainings to plan for, splits to travel to, tickets to buy for other missionaries, messes to clean up left by other missionaries, investigators to constantly think about, numbers to report on, call ins, a suicidal less-active members we have to keep a constant watch on to make sure he doesn't make another attempt at his life, the list goes on and on and on... but I've learned a very important principle from it all. You really do have to forget yourself to find yourself.

The scripture Mosiah 2:17 has never made more sense to me. I've learned of the power and blessings of service. Never have I been happier on my mission than I am right now because I NEVER have a spare moment to think about myself. Time just flies by and memories make themselves. It's beautiful and simple and I want the rest of my mission to go like this. Thinking about others and being proactive is 600x better than pouting and worrying about little old me. And that applies to everybody. So I'm grateful for that lesson I've learned :) 

Our Colombian family is doing great! We've now taught multiple lessons in just Spanish and I'm still learning tons!!  *S* was making slow progress so we took a step back and tried to figure out what he really needed. We came to the conclusion that he had not had a change of heart. The power of the atonement had not taken hold in his life. He had not experienced the joys of repentance. So we started teaching repentance and it's already made such a huge difference in his life!! Oh man I just love the atonement. Too often we as humans think about repentance as a negative and sorrowful experience, but it's just the opposite! Repentance is my favorite thing in the world! It's a time to celebrate. Gosh I could just go on and on with telling you what I've learned about the atonement recently, but it would take far too long. Maybe I'll write a book one day. 

But I love you all!!! I hope you have a sensational week!!

Ældste Jed David Bradshaw (the first)