Last week we had zone conference! It was a great experience but
during it Elder Bradley and I discovered that we need to change. The last
couple of weeks we have been getting lazy and complacent in our level of
service. We wouldn't do anything bad but we just weren't trying very hard. We
had stopped getting up right on-time, we had slacked a bit on our studies. We
were just waiting for good things to come our way instead of going and getting
them! It was bad! After Zone Conference we both knew we had to change but we
still did not have the desire to change, we needed a kick in the butt.
It is amazing how much our Father in Heaven knows us and knows
exactly what we need! He knew what would give me the fire to start to change
and He knew that if I started then Elder Bradley would be right there with me!
My biggest pet peeve in the world is someone telling me that I can't do
something, most people know this and my Heavenly Father really knows this. On
Tuesday night we got a call from Elder Bradley's MTC Companion who is serving
up in Mesa, he let us know that someone in our branch had called his branch
president in Mesa and commented that Tucson needed an actual deaf missionary,
not 2 hearing missionaries who learned sign language but don’t know the real
deaf community. The Mesa branch president called his mission president and told
him about it. Elder Bradley's MTC companion heard about it because he is deaf
and told us.
What a slap in the face! When I heard about this I was livid! I
don't get offended often but that was bad! They were basically saying that me
and Elder Bradley could not do the work in Tucson! The last six missionaries in
Tucson have all being hearing missionaries! I feel like this branch needs to
learn to accept us as part of their community and rely on the prophet’s
decision to send us here? I mean, it is the Lord who sent us here; they need to
have some faith in that.
Anyway I was mad! As
soon as I heard this I developed the attitude of “I am going to do everything I
can to be the best missionary you have ever seen and I will show you that your
whole deaf supremacy theory is wrong! It doesn't matter if anyone is deaf or
hearing it all depends on the person!” I said that aloud to Elder Bradley, he
laughed. That is when it struck me that God does know me enough to know that is
exactly what I needed to hear to make me want to change! I just had to get mad
enough to try and prove everyone wrong!
So.......we started to work! The next day at district meeting
Elder Barrot gave his training that matched our needs perfectly! It was about
being apathetic and complacent and how to change that! After district meeting,
Elder Bradley and I sat down for a few hours and discussed where we were, where
we wanted to be, and how we were going to get there. We wrote down everything
we were doing that was keeping us from it and committed to giving that up! It
has been really hard but since that moment we have been how missionaries should
be! Our goal is complete obedience! For example, we are asked to back the truck
with one of us “spotting” the driver so we can be safe. There is nothing more
humbling then a grown man standing in back of a truck and directing in broad
daylight in an empty parking lot! haha
Now that we have decided to work hard I am so much happier and
alert all the time! I thought I was having the time of my life before but now I
am just always happy and always smiling! It has been a great experience and a
great change and we have both learned so much from it! We are hoping to start
to see the fruits of our sacrifice soon! We have seen so many blessings that
have already come from our new attitudes! We received 3 referrals this weekend
so we are hoping some of them work out! We are trying to go see Rita again (the
lady we followed home a few weeks ago and then spoke with her last week) but
she hasn't been home recently. We are also hoping Danny will let us start
teaching him. Danny lives with Tom (the less active member that I found
recently).
I feel that we are not alone in this; I would like to challenge
you all to learn from our experience. Think about the things that are keeping
you from further developing your relationship with your Father in Heaven and
show your faith by giving those things up! You will feel a difference in your
life that you would never imagine could happen!
Till next week!
Elder Banner
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