Way sweet. The first time I heard of this play was from my landlord back in Minatitlan. He was a funny guy. His name was Nabor.
But, just to share with you briefly, I love being a trainer. And my companion couldn't be greater. Sure, he hardly knows what he is doing at times and sometimes it feels like you are talking to a wall, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! I am learning so much from what I came here to do. Which brings me to the only question I want to address in this email.
Why do you go on a mission when you are 18 (formerly 19)? Wouldn't it make more sense and wouldn't I have had more success had I finished my psychology career before I came?
The answer is, Yes, I would have had much more tools in how to relate to people and help them overcome their challenges to come to a full conversion of this gospel. Yes, but the mission isn't the final test, it's the preparation.
I am convinced that I have learned more things in this year and a half of my mission much more quickly than I would have been able to learn them in 4-8 years of psychology classes in college.
What does that mean then? Well, it means that now when I go through the years to come I will have alread learned and applied some of the things that will come at me. The key is the experience that I have gained. Because I have lived the things I have been able to apply them and will be able to keep doing so in the future.
One of my favorite quotes is from Preach My Gospel is from Chapter 5 when it says:
"Application is the mental bridge between comprehension and obedience."
It all makes sense. You can read the scriptures, you can study all the books, but until you actually do something you haven't done anything. It's as easy as that!
During my mission I have been able to help drug addicts, orphans, wife-abusers, people contemplating suicide, murderers, and much more. I hope you realize that missionaries actually help people! All of these disorders or behaviors of misconduct can be brought down to some simple events in their past. Whether it happened to them or they simply let hate and anger grow inside of them sin is always influenced in why they became this way, by themselves or by others. And that is where we can help. If any of you are thinking about IF you should serve a mission or when you should serve a mission, I hope I have been some help. But after all, part of psychology is helping the person you are talking to come to the decision themselves.
Repentance is putting your will with God's. It's trading good decisions for better ones.
Just like I learned many years ago playing chess, "When you see a good move, wait -- look for a better one."
And that's how you win.
Elder Andrews
P.S. Elder Rime got his first baptism. I normally don't send you guys pictures of my baptisms any more, but, this one was in a river!
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| Baptism photo. Take note of Elder Andrews' tie. All three brothers have worn this tie in our missions to Latin America (Ecuador, Chile, and Mexico)! |
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