We
had another crazy busy week loaded with lessons and stuff so I'm only
gonna touch on the really important things. We had lots of lessons with
Japanese people and started talking with two new exchange students and
they even came to church on Sunday.
Because of Robert's text last week about being comfortable with the
Catholic faith despite knowing the restored gospel to be true, I visited
him with Brother Wood, our ward mission leader, to discuss his
concerns. We didn't really get anywhere initially but when we were
leaving Brother Wood was really blunt with him and it gave me a better
idea of how we can help him in the future to realize that because of the
testimony he has of the gospel its okay to like the way one of the guys
in the Catholic church he goes to teaches as long as he also follows
what he knows to be true through the Holy Ghost. We think that as we
continue helping him quit smoking it will make a huge difference. We
still haven't been able to have a real lesson with Mariah but she came
to church on Sunday
and loved being there, the sisters in Relief Society were super loving
and welcomed her right in and miraculously she knew two of the priest's
from high school and one of the women in relief society was one of her
teachers so its quite obvious that little by little the Lord has been
preparing her. We have been meeting with Brianna like crazy lately in
hopes of preparing her for baptism on Saturday.
It can be tough some days because we have to constantly review the
things we taught so she understands them better and then because of her
mental condition she will get way off tangent on stuff that is kinda
weird and we have to help her understand better the way the Savior works
and things like that. We have had dinners every night, which is also
pretty miraculous, and because of that we have been building a great
relationship with the ward and they are beginning to make efforts to do
missionary work in their own lives which is amazing. I love this ward
and this area so much even though it has only been three weeks here,
hopefully I can stay for another transfer after this one.
Alright
now here is the crazy story from yesterday. In the morning we got up
early to go mountain biking with Elder Brown and Elder Jones, Brown is
Elder Summers' Co-District leader and Jones is one of our Zone Leaders
(and my companion from the MTC.) Biking was super fun but eventually we
had to stop and hike a little up a trail to get to where we planned on
stopping to study, the trail ended a little farther up and it became
walking up the lower parts of the mountain which was super fun and had
some amazing scenery that I did not expect to find in California. When
we got up to the top we messed around for a little while before planning
on studying. Elder Jones and I ended up climbing up this outcropping
that led to a cliff we could sit on but when we started going up we
changed our minds but at that point we discovered that we weren't really
sure how to get down. After sitting for a while we decided jumping down
to a flat spot where we climbed up was the best option, remember even
though we are missionaries we are also still dumb 19 year old boys.
While Elder Jones got up the courage to make the leap I prayed that we
would be okay and felt that it would be alright so Summers counted down
from afar and Jones jumped. When he landed however his leg gave out and
he toppled over and slid for a couple feet and then started moaning and
didn't get up and at first we thought he was kidding until we realized
he was actually hurt. It then became a crisis situation in which Elder
Summers and I had to figure out how to get to the spot where Elder Brown
was to then make our way down the mountain, to the trail, and then to
our bikes. Elder Jones couldn't put any weight on his left leg so after
we slid down the canyon we had to carry him so finally after 7 years all
the stuff I learned in getting my Eagle came in use, however they don't
tell you how exhausting it is carrying a 160 pound person down a
mountain. Eventually we had two other elders come find us on the trail
and then we put Elder Jones on one of the bikes and we helped push him
along. The path that took about an hour to get up ended up taking three
hours to get down with an injured person. When Elder Jones finally got
his foot x-rayed he got told that he had suffered a spiral fracture of
the fibia and a major sprain of the ankle, luckily he doesn't need
surgery and will be able to stay out here. The whole day I kind of
wondered why when I prayed I had the impression that if we jumped we
would be okay and as I thought more on it I came to this conclusion;
life can be a lot like a hike in the mountains and the decisions we make
have a huge impact, when we make the wrong decisions it can take a very
short amount of time for us to end up in a dangerous situation before
we come to realize where we are and that we need the Lord's help. He has
promised us that He will always be there no matter what mistakes we
make and no matter what "cliffs" we trap ourselves on but He as also
warned us that because of decisions we make there will be consequences
that can sometimes lead to ourselves or others being hurt as we make the
steps to return to the safety of His outstretched arms. From that point
it can sometimes be a grueling "three hour trek" down from the
mountain tops we trap ourselves on in which we have to rely on the help
of those around us and on the help of principles of the gospel that we
have been taught. As we do what's right we can eventually return safely
to where we need to be in our lives and because of the "injuries" we
have suffered we will learn (hopefully) and be better equipped to handle
the challenges that will come in our way. While on my mission I have
come to realize more fully that the Lord truly is there for each and
every one of us and that because of Christ's Atoning sacrifice we can
all receive the help and guidance we need. 3 Nephi 9:14
reads "Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall
have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you,
and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who
come unto me." I know this is true, I know our Father in Heaven and our
Savior Jesus Christ love us and are always there for us with
outstretched arms, we just have to turn to them and they will always
catch us. I love this ward, the people I am teaching and helping, my
companion, and all the friends I have made, the people out here are good
and I need to be with them.
Love
Elder Cheever
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