Elder Drake McFall: Week 37

How is everyone back in the homeland? This week I have a bit more time to write so maybe I will write something more. This week was busy, busy, busy--that is how it should be though! The time has been flying by; I can't believe I have been here in Rocky Mountain House for 6 weeks already. My comp will be leaving, and actually going back to his old area. That stuff happens when you get a new mission president. He is kinda bummed about it. Who knows, maybe I will go back Barrhead, that would be crazy. He will be able to rekindle with some of those who he was teaching there, pros and cons I suppose. It would be nice to see all sorts of different areas in the mission though. I will be gettin a companion that is Samoan! It will be quite the experience I would say. His name is elder Telluega (not sure on the spelling yet). We will hopefully be able to get the work going even more and be able to get along!

The Belut was something else I tell you! It was quite the experience. They boil it and everything, then it is just served cold. It had the most horrendous texture you could imagine. I almost lost it when I was eating part of it, similar to the yolk of a hard boiled egg in texture, then I got some chunky in there.. (How you feeling?!) haha that was the moment of truth. Kept it down though! I did eat the whole thing, come on I wouldn't commit to something like that and not eat the whole thing! What kinda man would I be then?

This week we did a lot of service, I helped side a house, did a bunch of painting, and laid some wood flooring. I am getting pretty good at this type of stuff. I guess all the years of doing little things around the house with my dad are really starting to pay off!

Things with Alannah are still going really well. She is golden! The lesson this week was all about prophets and we talked a bit more about the Restoration. She is still on date for the 24 of August, so hopefully everything there will continue to move along. It is a joy teaching someone who truly just loves to learn about the gospel and has such great faith to accept certain principles, commandments, or teachings that others struggle with. She definitely leads with her faith knowing that if it is asked, she will do it. Pretty neat!

We started teaching a fellow who the missionaries used to talk to, Joe. He is a cool guy, about the same age as me. We get along nicely which helps. He has soo many questions, so we met him the first time this week, he just had a real heart to heart with us, then we came over a couple days later and he just asked questions. As he would ask, I would turn to the scripture that would answer his question, it was a cool experience. What a blessing it is to have the scriptures in our lives! We never have to worry about being alone! Hopefully things with him will continue to move forward and we can stay consistent with meeting him.

We got a new investigator this last week, young kid named Michael. He moved in with his grandparents and came to them saying he wanted to be baptized! It was pretty cool. We chatted with him this week and his answer of why he wants to be baptized is because he knows it is what he wants to do and he wants to be just like his dad. Good little child! I got thinking, it has helped immensely coming from teaching kids golf, to teaching kids the gospel. There is a certain way you have to approach teaching children, I am grateful I was able to learn that!

I will tell you a really neat experience I had with listening to the spirit this week. We were out visiting a family that lives about 20 minutes out a town. We were supposed to have a lesson, it was actually the first time we were supposed to start teaching Michael, but they had to reschedule when we got there because they were going to this airshow. Well anyways, out near them is a family that the dad is going through some medical issues, so when we drove there I was thinking of them. Once we left the family we had planned to visit I felt the prompting to go visit this other family, just see how they are doing. To be honest, I ignored it, and tried to tell myself that would be weird and probing, but I shook that off and decided that I truly did need to go there. We got there and had a great conversation with the mom and the few kids that were there, they were actually all sick too. We asked if we could help, and she said that they have been looking to get a blessing for her and some of the kids. They are all sick and the dad isn't staying there right now because of his sickness he would get even worse. I was able to give them a priesthood blessing, and I am so grateful that I could do that. I guess I am really starting to see that that authority is there to bless the lives of those around us. It is there to help those that stand in need. Those blessings sometimes are all someone is looking for, and we are capable of doing that for them.

My dad and I have been sharing ideas about trials versus chastisement and how we can tell if we are being faced with a trial to help us learn and grow or if we are being chastised by the Lord. I think with the chastisement that can come, sometimes it does result because we weren't there to allow the blessings to be partaken of. I believe that we are never chastised to bring us down, that is against His nature; we are always brought low so we can rise higher. We may receive chastisement due to disobedience, but that is simply there to allow us to further grow. It is all still a part of His plan, whether or not we see it that way. I think we often fall into the trap of thinking God is punishing us, and that he is trying to spite us for some reason, I do not think it is so. All throughout scriptures we see that some need to be brought low because they have become prideful, but it was in the end to humble them to turn to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ--never to show a hate or disregard of love towards them. That is what I think at least!!

I hope you are all doing well, and have a great week this week! You are in my thoughts and prayers! I'll tlak to you soon!

Love, Elder McFall

Just me!