Being Attentive
Letter to Myranda:
This weekend we went to watch Kaneesha in her stake Christmas music devotional. She sang in the choir and played a beautiful rendition of Carol of the Bells, with six hands (played by Kaneesha and two others). I’ll try to include an audio recording of her piano trio (she plays the highest part). While I loved Kaneesha’s piano performance, I can honestly say that I wasn’t very attentive to the other performances. I spent the entire time entertaining Brooks. He’d had enough church for the day and wanted to do other things. We spent most of the time in the hall walking, babbling, and playing at the drinking fountain.
On Saturday night, Kaneesha, Riley, Brooks, Tanner, Noell, and I went to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. With changes planned for the temple next year, we felt that the Christmas lights might be different next year and that it would be great for us to see them one last time before the changes.
As always, we enjoyed the beautiful lights as we visited. At one point, walking through the crowd, I saw a familiar dimpled smile looking in our direction. Noell exclaimed, “Hey, it’s Bronwyn!”
Then we heard, “...And Clara.”
Behind Browyn and and a couple of her friends were Clara and her boyfriend. We had a great visit.
A while ago, I heard a person talk about how to tell when young adults are capable of being a missionary. Many examples were given, but one of the things that impressed me was the question, “Are they able to take care of themselves and their companion?” The person explained that missionaries need to be alert at all times.
There are several reasons why this impressed me. I’d like to share a couple examples from my mission:
On a beautiful day, my companion and I were walking down the street with another missionary companionship in our mission. We seldom walked with another companionship and we were having a great conversation. It was so cool to walk a few blocks together and discuss our missions.
The feelings of love for our mission and the opportunity to visit were so exhilarating. We were truly lost in conversation. All of us stopped at the curb but one missionary. He walked right into the middle of oncoming traffic. A car literally swerved completely around him. The car was going at least 30 miles an hour. I know that he was protected that day.
Another time, I was with my companion on a busy street. We were talking and enjoying the conversation. My companion was awesome and was 10 years older than me (I was 19 and he was 29). I loved being with him. As we were talking, we stopped on the corner and waited for the stoplight to change colors. Suddenly, my companion’s arm shot out and grabbed my shirt. Before I knew what happened, he’d pulled me back away from the corner. At that moment, a bus roared around the corner. In Brazil, buses don’t drive slowly. As the bus cornered, the side of the bus and the rear wheels would’ve knocked me down or even run me over.
Myranda, as a missionary, be attentive to what you are doing and where you are going. Even more importantly, be attentive to what your companion and others are doing around you. Most importantly, pay attention to the spirit. You have been blessed with a great mind and sense of safety. Continue this on your mission and pray that the Lord will guide you in your footsteps.
I know that you were called to Slovakia for a reason. I know your talents, personality, and love of your Savior will shine through you. People will enjoy being around you and want to learn why you are different. The mission will be great—at times, and difficult at times, stay attentive to your Lord and he will direct your paths.
This weekend we went to watch Kaneesha in her stake Christmas music devotional. She sang in the choir and played a beautiful rendition of Carol of the Bells, with six hands (played by Kaneesha and two others). I’ll try to include an audio recording of her piano trio (she plays the highest part). While I loved Kaneesha’s piano performance, I can honestly say that I wasn’t very attentive to the other performances. I spent the entire time entertaining Brooks. He’d had enough church for the day and wanted to do other things. We spent most of the time in the hall walking, babbling, and playing at the drinking fountain.
On Saturday night, Kaneesha, Riley, Brooks, Tanner, Noell, and I went to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. With changes planned for the temple next year, we felt that the Christmas lights might be different next year and that it would be great for us to see them one last time before the changes.As always, we enjoyed the beautiful lights as we visited. At one point, walking through the crowd, I saw a familiar dimpled smile looking in our direction. Noell exclaimed, “Hey, it’s Bronwyn!”
Then we heard, “...And Clara.”
Behind Browyn and and a couple of her friends were Clara and her boyfriend. We had a great visit.
A while ago, I heard a person talk about how to tell when young adults are capable of being a missionary. Many examples were given, but one of the things that impressed me was the question, “Are they able to take care of themselves and their companion?” The person explained that missionaries need to be alert at all times. There are several reasons why this impressed me. I’d like to share a couple examples from my mission:
On a beautiful day, my companion and I were walking down the street with another missionary companionship in our mission. We seldom walked with another companionship and we were having a great conversation. It was so cool to walk a few blocks together and discuss our missions.
The feelings of love for our mission and the opportunity to visit were so exhilarating. We were truly lost in conversation. All of us stopped at the curb but one missionary. He walked right into the middle of oncoming traffic. A car literally swerved completely around him. The car was going at least 30 miles an hour. I know that he was protected that day.
Another time, I was with my companion on a busy street. We were talking and enjoying the conversation. My companion was awesome and was 10 years older than me (I was 19 and he was 29). I loved being with him. As we were talking, we stopped on the corner and waited for the stoplight to change colors. Suddenly, my companion’s arm shot out and grabbed my shirt. Before I knew what happened, he’d pulled me back away from the corner. At that moment, a bus roared around the corner. In Brazil, buses don’t drive slowly. As the bus cornered, the side of the bus and the rear wheels would’ve knocked me down or even run me over.
Myranda, as a missionary, be attentive to what you are doing and where you are going. Even more importantly, be attentive to what your companion and others are doing around you. Most importantly, pay attention to the spirit. You have been blessed with a great mind and sense of safety. Continue this on your mission and pray that the Lord will guide you in your footsteps.
I know that you were called to Slovakia for a reason. I know your talents, personality, and love of your Savior will shine through you. People will enjoy being around you and want to learn why you are different. The mission will be great—at times, and difficult at times, stay attentive to your Lord and he will direct your paths.
Comments
Post a Comment