The Foot Race Talk: "A Proud Grandson"

I am truly on a spiritual high today.  My day didn't start out in a very promising way.  Our door was "pennyed" so that we couldn't get out.  We also didn't wake up until 6:45 which was real late.  However those were perhaps the only things that went wrong with my day.

I gave my talk on the importance of journals.  For perhaps the first time in my life I have prayed for inspiration on a talk and then exercised the faith to receive it.  I had an entry to read out of my journal (my foot race).  I thought that it would be of some inspiration to someone.  However I didn't quite know how to read it without feeling as though I was bragging.

We came to the meeting and just before we walked into the room I received the inspiration on how to do it.  I treated my journal as if it had been my Grandfather's.  I pretended that I found it, then I read the part as though I was a proud grandson reading about his Grandfather's mission experiences.  I felt the spirit with me when I read it so I read with confidence and emotion.  I think it was well received.  I got a lot of compliments from the elders in my district on the talk.  I felt totally unworthy of the praise because I know that Heavenly Father provided the inspiration for the talk and the spirit was there while I was giving it.  There is no way that it could have gone wrong.

In our culture class I learned a great deal.  Our instructor Elder Reed Harris talked to us on the importance of having charity for the people in Bolivia.  I came out of class with a new feeling towards that word.  The spirit again was in that class and it taught me a great deal.  I felt so good.  We then went to family home evening.  I felt the spirit there again and very strongly.  All the contributions of them members of my district fell upon my heart.

I was finding (with directions by the spirit) things in both The Book of Mormon and New Testament that worked right into the lesson.  Tonight I felt love for my district, true love.  I wanted to hug the sisters like I could the elders but just had to settle for a good handshake.

To top off the night, Elder Brown and I had a real good companionship inventory.  We talked more freely than ever before.  It is now 10:30 and time for bed.  I wish I could write more but it is a rule.  I can't wait to pray!

Sleepy Elder Brown & Spanish Mishaps

Well it is 6:00 in the morning.  I have been sleeping a lot better the last few nights.  The Lord has blessed us with a few cooler ones.  The temperature has been from 80 to 85 degrees in our room.  They said that they are working on the air-conditioning and trying to get it fixed soon.

Some pretty funny events have occurred in class.  Usually they happen when someone either mispronounces a word or uses a different word altogether.  Elder Nelson called himself "a burrito".  The word he was trying to say was "aburido" which means boring.  Elder Laycock called our teacher Hermana Hurtado "a bore".

This morning when I woke up, I realized that another group of missionaries would be leaving.  This week has gone by really fast.  About the only things that don't go by fast are Language Class and dinner lines.  Elder Brown and I had to wait one whole hour for breakfast yesterday.  You would think that we were standing in line for a BYU Basketball game or something.

Elder Brown sure is funny sometimes.  I can predict what happens every morning.  After we get up and shower and get dressed we have 30-45 minutes to read the scriptures.  Anyways we both start reading at our desks.  Soon after that Elder Brown moves over to the air vent by the window.  He usually read there for about 10 minutes.  Then he lies down on his bed and about 5 minutes later I can hear contented snoring.  This event occurs every day.  I don't even have to turn around to see what he is doing.  I can hear what he is doing.

Elder Brown is a really good guy though.  Maybe I'd like him so much because he is about the only person I know besides Linda that whistles worse than I do.

Elder Brown just woke up to turn a page.  I think he will be sleeping again within five minutes.  Whoops, sooner than that.  This must be a record.  Either that or he is learning how to turn pages in his sleep.  I guess I had better wake him up so that we can be ready to go to class.