in the words of twenty one pilots, I’m a goner. it looks like I’ll be finishing my mission out in stourbridge for my last two transfers! it’s a town near birmingham and I’ll be with elder odle who I’ve only heard great things about so I’m pretty hyped up! i definitely wanna go out with a bang for these last two, i ain’t dead yet!
wow this was a crazy week. first things first, we went to nottingham for a zone conference and we got...smart phones! its a bit weird having a normal phone again, to be honest I’m faster with texting on the crappy phone haha. it was fun to see some old friends and then after, was what I’ve been waiting for. there’s only one Taco Bell in our mission and its in Nottingham, and of course I couldn’t pass up that opportunity. boy was it good, actually scratch that, it wasn’t just good, it was gold star worthy!
last pday bishop toogood took us golfing and that was a blast! we played 9 holes of pitch and putt and hit the range! when I got hold of that driver I caught fire again! brad cook and hunter better watch out!
we taught our friend dxxxaz again. he’s so humble and he came to church yesterday and loved it! he’ll be bringing his kids down next week! hopefully I’ll come back for the baptism! #dunk we got let in a few times this week while knocking doors which is rare, and we taught a fair amount of street lessons. I loved getting to teach a lot this week. we do so much finding out here. but this last week we really taught when we found and found while we taught as preach my gospel puts it!
we met with our panthers fan, Dxxxan, last week as well and we watched a talk by brad wilcox called “His Grace is Sufficient” and it is so so good!! I shared it on Facebook so check it out! Here’s a few of my favorite quotes:
- “Christ’s arrangement [him asking us to follow his commandments] with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used--seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice.”
- “There should never be just two options: perfection or giving up. When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness”
- Paraphrasing: I have other Christian friends who say to me “you Mormons are trying to earn your way to heaven”, to which I say “no, we aren’t earning heaven, we are learning heaven” and then I ask them a question they might have not thought about “have you been changed by grace?” Latter Day Saints understand not only what we are saved from, but what Christ save us for
That talk is laced with gems! Watch it!
I’m so grateful for this chance to be a missionary, to be a representative of Jesus Christ. I’m grateful for all He has done for me. By living His gospel and applying the principles found in the Book of Mormon, I’ve found so much peace and happiness. I’m looking forward to what’s going to be a LIT week! I love you all! 
Elder Varner
No comments:
Post a Comment