Roaches, Brown Water, and Dog Bites

Hello!

So I've officially been bitten by a dog this week. We knocked on a door which was cracked slightly open, and so the dog was able to jump out and bite my leg. Luckily it wasn't too bad, the dog was pretty small and I was able to kick it hard enough that it thought twice about coming at me again. Just a day in the life... but seriously this week has been out of control! I went on two exchanges, it was stake conference, plus transfer facts came in yesterday. My companion and I are staying together so no changes there.

On Tuesday I went on an exchange with Elder Wilbur, who was in the MTC with me. Both of us are brand new, so it was a great time to gain experience. I got to drive for the first time in what feels like years which was nice. It was kind of hard because Elder Wibur is really quiet, so I kind of had to take control in lessons. Like I said it was a great learning experience. Neither of us really know exactly what were doing yet, so we figured it out together. The other transfer that I went on was on Thursday, with Elder Litzenberger who is one of my Zone Leaders. It was kind of crazy because he is a Spanish missionary, so I couldn't really contribute much, but it was still a good experience. At the end of the day we went to see one of his members named Cesar (he and his wife speak English). He joined the church when he was about 21 and I was really impressed by his story of how he converted. He's actually supposed to be in our ward but he was called to attend the Spanish Branch so they could have more leadership. As we talked with him, trying to come up with ways to improve their branch, through organization and better member involvement I couldn't help but love this member. He truly cares about building up that branch, and is someone who is truly living the Gospel. He's not just content with being baptized and showing up for church each week, he wants to grow and progress in the gospel. He knows the importance of magnifying his calling. It's something I've really thought about lately, especially as I studied this morning. I love more than anything members who work to build the Lords kingdom, members who are willing to give all that they have for the church.

Our Bishop is a prime example of this. He is constantly making sacrifices to help the investigators and members of our ward. He goes well beyond what is required of a Bishop and he makes such a difference. Unfortunately some members don't quite get it. Its sad to see those who aren't willing to help with the Lords work, but we all have our agency. Learning to be selfless is such a valuable thing in life. It's something that I am really making a goal to work on. When I forget about myself not just a little bit, but when I completely forget about myself, That's when miracles happen. That's when the Lord can will use me as his tool. In my opinion that's one of the most fun things of being a missionary. You don't have to worry about yourself. We live in humble conditions. We have a roach problem, and for a whole day we had brown water. These are things that would normally really bother me, but I don't worry about it at all. We live off of very basic foods, we don't have many possessions, but we always get by. As a servant of the Lord, I know that I will always get by. I have his protection as I do his work. It's a great feeling.

Love, Elder Tilley