Week of January 18, 2016

Dear friends and family,

This last week was awesome! Elder Vicente and I were blessed with many lessons, and in result, we were busy beyond belief. The week flew by! However, I think the greatest think that happened this week was when I received some packages from home. And, you won't believe what was inside of them! Tortillas, hot sauce, and Spanish rice! Now, this may just sound like any ordinary food to you, but I was ecstatic to see such items. So, the other day, I ate the first burrito (which is my favorite food by the way) for the first time in about 5 months. It only had rice and beans, but it was amazing nonetheless. Don't get me wrong, Filipino food is good, but I am definitely missing Mexican food!

It is getting warmer here, if you can believe that! The other day I was told that this is the coolest time of the year, so I'm not sure how exactly I will survive when summer comes, which starts in March here. At any rate, I have been drinking more water than ever before...

One thing that has been nice about being on a mission is that I have essentially walked away from my life. The country I'm living in is different, my friends are different, my language is different, and as I mentioned earlier, my food is different. It has afforded me the opportunity to reflect on the things that have occurred throughout my life. Stepping away and looking at my past life has made me feel more blessed than ever. Sometimes, I think we get so caught up on what is going on in our lives that we sometimes forget to take a step back and reflect on all of the blessings that we have been given. It is easy to see, at a distance, how the Lord had His hand in the lives of my family and myself. I feel so grateful for my family, friends, the wonderful schools I was privileged to attend, and all of the experiences that I have had. Truly, my life has consisted of one miracle after the other, I have just been too blinded by my own busy agenda to see it. I'm sure that this must be the same for many people. 

My challenge to you all this week is to take a step back, and maybe even pray beforehand for help, and sit down and think about all of the things that the Lord has blessed you with, big or small. I think if we remember to do this every once in a while, we won't help but smile, no matter what our circumstances may be.

Have a great week everyone!

Love,

Elder Pulley