This last week has been incredibly busy as usual and has brought news of a lot of changes as well. It was just announced earlier today that Elder Posadas will be transferred, and that there will be a lot of changes within my zone as well (including an addition of some areas,etc.). I must admit that I am a little bummed with the announcement of Elder Posadas transferring, as he has been an awesome companion, but I suppose the Lord has more for him to do in other areas.
As I ponder over my last week, there are two reciprocally connected experiences that I wish to share that have lent me even more perspective regarding time. On Monday, I was called by one of the assistants to the president who told me that the office had received a mission call in the mail for an individual in my ward, Owen Moises, a fellow-shipper I have worked with every Sunday for the past few weeks. At the news, I was of course very excited and made sure to stop by the office in order to deliver Owen's mission call. That night, Elder Posadas stopped by his house and told him the important news we had for him. It was really funny to watch his nervous emotions (much like the ones I had when I received my call) as he opened his letter and I left with the feeling that I had just received my own call and wondering where the time had gone.
My second experience has to do with a friend of mine, Elder Navarro (one of the assistants to the president), who just finished his mission this last Friday. One particularly cool thing is that his parents came to pick him up and arrived on Saturday to do so. That being said, I had the privilege to see the excitement of their family being reunited again after two years of not seeing each other. I felt mixed emotions as I watched their family be reunited again, but with the knowledge that Elder Navarro is no longer a missionary. One thing that impressed me about Elder Navarro is that he worked as hard as he could up until the very end, and "it is for that reason", he said "that I can look back on my mission with pride".
With these two experiences, and the realization of how fast time really is, I couldn't help but think of an excerpt in the Missionary White Handbook where it says that "time is one of the most precious resources Heavenly Father has given [us]...[and to] use it fully and wisely." One thing I think we must do occasionally as I did this last week is ask ourselves if we are using our time to the fullest. Indeed, "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I know that as we do so, with the knowledge that "this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God" we will appropriately be able to evaluate our lives and focus on those things that matter most (Alma 34:32). Sometimes, as individuals, and even as missionaries we get focused on things that have little importance, while we should always focus on those things that have eternal significance. I feel, much like the mission, that our lives will pass by us with extraordinary speed. One day, we will all look back on our mortal mission and want to know we did our best all the way to the end. That knowledge, in my opinion, is the definition of heaven.
Have a great week everybody!
Love,
Elder Pulley
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| Zone Conference |
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| Elder Pulley and Elder Navarro |
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