Six Months!

Burning my tie

Family O

World Cup Soccer celebration in the street

Hey!

6 months!  I have officially been on my mission for half a year.  To celebrate, as is tradition in the mission, I burned my tie.  It was a really special ceremony and I had fun thinking back on the last 6 months and looking at my pictures, as well as looking to the future year and a half ahead of me.  I have learned a lot and changed a lot, but I still have a really long way to go and lots to learn.  But I would not be anywhere else other than in the place I am in now.  God has blessed me with this amazing opportunity and adventure to bless and change my life and help a few others.

I read a talk at the beginning of this week by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, an apostle in the Church.  He mentioned the phrase that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years back, but the second best time is now.  I think every moment we have is a chance to start again.  We shouldn't wait for opportunities to change.  We often procrastinate, waiting for the opportune moment.  But then we miss it, or at least we have wasted a lot of time waiting for the moment to arrive.  The Lord has said that we are to be anxiously engaged in a good cause, not waiting for a moment to arrive in which we can begin to do good things.  Do all you can right now to make the changes you desire in life now.  What a blessing it is that God always forgives, always loves us and always desires the best for us.  We can repent, we can start over, and we can begin again in the moment in which we have the desire. 

I love this gospel and my Savior Jesus Christ.  Through His eternal sacrifice we can make these changes.  We do not need to be perfect. We do not need to wait until we are perfect.  We simply need to change our desires and allow the good desires we have control our actions, rather than the desires of the natural man, such as laziness or procrastination. 

This week I tried to apply what I talked about previously, about loving all people and letting this labor become a labor of love.  It works.  It pulls me out of confusion, out of the midst of doubt, out of pride, and out of physical weariness and weakness.  It allows us to teach and act a little more like the Savior and adds clarity to our thoughts.  I have also tried to be myself, and the good desires of my Spirit take hold.  It works too.  I love God. 

Thanks for the support.  Y'all are awesome (Im teaching Texan English here in Chile.  My Latino comp now knows how to say y'all and ´Merica. )

Elder Peck