July 30, 2011

Discoveries, Happiness...and a Rat

Musta family and friends!

Can I just start off by saying I LOVE these people!! I don't know if I say that enough.....of coarse there are the times I get annoyed by their traditions and lifestyles, but I love them so much--all of them, when I am having a bad day or feeling blah, they totally cheer me up, and especially when we teach them awesome lessons! I also love the Holy Ghost, He is a good friend.

So we definitely saw a rat probably bigger than trigger in our house for the second time!!! It's HUGE! And it's only on the counter that we see him....ew. Sometimes I can't wait for the day I am out of dirty, creature-filled houses. Other times, I still can't wait. Like really, it's gonna be weird to go home and not have ants crawling everywhere you are! That's almost a strange thought, it's perfectly normal now. The elders in our district told us a couple weeks ago that they had a huge rat and trapped it between the wall and a dresser, then poured alcohol all around and lit it on fire and everything went up in flames!!! They were so scared that the whole house was going up with it....but since it was just alcohol it quickly went down, leaving no burn marks.....only a toasted rat......oh brother, elders........

As far as the rainy season goes.....it's rained a couple of days but nothing spectacular. We haven't had buckets really coming down on us....and I am very grateful that I haven't experienced a flood! Not looking forward to one of those.....these streets are straight up nasty.

Do we ever really take the time to read the hymns as we sing them?? Um, cause they are the BOMB!!! Holy cow, you wonder why you can feel the Spirit so strong when singing them or hearing them.....its cause they are so full of truth that the Spirit can't restrain himself from being present. We would learn SO much if we listened to and read those words. How funny is it that you can do routine things for years and not even pay attention to what you are doing? Every time I sing a hymn here I'm like "whoa, I've never read that before!" If we are not careful, our whole lives will become a routine.....

So, I am realizing recently that I have come on my mission to be a counselor....di biro yen (thats not a joke) haha, the Lord has blessed me with the capacity to listen to and take in the hardships of my companions.....I am the ears of each companionship and I dont even mind! I just really want to help them overcome the things they are experiencing or going through! I am also able to see me in them too, as they talk, I'm like "yep, im the same way" sometimes its good, sometimes its bad.....but what it's helping me do is realize just how similar we all are. Though each road is different, each person unique, we all mainly want one thing---to be accepted and feel loved. Now, for some people, they may want acceptance and love from the world or from others (and will never find it) but for those with a sound understanding, they seek that from the true source of everything good and beautiful--God. I want to help everyone find out who they are in God's eyes, because those are perfect eyes. If we could only gain this perspective of ourselves (cause we all know WE have a distorted view of ourselves) I believe the world would be a happier, more beautiful place. It truly starts with one. When we love ourselves as God loves us, only the eternal is important. Sister Odgers said in district conference yesterday "If it's not eternal, don't worry about it." We were all born to be Kings and Queens in the eternities, we were not born to merely be an average joe. Remember that.

Heavenly Father is helping me come to a lot of conclusions about what I want to do as a career when I get home....it's not yet perfected, only in the beginning stages, however, it has a lot to do with how we all existed spiritually before physically, how spiritual things leave a more lasting impression than temporal things and how spirit to spirit is the quickest and best way to come to a knowledge of something or become converted. If, with every weakness we want to overcome--be it physical or spiritual, mental or emotional--we would make it a spiritual matter, I believe our efforts and results would be more motivated and more lasting. If we want to start a journey to overcome a weakness, make it a spiritual journey. As a job, I would like to focus more on health and nutrition as a spiritual matter.... If we can use the same process we use to become converted to God with wanting to get in shape and eat healthy, for example, I believe we would be able to achieve this a lot better and quicker than if we just do it ourselves. The whole purpose in life is to overcome the natural man--and God is there to show us how it's done. We will come closer to perfection if we make everything a spiritual matter, and look to the eternities.

Not quite perfected yet, but I am excited for the coming months and years where I can see how God will continue to use me as an instrument for the happiness of others in this life and life to come. I love "being about my Father's business"--there is no greater joy and I hope to do so until I meet Him again.

I invite each of you to begin your spiritual journey in the things holding you back in life, that you might say as Ammon has said "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things"

Love you all like crazy, know that your happiness is important and you deserve it!
Sis Carroll

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