Here we go!

Hey guys, as you well know that the Council of Elders is my thought process and right now the gospel is all I'm suppose to think about so that is what is going to be on the blog. So I'm not trying to replace With His Stripes We Are Healed but right now I'll will try to put my thought process about the mission and such here.

All right, being a missionary is so cool and then at times it is so hard.
The other day we were eating at a member's house and we were having chocolate cake for dessert. This was no ordinary chocolate cake but a very dark chocolate cake in which I am not favorable to. So trying to get rid of the cake I was eating it as fast as I can without getting noticed. So I took a big bite (even though I don't think it was that big) and got caught. The member said "Slow down man there is still more cake." After the dinner Elder Forbes mentioned that when the member caught me he laughed because he knew I wasn't eating it because I liked but because I was trying to get rid of it. It is awesome when you are able to work with your companion and are like one. It maybe what it is like when we are married.
Being a missionary is so cool; It is cool to here your name as Elder. It is cool to be known to missionary type things. It is like being a different branch of the church, like being the marines of the church to go out and fight. Just imagine you are what you finally get to be. I don't know if this is all making sense, right now I can't but my thumb on exactly the feeling I want.

This is all very romantic though, you hear the stories of missionaries who are are working day in and day out and with all you heart, might, mind, and strength work and finally finding a goldmine of golden investigators at the last house of the street. This makes it all sound very romantic. But as we find out in life not many things in life are romantic and it isn't any different in missionary work. Things in life don't change partly because we are going through it. One way to explain this is as we get older everyone says how does it feel to be 20? It doesn't feel any different. Missionary work doesn't feel any different you, go out day to day doing the same things. Especially with the council I start wondering why I'm not excited about sharing the gospel not feeling that missionary spirit. Am I doing something wrong, or what? Am I not doing the right techniques to get the desired effect? Am I door knocking correctly? But then again everyone has there agency. It is also hard to stay focus on the gospel 24/7 and you desire to do something else. P-Day usually aren't enough. Everything seems to become less exciting and you loose that motivation.

So words of encouragement. PRAY! Keep the Lord in everything you do. There will be times that you pray just to pray and you are going through the motions. Don't do that. Stay away from feeling you are going through the motions. That is where a lot of this problem comes from always remember your purpose: "Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the
restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance,
baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." Even if you don't feel like praying pray and put effort into it because you always need his help. Stay busy; One important tidbit stay out of the appartment as much as you can. Go from 10-9 and stay out and teach. "A teaching missionary is a happy missionary" Why? Because you are fullfilling your purpose and you have a reason to be out here. If you feel discouraged, don't. Elder Pearson said "Discouragement comes from missed expectations. Chronic discouragement leads to lower expectations, decreased effort, weakened desire, and greater difficulty feeling and following the Spirit (see Preach My Gospel [2004], 10). Discouragement and despair are the very antithesis of faith." If you need help always go to the scriptures. They are that Safety for the Soul that Elder Hollond recently talked about. For me General Conferences have always been an answere when I need it. Always hold on to the rod!