One Day at a Time

 One week from today is Christmas!!!  The days are still growing shorter.  It was nearly dark at 3 today..  I watch the weather in Gilbert, and see that the high is ten degrees higher than our high here in Oxford and the low is 6 degrees lower than ours.  That is not always the case, but it doesn't seem unusual since Oxford often has no more than a few degrees difference between day and evening.  

We tuned into the Zoom Transfer Devotional at noon.  We were taught by 4 young missionaries, and the thoughts they shared were marvelous.

One young sister quoted from an unknown source, "Our greatest weakness is not knowing our greatest strength."  She elaborated about the need to recognize our dependence upon the Lord.  

A young elder told about starting his mission in Brazil, where his companion came down with Malaria.  They were quarantined for a week, without telephones or any reading material except the scriptures.  So he read the scriptures and told about what he had learned from them.  He specifically learned three things from Alma:  We all face opposition, we must never give up, and Jesus is the Christ.  His final thought:  "A mission is all about coming to know Jesus Christ."   It was a great talk.  He returned to his home in Portugal and then was reassigned to London, where he has been on lockdown with the rest of us!

These young people are amazing as they voice what they have learned thus far in their mission.

Among other things, Dave admonished us all with these thoughts:

There are many wonderful lessons to learn - even now.  Increase your devotion to the Lord.  There is only one way to deal with change.  Wrap your arms around it and embrace it, because it will be a constant in your life.  

Deb showed the most delightful clip that made SK and me both cry:



For our 3.75 mile walk today, we headed towards Five Guys....something we've been wanting to do for a couple of months, where we had a hamburger.  We were both in heaven.  It is very streamlined.  You walk in, find a table, scan the code on the table with your phone, place your order, pay on your phone and then wait.  It is delivered in a sack.  Very little contact with anyone.  Their hamburgers are the best!

We delivered Christmas presents to two sets of missionaries today.  They are all so cute, and I hope they have a good experience this year.  The possibility of it being a dismal experience is there, but there is also the idea that this could be one of the most memorable and beautiful of their lives.  

As the days go by, I seem to be on a continuum of emotion...sometimes in awe of what is happening in the world, sometimes extremely grateful to be in this unique time and place with a front row seat to watch the incredible way the young missionaries are adapting.  Sometimes I feel blue about not doing more.  Sometimes I feel like we are doing great things.  At times, I feel almost a despair - wondering what is happening to the world, and what is ahead.

That doesn't last long though as I read and study and pray, realizing that there is One who knows, and He will help us all get through.  I think someday, we will all look back on these times of struggle and change, and quite possibly think of it as a sacred time.

For now, I will follow my dad's advice from long ago during a rough time in my life, "Just take it a day at a time."




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