Weekly Email - 1/10/22

Elder Mango Salsa-

Well, you get a double dose from me today.  Maybe it is an attempt to make up for a few missing weeks.  At any rate, I felt prompted to communicate with all of the missionaries serving from our ward and it was important for me to follow that prompting today.

Your brother and sister have tryouts for Anastasia tomorrow and despite their fears about not being prepared and having colds that haven't allowed them to practice as much as they'd like, I know they'll do well.  I don't know that they have "stomach problems" prior to a tryout, but keep them in you heart and prayers today.  I know they are excited about this musical especially and want to be in on all the fun.

As the semester draws to a close at the end of the month, we are preparing to take advantage of a 4 day weekend and go to the snow.  I am looking into a rental in Sunriver and some possible activities to do.  What I really want to do is spend time in a warm house by the fire playing games and keeping out of the cold.  We'll update you on what we end up doing once we do them.

As the new year starts, I've been reflecting a lot on what I want to do in terms of goals for this coming year.  The youth program asks us to set goals in 4 areas:  Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, and Social.  I see no reason why those areas of growth should be limited to the youth and am trying to come up with goals in each of the areas.  Breanna would tell you that sharing your goals with others will help to make you more accountable and encourage you to actually keep them, so once I narrow them down, I probably will share them.  Then you can check in on my and see how I am doing.  I hope that you and your companion are setting goals as well.

We attempted this in Ward Council today and I actually got a lot of push back.  It was kind of funny because it was pushback out of the fear of not achieving them.  The reality is that different members of the WC don't have access to the numbers and reports I do and just haven't familiarized themselves with what we are really talking about.  We have a ward mission goal to have 7 convert baptisms this year which seems like a big number, but considering we have a family with two members that just got baptised last month and three more that are approaching a date soon, I think we are half way there.  I proposed an percentage goal in one area and was told that this individual likes to set numeric goals since these are people we are talking about.  It would not have been appropriate that a percentage is also a number – actually a special number that is a ratio that contains the number you are seeking divided by the whole.  The point they were making was that these are real people with real obstacles that might be preventing them from reaching that goal.  And it is an important point as we set our goals.  What is it that you are really trying to do?

Jen Ward shared a story today about Winter Solstice – she likes this day the best because it means that every day thereafter, there is just a little more light each day.  I immediately thought of the talk this last conference about 1% improvement.  I have a health goal that pertains to my weight and have decided that maybe the goal I have is more of a 5 year plan goal and way too ambitious with regard to what is real.  And no matter what the goal actually is, it will seem like a big number.  But if I chop it up into little pieces (months and days for example) the amount of weight to lose each day isn't really that much – and if I can find a way to shed that small amount of weight tomorrow (and lose just 1%) then I am actually that much closer to my much bigger, year-long goal.

This is true of our spiritual goals as well.  If you can find a way to shed a small amount of spiritual weight each day (some small thing that is preventing you from connecting with Heaven) then you will be that much closer to God today.  A walk to enjoy the beauty of the earth, something uplifting to read or listen to, a prayer, a fast, a discussion with someone about a topic you both want to learn about, etc.  All of these things can help you become closer to Him.  Maybe you need some replacement therapy – trade TV time for reading time for example or yoga for yogurt (not gonna happen) – but whatever it is, it starts with a commitment to do something, to see a value in improvement and then to work towards it.

Anyhow, as I said in my other email, I love you and am proud of you.  I see growth in you that you may find funny.  Everytime you have an "apartment dweller" moment shows me that your Spanish is improving, and I think it is great.  I will come back to something I have said many, many times:  Your mission will change your life in ways you cannot comprehend.  You will see evidence of that throughout your life.  Cherish this time and work your butt off.

Love, Dad