Fun Week

Hola! Fun week last week!!

J* was a super active member about a year and a half ago. He had been branch missionary leader, he had worked with the missionaries and had done a BUNCH of stuff. Then something happened and he lost pretty much all wind in his sails. We met him because he was getting an english-speaking job and he wanted practice with his english. We went over to his house and he started talking about the "glory days". You know what I'm talking about. Everyone's seen someone just mentally "stuck" on the "golden age". It happened to me on the mission too. I've looked back on the "glory days" and it's caused a lot of collateral damage. It's cost me a lot. I told him that basically, "Yes, they WERE awesome, but we can't live in the past. Those days will never come back. It will never exist again in the same way, and isn't that a blessing?!" the "Good ol' Days" were great, but they're not here anymore, and there's no way to get em back. It's the MIRACLE of this plan. Through the atonement we can have new and wonderful days. It helps us create new glory days. Just think of how Adam must have felt after being kicked out of the Garden of Eden, without sickness or sadness, and coming into THIS world. But just as for us, it was for him. "they WERE awesome, but it doesn't exist. It will never come back. It will never exist again, and isn't that a blessing?!"

The glory days will never be like the old ones. They'll be better, but if we're always striving for the past ones, then we'll never get anywhere. That was the idea I was trying to get through his head. He has accepted that we return and visit him more. We will have to wait and see how things play out with him.

Not-so-gift-of-tongues experience: we were contacting and I saw a couple of asian ladies outside their house, I said, "Disculpe, Puedo obsequiarles una tarjeta de Jesucristo?" They started talking to me in something. Definietly was NOT Spanish. Definitely was NOT English. then I said it's translation: "Can I give you a card of Jesus Christ?" they gave me the same thoroughly interesting set of sounds as the first time, and with that, I kind of gave up. :) I gave them their cards and went off, thoroughly determined to learn that language one day. :)

Fuzzy but Cool