A break at the doctor's office.

I love being a missionary!  This is without a doubt the most meaningful thing I have ever done in my life.  However, I think it is plain in life that the most meaningful experiences never come without a little opposition.  As much as I love being here, I do find there are times the work I do here feels mundane and slow.  On those days it is hard to be enthusiastic and share with people the actual love I have of this gospel, and how much it really means to me.   The time we are able to spend away from the computer is a blessing, and a real “tender mercy” from God as I can see in my life.  As I am able to spend time away it helps me to recharge and get back into the work I love –teaching people about Jesus Christ and how He has blessed me.  One of the nicest breaks I have is to be able to go to the doctor’s office periodically for checkups.  Unless there is an emergency I found it the rare occurrence that something is done quickly.  Each of my appointments takes several hours, and I always find them to be a nice break from what I have been doing.  Nothing is ever rushed, and I just find it to be a very relaxing experience.  As I serve here as a missionary I am limited on transportation.  And with other reasons, I have needed a ride to my appointments and back.  This is a picture where I was actually accompanied to one of the appointments with my MomJ.

Reconnecting with old friends, and "wait, who was that?"

As a part of the referral center mission, we spend the majority of our time at the Missionary Training Center or MTC. While we are done with the official training for our mission, we stay here as this is where the “referral center” is currently located. One of the great blessings of being here is that I am able to see a large portion of the LDS missionaries as they filter through here with their training. I am able to reconnect with many old friends who I have not seen or spoken with in some time.

This would be great except for someone like me who has a bad memory for faces and names. Just a few weeks ago as I was walking through the cafeteria I was stopped by another missionary with an enthusiastic “Hello! How have you been?” I do not remember what I was thinking exactly, but “not thinking” is probably the best description. I remember I looked up at the missionary, and without slowing down or stopping I said “good” and continued to my seat without missing a beat. It was not until after I sat down I realized their face was very familiar, and it was probably someone who I knew.

Fortunately, I have not been so distant with everyone I talk with.

 Here are some photos of friends which I have met here in the MTC from home.  The Top is Elder Andrews, and below is Elder Miller.

Teaching Experiences with Cassia

By far one of the most interesting experiences I have had as a missionary has been in teaching Cassia. As an online missionary I do not get the opportunity to meet many of the people who I come in contact with. While pictures are nice, it is always a rare opportunity when the investigator comes here to be baptized; or when they come to visit even after they have been baptized. Such meetings serve as little boosts of light and energy and help to keep the whole mission excited and moving forward. I had such an experience recently when I met Cassia. Cassia was brought to church with Pricila, one of the leaders over the women in the single adult ward I was attending. Pricila mentioned to me she had brought her friend who was not a member of the church . . . to make the situation even more unique; Cassia and I were not able to communicate very well from the start. She was from Brazil, and had recently moved here to go to school and to learn English. She spoke very little English, and I spoke even less Portuguese.

How Cancer has Blessed my Life.

I am so blessed with the many changes which have happened to me in my life. I have always enjoyed a good adventure, whether in a book or movie. I enjoy the different twists and turns, and the unexpected. I enjoy comparing myself to the heroes of the stories I read. Every good hero always grows from the experience they have. They make the best of every situation.

I feel I have had my own adventure in my life as I have battled cancer. I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in February 2006. I initially went through 8 months of chemo therapy. I then had a relapse of cancer in July 2007. I then had a subsequent 3 months of chemo, and a bone marrow transplant in December of 2007.  At the time it seemed the transplant would be the "end" of the trial I was having, but with the transplant also came something called Graft vs. Host disease. It is where the bone marrow I received begins to attack my own body. I have had numerous complications from this, and it has helped to continue to learn and grow.