Elder Tanner Weston: Ties and treats

Yeah, mom, you saw me do this
all the time. Remember?

This was a really good week.

I want to share how I feel about the new switch from missionary to volunteer. A week ago, when the thought sunk in that I am not going to be an official missionary it hit me pretty hard. I prayed that I would soon be able to understand and have a good heart towards the situation.

The next day I started to look up service, and most of the teachings about service in the Book of Mormon come from King Benjamin. I thought about how strange that was, a king, yet one of the greatest examples of service. I thought a lot about two verses in Mosiah 2:

Need to coordinate better.

10 I have not commanded you to come up hither that ye should fear me, or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man. 11 But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people; and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.

It seems that King Benjamin almost does not want to be a king. He just wants everyone to know that he is a mortal man like everyone else. Then he says in the next verse that he was made king because of the people, consecrated by his father, and most importantly was suffered by the hand of the lord to become king.

Grubber

Being a volunteer is going to be a bit different than what I was doing before. I am excited to experience some change and see how I can better serve the Russian people. I know the Lord has not forgotten them, and he has a plan for them. Like King Benjamin, being a volunteer is not what I had when I got called to go on a mission, though, I know that the Lord is just as much with me as he was yesterday.

I like what my mission president wrote in our mission letter this week:

You can't freeze these, apparently.
Who knew?

As we seek to find a new path for the Church to grow in Russia we can now aptly be called pioneers — those who go before to lead the way or forge a new path. As [I] write this, July 24 marks the 169th anniversary of the arrival of the first Saints in the Salt Lake Valley. Being a pioneer necessarily means some level of uncertainty because, after all, we are traveling where few or none have tread before. It takes some experimentation to find the best path, some trial and error. We have to be willing to explore new routes, even make a few mistakes. It isn’t for those who prefer to be told exactly how to do things, those who would rather not act but be acted upon. Being a pioneer is for those with an adventurous spirit who, when presented with a challenge, respond with, “Hey, this is going to be fun and interesting. Let’s do it!”

Off the plan.

I think that sums up what the changes here in Russia mean for me.

Oh, Dad, sorry about spending so much on ties. The new rules took more than half my ties out of service. I also bought about ten dollars worth of treats for the Africans. They are all headed to St. Petersburg for a youth conference and weren't going to have money to buy treats for the ride. Gotta have treats!