So this week brings in another 6 week transfer cycle in the mission, but it also brings some more challenges and changes for me. I'm combining the 2 areas that I just split up back into 1 area because there aren't enough Spanish missionaries in the mission to cover all of the areas we have. So I'm staying here in providence, and my address is :
Elder Shepherd
304 Pearl St. #203
Providence, Rhode Island
02907
They're sending a missionary who is going home in 8 days to South Providence to help me join the 2 areas again, and then I'll continue work with my current companion, Elder Cohen, covering the entire city of Providence. My area is so huge, and I have TONS of people to work with right now. I'm definitely not going to have problems finding people to teach. My biggest task will be knowing how to prioritize my time so that I can be most effective. Planning will be more than my bread and butter, it's going to be my everything. It doesn't surprise me though that planning seems to be really hard for many missionaries. Missionaries in general are regular young adults who have never really planned out anything in their entire life beyond a date, and even that not very well. I've definitely learned the crucial importance of planning ahead and prioritizing my time out here in Providence. My decisions are usually never decisions between what is 'right' and what is 'wrong', but they are choices between what is 'good' and what is 'best'. I think it's really easy to fill up our time with 'good' things. The trick in our every day lives is learning the difference between what is important and what is not, or, in other words, what is MOST important. A lot of 'good' things in life just aren't all that important. We should daily seek counsel and assurance from the Lord regarding our decisions so that he can help us to see what is most important. Tell Him what your struggles are, and tell Him what is important to you. He'll guide and direct you as you humbly lay out your situation before Him and offer thoughtful solutions. Finally, ACT on what you feel is most important, and report back to Him in prayer how it went. As you follow this process of personal revelation, you can be assured that He will lead you in righteous paths, and that He will help you focus on what matters most. Remember, the purpose of prayer isn't to change the will of the Lord or to impose our will upon Him, but it is a means in which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into harmony one with another. When we desire to act based solely on our own wills or ambitions we ignore the will of the Lord in our lives, and we surrender inspired guidance and promised blessings. If we pray with the intent to submit ourselves to God and do His will, the Lord will make it clear to us how we should proceed. He will tell us in both our 'mind' and our heart'. This is important because it lets us now exactly how He answers us, that is, in both a logical way (mind/thoughts) and a revelatory way (heart/feelings). Thoughts and feelings are involved.
I definitely have my work cut out for me this transfer, and my district size is also increasing. I'm now the district leader over the areas of Providence and 4 other surrounding cities, and I have 10 other elders in my district besides my companion and I. I'm going to need to stretch a lot, but I'm grateful that the grace of the Lord is sufficient for my weakness.
I love you all, and I hope that you had a good 24th of July Weekend!
Your favorite elder,
-Elder Shepherd
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