4/22/19: Echale Ganas!

  Well the week after transfers is a busy one, and this past one was filled with plenty of things to keep us running around. 

Besides all of the logistical stuff that we had to get figured out, we had an awesome night with the departing missionaries at the mission home. This is one of my favorite parts of transfers. We basically eat dinner with all those missionaries going home, President and Sister Teuscher, and the senior couples and then have a bomb testimony meeting up in the living room of the Mission Home in Scarsdale. Cool fact, the mission home we use is the same one that Elder Rasband of the Quorum of the 12 used when he was a mission president here as well! For the closing hymn we sang "God Be With You Til We Meet Again," and the water works began. It was one of the coolest moments I've had since being up here in the office, and it's crazy to me that I'll be bearing my testimony in that meeting in just a few weeks. (Trying to draw these weeks out as long as possible)

So I learned this week that when you're running low on food options but are trying to be healthy, you have to be creative, which leads to poor meals. The other night we (I mean I) had the bright idea for dinner to throw some mac n cheese and chicken breast together. Doesn't sound to bad right? Well just imagine the stuff that a hippo would enjoy eating and that is basically what we were scarfing down. Plus Elder Daybell found out pretty quick that you could actually eat this gourmet dish without using your teeth, AKA "The Hippo Chomp". This consists of smacking your two lips together to mash whatever atrocity is inside your mouth while delicately balancing it so it doesn't go flying onto your companion's face. Lesson learned: Mac n cheese needs to remain simply mac n cheese. 

This past week hasn't left too much time for thought, but I did have some great personal studies and was able to reflect a lot on what my mission has meant to me and some lesson I have learned recently. One repeating theme from this week was the term, "Excellence". I've been thinking a lot about how on the mission it is so key to be consistent. Consistent in studies, work ethic, love for the people, focus on the gospel. At times it is so easy to maintain that, while at others it is super difficult, just like in every day life outside of the field. Eventually all of us want to become "experts" of life, obviously. 

There was a talk given at BYU a few years ago that cued in on this idea of becoming excellent. Excellence in Greek is, arête.  The definition of that word literally means, "The act of living up to one's potential." 

So once we begin living up to our potential, we become excellent. This process is not something completed in a few years, or even decades, but one that is drawn out throughout our whole lives and even after. Being excellent doesn't mean we are perfect, it means we realize our potential and strive to hit it daily. Realizing that potential is the hard part, but with the knowledge of the restored gospel, we understand a little bit more about where our bar should be set. 

So many times we blame our performance on the circumstances we find ourselves in, and mostly disregard what our potential or "bar" is set at regardless of circumstances. 

Elder Bednar said, 

"We shouldn't pray to have our circumstances changed, but rather to have the strength to change our circumstances." 

When we are faced with tough choices, bad circumstances, or a lousy draw, the question still remains: What are you going to do about it?

Will we sit around and say, "Oh well I guess this is all part of the plan, might as well ride it out." Or will we actively take our turn, go on the offensive and MAKE a difference behind the confidence that we have the strength of the Lord with us?

I know as we go out and work for what we desire, we'll see miracles. 

"If you work hard you'll be happy, if not you'll go to hell." - Brigham Young

This quote will be hanging on my wall at home. Brigham Young knows how to throw down some nice one liners.

Love y'all!

Elder Allen