19/08/2012

A while back I gave a shout out to  pesto on my blog and now I feel like another shout out to a great little fruit that makes kitchen life so much better. Key limes. Wonderful little inventions they are. A squeeze of one of these can make an old dry piece of meat a great burrito filler. I also have found that slicing a handful of them in half and  dropping them into your water bottle for the day can really improve things. Key limes make me happy. So recent stories from my life... Well I think that the most exciting things that have happened recently have to be the times I've got to spend with the Nicholls family. So for those who are out of the loop I meet the Nicholls while I was serving in the Basildon ward in the England London Mission. I spent six months in that area and eat at their house every other Sunday. Also they were gracious enough to invite me and Elder Potts over for a wonderful Christmas day. Martin is also the bishop of the ward there so we were privileged to spend extra time with him doing the Lords work. They are absolutely some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Going to their home was like a bit of fresh air at times. Anyhow we went to the Brigham City Temple open house yesterday. It was stunning! Only the best for the Lord right? I am so grateful to be part of a temple building people. I'm just grateful that we understand the significance of a temple! I have made it a habit to attend the temple weekly and this is one of the greatest way for me to keep a more long term perspective. I can not say that every time I go I receive an earth shattering revelation or learn something magnificent but I do feel different. I feel a peace that surpasses any other substitute peace. Its hard to describe but I feel the assurance that there IS something greater out there and that the covenants that we make through the priesthood will help us to obtain it. I feel there that families are eternal. I just love the temple. So work is going great for me! I'm starting to pick up a little bit of Spanish here and there. Also I'm just about accustomed to the physical demands of the job. Its really funny the tan lines that I am developing because of my personal protection equipment. From my check bones up my face is a lighter shade because of the safety sunglasses and hardhat that I am required to wear and also my hand are a shade lighter then my arms because I have to wear gloves. I think I'm just a funny sight to behold! I've learned a few good things about landscaping that might prove to be useful one day when I own my own city and have to plant trees on the side of the freeway. Well I took a look at the syllabus for the class I will be starting tomorrow, not exactly what I expected! I guess I have forgotten what is expected from you as a student. You have to study the text book, read the teachers commentary, have discussions with classmates, formulate your own ideas about it, write essays, and take exams. I can not believe I paid money for the opportunity to do this. I did decided earlier this week that I did not want to dig ditches for the rest of my life but its beginning to look like that will be the easier option! But as Elder Holland has said you might find on the Highway to Hell the chamber of horrors banner 'welcome to the ethics of ease'. Well the easy course isn't ever really the best one so I guess I'll just have to tighten up my belt, put my thinking cap on and go to work! Its just hard for me to fully imagine that I have to take at least three times as many classes as this for at least four more years! And they say this is the best time of my life... Well you got to start somewhere I guess right? Last Sunday I taught the Elders quorum lesson, well I didn't really teach I just kinda oversaw and directed a great conversation between the class. The topic was about maintaining spirituality as a student in this world. It was amazing how much the "little things" such as prayer and scripture study can help accomplish this. I had an interesting thought which i shared with the class. I feel that all to often we approach prayer as a drug addict may approach his next hit. We will have a deep craving, pray till we feel the God's love, then almost in an instant leave and come down from our high until our next wave of withdrawals hit. It doesn't have to be like this! We all can order our lives so that we can live in an environment of the spirit! This is one of the foremost goals of my life. You know they say that those who are found standing in holy places will be spared at the last day. If we can live in an environment mental and/or physical where the spirit can reside the we will be found in a holy place. i guess these holy places are not always chapels, temples and homes but mentalities and life styles that are arrived at by living the standards of the gospel and following the teachings of Christ. I'm definitely not perfect at it, but the idea of living like this is very appealing to me and I hope that one day I can arrive at it.