Well, if this were The Price is Right, mom would've won the prize with her guess of 53,574! :D We're entering into the final week of contacting, and the current tally is one week behind our actual (Our AP's are a little slow...)- I think we'll end somewhere around 90,749: the population of Orem in 2012. :) Looking at it like that helps me put it all into perspective. I can't even imagine what it would be like or how long it would take for me to personally speak to every citizen in my home town, but 260 missionaries have contacted well over half that amount already! It reminds me of Elder M. Russell Ballard's talk from October 2012: Be Anxiously Engaged.
"Honeybees are driven to pollinate, gather nectar, and condense the nectar into honey. It is their magnificent obsession imprinted into their genetic makeup by our Creator. It is estimated that to produce just one pound of honey, the average hive of 20,000 to 60,000 bees must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two times around the world. Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon.
Though seemingly insignificant when compared to the total, each bee’s one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the life of the hive. The bees depend on each other. Work that would be overwhelming for a few bees to do becomes lighter because all of the bees faithfully do their part.
...
What do we need to do to become like the dedicated honeybees and have that dedication become part of our nature? Many of us are dutiful in attending our Church meetings. We work hard in our callings and especially on Sundays. That is surely to be commended. But are our minds and our hearts just as anxiously engaged in good things during the rest of the week? Do we just go through the motions, or are we truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ? How do we take the seed of faith that has been nurtured in our minds and plant it deep in the fertile soil of our souls? How do we make the mighty change of heart that Alma says is essential for our eternal happiness and peace? (see Alma 5:12–21).
Remember, honey contains all of the substances necessary to sustain mortal life. And the doctrine and gospel of Christ is the only way to obtain eternal life. Only when our testimony transcends what is in our mind and burrows deep into our heart will our motivation to love and to serve become like unto the Savior’s. It is then, and only then, that we become deeply converted disciples of Christ empowered by the Spirit to reach the hearts of our fellowmen."
...This is something I've been thinking about a lot this week. In a zone conference towards the beginning of my mission, President Nicholas presented some statistics showing the Canada Calgary Mission to be the lowest baptizing mission in North America. I hadn't really been discouraged by that because I've seen people change regardless of how it appeared on the key indicators. Unfortunately, the key indicators I submit every week have been repeatedly lower in this area than in any area prior, and the people appear less willing to change. The last baptism here was 2.5 years ago.
Admittedly, at times I find myself discouraged looking at my meager "twelfth of a teaspoon:" teaching one or two lessons a week doesn't give the greatest impression of a work that's hastened. I'm learning every day to become more content with the amount of work that's available whilst refraining from complacency with the work we have.
Soo that's kind of what's been going on here... Elder Short's getting a little bit trunky, the members are all awesome, and each day's a new day. :)
The Chaparral ward had a party on Saturday night at Lake Chaparral in the attempts of getting people excited to do missionary work. Almost every community in South Calgary has a private, man-made lake, and Chaparral's is much closer than the chapel. Our Ward Mission Leader purchased hot dogs and hamburgers, set up several activities (fishing, frisbee, mantracker, minute to win it oreo challenges, and a rubber duck race in the man-made stream), and let everyone go ham! We were expecting about 75 people to come, but we went through 120 hot dogs and 60 hamburgers. I think we had a few more than that. :) Apparently there were a few nonmembers there too, but Elder Short and I were being mobbed by children as they drafted their rubber ducks and devoured countless oreos, and, again, nobody introduced them to us... Or told us there were nonmembers there until they'd say something like, "Hey, that lady that left twenty minutes ago wasn't a member." :/ We're beginning to wonder if people know that we just don't know who "doesn't belong." :P
Well, I don't really have a whole lot else to say- thanks for keeping me updated! Logan is getting super tall. Weird. And it's soooo weird to see Ciera home... :( The Sisters who came out with me go home in two weeks, and I just have to say that 18 months would not be enough time!! Lucky for them that they're allowed to serve as many missions as they want, eh? ;)
I love you all and I'll write later!
-Elder Jared D. Larsen
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