12.14.10 MTC

Well, 6 weeks. 3 more to go. Wow, I’m getting antsy. But that’s expected, so it’s okay.

This past week has been solid. Elder Roberts and I feel like we taught our best lesson yet last week, and our study time is productive. It’s true. Even though I’d rather be in Mexico.

. . . Speaking of companions though, I’ve got a new one. Elders North, Gatiza (?), and Craig got their visas, so they left for the Peru MTC today. The district now only consists of Elders Guymon, Jensen, Roberts, MacDonald, and I. the last three are the new tri-fecta, and we’re all going to Mexico. All but Elder MacDonald are headed to Hermosillo as well, and he’s going to Chihuahua, which is just east of Sonora.

Class is probably going to be a lot more boring now. But, that’s good. I don’t mind boredom when it results in reverence. Plus, with less people, we’ll all learn the gospel and Spanish quicker. It’ll be nice.

Ah, and I went to the Provo temple for possibly the last time in 2 years. The temple closes down the next two weeks for Christmas and there’s a chance I’m leaving before then. Hopefully. Although I’m willing to wait a few days to go again, not more than a week though.

Ah, and for the devotional tonight, we had Elder Paul D. Pieper of the 70. It was good, if lacking the emotion of Elder Holland or the logical and methodical awesomeness of Elder Bednar. He spoke on agency, and how to use it effectively on a mission. He went on for quite a bit, but one thing in particular stood out: having righteous desires, which were exemplified by the sons of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. Their desire was to simply “save a few souls.” They knew the fear of having a soul harrowed up by sin, as spoken of in Mosiah 28:3. They knew what awaited the sinful Lamanites if they wouldn’t repent.

And there’s the thing: sin creates fear. Misunderstanding does as well, and I can’t think of something more misunderstood than death. People are freaked out by it, and for a good reason, right? They have no idea what’s going on after death. It’s like they think death is just as menacing and freaky as the cliché image of the Grim Reaper himself. But, C’MON! People, you don’t have to be afraid! Geez! I’m freaked out of my mind by the pain associated with death, but at least I know it’s a necessary end. Besides, who wants to live on Earth forever? Send me somewhere else to dwell for eternity. Being with God in heaven would be much better than anything offered down here.

But anyway, I just hope I can help people see that clearly: you don’t have to be afraid anymore. Sure, still be afraid of spiders, snakes, or other phobia-inducing things: but, death shouldn’t be one of them. For some more “food for thought,” check out Moroni 8:16, but mostly just the last half of the scripture.

Man, I love this gospel? Why can’t others see it? Eh, I guess I’ll just have to help ‘em to do it. That’s why I’m on a mission anyway, right?

And, another thing I was thinking of: if I didn’t get my visa in time and got reassigned to somewhere stateside before the visa comes, how cool would it be if I went to the Denver or Chicago missions? Probably not, since my wardrobe is all set for extreme heat, but who knows.

Elder Humbert