something other hi/hey? I agree, we're all children of the same
Heavenly Father, how different can we all really be? I hope you have a
good Christmore as well Joey. Yeah Andy, you've definitely had it
worse but I find myself similarly frustrated at times. The last few
days in the BoM I've noticed a ton of references about just being
patient. I think about how ticked Alma and Amulek may have been after
days of being spat upon, slapped, naked, underfed and all kinds of
nonsense. But they endured, waited till the trial was over and moved
forward. They also caused the prison to crush those that had abused
them, not sure if that one will happen for you or not. Anywho, I could
definitely use that kind of patience. Mom, I can't wait till you're
100 years old and you're going to spend hours a day making sure that
the home of each great grand child is completely unpacked and
organized, haha. My call will be sometime in the morning there, around
7:30 pm here. Dad, my exercise is basically just a cycle of sit ups,
crunches, push ups, curls and squats. Not gonna lie, them abs aren't
looking too bad.
But really, aside from a random snow storm in the middle of November,
it's basically just been leaves, dirt and dead trees. Of course that
ain't stopping them Germans from putting up tons of Christmas
decorations! They even have a weird Frozen-themed artificial sledding
hill thing.
 |
Berlin Cathedral |
Not the most exciting week in the world, but still good. Lots of area
book work, (attempted) less active visits and lazy investigators. My
notable conversations this week were: French guy who speaks little
German tells me that I should learn French in order to obtain a
girlfriend (it's already gotten him 2). Awkward conversation with man
who speaks basically no English OR German. And a conversation with a
Muslim who wanted to convert me. They were all entertaining, but
unfortunately not terribly successful. But this next week is smelling
like a good one.
So yesterday during studies and before going to bed I was feeling some
creative juices and whipped out this baby.
Analogy time. I want a car. I go to my dad, asking, pleading and
begging for him to give me a car. He thinks about it for a few
seconds.
"Do you promise that you'll obey the rules? Follow the speed limit,
wear a seatbelt, stay sober...everything?"
"Of course, dad!"
So my dad buys me a car, a very nice car. Before giving me the keys he
once again reminds me of my commitment to be obedient. I nod soberly,
snatch the keys and run out the door.
After a few weeks I start to notice that many drivers basically ignore
the speed limit. No one seems to be getting in trouble for it, so I
decide to crank the speed up a bit.
A month or so later, I'm feeling pretty good about myself. It's easy
to tell that I'm a much better driver than most people. What do I need
a seat belt for? Sure, some people get in accidents, but I've been
driving for almost 2 months now and haven't had anything close to an
accident.
Another month goes by, and some dudes invite me to a party. My dad's
warnings enter into my mind, but I manage to push them away. I've been
doing just fine on my own so far, right? I go to the party. Of course
there's alcohol, and everyone's drinking it. I have no interest in
being the one fool that refuses to drink, so I jump right in. Well
after a couple hours the party comes to an end. Something feels wrong,
but what am I gonna do, sit there all night until I feel better? What
would my friends think? So I start driving home.
Things are going ok, but after those couple hours of partying I've
never felt more tired. I still have a nagging feeling in my stomach,
but whatever. A few minutes later my eyes start to droop. The road
becomes a blur. A bright light flashes in front of me, the honking of
a car drills itself into my head. I swerve off the road. I hit a tree.
I wake up, battered, bruised and broken. My car is totaled, I can
hardly imagine how I'm still alive. After a few moments of taking in
the situation, I start to wish that I wasn't. Not only am I in
terrible pain, my precious car totaled. I have to return to my father,
battered and bruised, show him the totaled car, the car that he freely
gave me, and tell him straight to his face that I knowingly acted in
opposition to his conditions. For a time (minutes, hours, days?) I lie
in agony, wishing that I hadn't survived the accident.
After an eternity my head starts to clear and I remember something my
older brother told me shortly before I drove off.
"I'll always be there for you."
These words which I had previously disregarded flood into my mind. I
grasp onto it and pull out my cellphone, which is miraculously still
intact. At the first ring he answers his phone, almost as though he
was expecting a call. In response to his voice all I manage is a
strangled cry,
"I'm sorry."
He listens patiently and quietly as I explain to him what happened,
occasionally offering words of comfort and support. There is no anger,
exasperation or condemnation. As I finish explaining my story, he
simply says:
"Everything will be alright. I'm on my way."
I forget my pains, my fear and my guilt. Everything would be alright.
I hear the squeal of brakes, the opening and closing of a car door. My
brother wrenches the door open and pulls me out. I'm too stunned to
say anything as he kneels down in the dirt and starts addressing my
wounds. Finally I find my voice.
"Don't worry about me, take a look at my car!"
"I'll take care of that too, but I'll need your help. Can't very well
help me in a condition like this, can you?"
As he finishes, he helps me to my feet. He makes a deal with me.
"Together we're going to repair your car. It will take some effort on
your part, but I'll help you every step of the way. Once the car is
fixed and you're back on the road I want you to call me every day and
tell me how you're doing."
"Every day? Aren't you busy?"
"Never too busy for you, bro."
It takes some time, but a few weeks later, my body and car are as good
as new. Before driving back home he once again gives me those
reassuring words.
"I'll always be there for you."
And ever since then, things have been going great. Sure every once and
a while the temptation comes to stretch the rules a bit, but after
looking back on all that happened, it's not hard to push the thought
out of my mind. And if it comes back, my brother is just a call away.
Now I'm devoted to helping others understand, so they don't have to go
through what I did. Sometimes they believe me, sometimes they don't.
Every day my brother offers me encouragement, and lovingly offers me
ways to improve. There's nothing I want more than to one day be like
him.
Yeah, a little bit out of the blue, 'twas inspired by Alma 36. Anywho,
I love you guys. It'll be good to see yalls faces at Christmas,
especially in comparison with the interesting phone call we had a few
weeks ago. Have a good week!
Elder Larsen
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