I heard a phrase from an 89 year-old son of God that stuck with me and echoed in my heart. We had just finished helping him carry his bag of books, which, since he was carrying a cane at the same time, was causing him some difficulties especially as he was trying to ascend a nearby staircase. He turned to us and after expressing his thanks he told us in a raised voice, "Boys be Ambitious!!".
The next day during breakfast we watched a conference talk from April 1972 entitled "Know Thyself, Control Thyself, Give Thyself". I recommend that you watch it rather than read it. Reading just doesn't quite do it justice. As a missionary nearing his final 2 weeks, any other words could not have had greater impact on me than those did at this time.
As we near the end of my service in any field, I am sometimes tempted to say something like this, "Self, you have worked pretty darn well up till now, and you deserve a rest. You've done your fair share and probably even more than your fair share. The end result won't even change that much. You have a guaranteed place in the hearts and minds of others."
It is at times like these that I am reminded of the Savior's warning to such in Luke 12:20, "Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?"
This work is not finished until the Lord comes himself and declares that it is.
The same man that we met ended up suddenly walking in to church on Sunday, which caught us completely by surprise, and expressed that he was simply filled with happiness and gratitude.
(He also added "Girls be Ambitious" to the phrase for those who were worried)
He left the building telling us that he felt cleansed and full of joy. Now, I might be just an overexcited missionary, but I can testify that THAT is the power of the Atonement and the effect that the love of God has on those who are humble enough to let it into their hearts.
Be diligent, be humble, be ambitious.
Elder J is pushing right along, getting down to work, and never losing focus! He's a blast to be around and is always on top of what we need to be doing.
We've seen some incredible miracles this last week. By following an impression of the Spirit on Wednesday, we were led to meet a new friend from Brazil, he came to church yesterday and is a stand up young man!
I love you all!
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