Howdy everyone,
It’s been a great week here in the down under. It’s getting to be the best part of my mission, and it’s getting weird to think it will all be over soon. But Elder Bednar came and talked to us this week! That was so cool! It was way different than I thought it would be. I thought we were going to get rebuked hard, but he was so funny, and we were laughing and all having a great time! There were no prepared talks, he just got up and started asking us questions. He then let us ask him questions. I got the chance to ask a question (pretty lucky, around 450 missionaires, and about 15 or so got to ask questions, and I got picked!) It was way cool. I asked him if there were any scriptures or stories in his life that has helped him stay consecrated when things get tough. His answer made me cry. He talked about how in the book of mormon, there are six instances where the phrase “one by one” are used. He challenged me to look through the scriptures and look for them (he said that an internet search would not work). He then said that all the one by one examples are how the savior does things. When he faced Gethsemane, he did it one by one, and it had to happen that way. Consecration happens one by one, you can’t have it all at once, and you’ll never be able to focus on the people if you lose sight of the one by one approach. It was way cool!
We had to drive forever though. It’s about four hours from where we live to the place the meeting is if all goes well. It went well going up, but back, not so much. We had to make a couple of pit stops to pick up stuff for Elder Perkins, and we had an interesting kerfuddle trying to get gas after we passed the gas station. We didn’t get back until about 11:15, and we had to get up early for ward council the next morning. It was great. We also got to stop at the one and only Little Caesars in the whole country. It tastes just like it does at home (which nothing here tastes as good as it does back home!). It’s 7 dollars a pizza though.
Love you heaps!
-Elder Shelton