Apartments, Puppies and Hope

Ciao, All!

We took a hike to the Santuario Della Madonna del Bosco. It was a nice walk, a pretty church, and an excellent view. We also stopped by a lake while we were there. It was very peaceful.

FAITH AND HOPE. I forgot to mention that I gave a talk two weeks ago. It was about hope, which I compared to an action word, like faith. I thought about the topic, wrote three scriptures down, and walked to the pulpit armed with just the Book of Mormon and the ideas I had had. It was a pretty good talk, not spectacular, but pretty good.

I compared Christlike hope to the Christmas experiences of two girls. Both of them want a puppy, but the first girl never cleans her room, often breaks her toys, doesn't help with household chores, and doesn't come inside on time. The second girl, however, cleans her room, washes the dishes, takes care of her things, and generally shows responsibility. Both girls hope for a puppy. But realistically, who is going to get it? Likewise, all of us hope for a bright future and a resurrection on the right hand of God. But who is realistically going to get it? The man who twiddles his thumbs and prays while watching the grass grow, or the man who helps his neighbor move, sets a positive example for his children, and offers a shoulder on which to cry for a friend coping with loss?

ANSWERING MOM'S QUESTIONS. My favorite missionary apartment was the Firenze apartment, with the penthouse balcony, 10 minutes from downtown, on the 5th floor.

("What do you wish someone had told you at the beginning of your mission?")

Just to remind you: this was the Firenze apartment that I liked best

I wish someone had told me that, besides family, hearing from somebody once a month is pretty reasonable. Yes, you've been set apart and are now "special," but everybody else also just hit the Turbo Button in their lives, and can't be expected to communicate with you at your convenience. That bothered me at the beginning of my mission, but I realized that everybody else is also a protagonist in their own story, and is just as busy as you.

Love, Anziano Whitesell