The apocalypse is coming, I have heard here in Spokane, on September 23. So watch out.
Actually, I think the word apocalypse is really funny. It's the Latin word for "revelation." It's connected to the end of the world because the book of revelation, the book of apocalypse, talks about the end of the world. So General conference is an apocalypse for the church, and the Women's session in on the 23rd. So, it's coming. But until then, it can happen for us personally every single day. And it has for me a lot this week.
So, we're teaching a nine year old boy, and he's set to be baptized in October. We turned the Plan of Salvation into a board game for him, and played it with him and his little sister. It was fun.
We also met this really cool guy on the street who is just going through a lot right now. His tires got slashed, he doesn't have any money, his landlord is kind of crazy and mean, he has kidney problems and is supposed to be going to dialysis, but doesn't have a car, and other stuff like that. So we scheduled a visit with him. It was supposed to be a half hour, but it ended up being an hour and a half. He did most of the talking, and told us all about his time in prison, and all the fights he's been in. But he believes in Christ, and he knows the bible really well, and he liked the scriptures we shared with him from the Book of Mormon. He really wants to have the Lord in his life more, and I'd love to teach him more, but he's trying to move, and so I don't know how much longer he'll be around. But he's cool.
As I've been working out here and meeting a lot of people (a surprising amount of which actually know where Elk Ridge is. "Where are you from?" "Elk Ridge, Utah." "Oh, that's right next to Woodland Hills. I know where that is." "Really? I've met kids from Spanish Fork who don't know where Elk Ridge is."). But I've realized that I'm not the only one working out here. Satan is here, and he's really starting to get on my nerves. But I was reading an Ensign article about fighting Satan, and it talked about how Jesus handled Satan. Jesus told him, "Get the hence, Satan, for it is written..." and then he quoted scripture. I think this is a pretty great approach. So I was thinking about what scriptures I could quote at Satan when he starts slipping negative thoughts in my mind, and I found a lot of good ones, but then I realized that "Get the hence Satan" is in the scriptures. So lately, whenever negative thoughts have been getting in my head, I've been thinking, "Get the hence, Satan, for it is written, 'Get the hence, Satan.'" I just think it's kind of funny, but in reality, the scriptures bring the Spirit, and so using the scriptures to combat Satan really is a good idea.
My final thought for the week is the importance of goals. A lot of people don't like goal setting, and a lot of people aren't too good at it. I'm not. But the more I work with them, the more I know that goals, planning, and accountability are the best ways to improve and make dreams a reality. So my challenge to you is to sit down some time, and write down something you want to accomplish. Anything. Then, figure out how long it might take, whether it be a few months, years, weeks, or whatever. Then, chop it into smaller pieces. Make long term goals (yearly or monthly or both) and then make weekly goals, and then make daily goals. And then, after you make the goals, make the plans. Every day, just do a little bit to get closer to your goal. If you have planned out everything, you'll be able to see how far you need to go each day to eventually get there. It's hard, and kind of tedious, but it works. I would also invite you to read chapter 8 or Preach My Gospel. It's oriented towards missionary work, but the principles apply to lots of other things. When I was at college, the way that my professors were teaching me to learn music actually line up exactly with chapter 8. So I invite you all to try it, and see if God will not help you achieve your goals.
I love you all! I love it here in Washington. And, I didn't take any pictures. And I'm really not sorry. So, yeah. Have a great week.
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