The Rolla Holla- Mon 9/29/08

For just a brief moment, I am made equal with the clouds. And like them, I have a BirdsEye view of the beauty of this world. It's amazing to watch the tiny cars, thousands strong, & to think that inside EACH one is a world all its own: Complete with concerns & reasons to rejoice, with pain & love that makes it all OK. The "Iron Horse", Man's 19th century triumph creeps slowly painstakingly over its iron path. Within my view are THOUSANDS, maybe millions of souls. From here I feel like I could reach out & touch EACH of them, as if I were, an angel for a moment.
I arrived this morning at the travel office to find 4 other missionaries, from the beginner group for Spanish, all heading to my mission. I'm getting to know them, & although we'll all be in different areas, I like them a lot. We're forming relationships & all of us are learning to love.
Now I am in Atlanta & just watched a BEAUTIFUL 2 hour sunset (Anthonie was right). From Brilliant, glowing orange globe to subtle purple skies, a picture from a camera NEVER can quite do the slightest justice; just like the movies are no substitute for reality, & fun is no substitute for real & lasting peace. I thank God for those moments when I brush with the REAL stuff of life.
I keep thinking what a POWERFUL gift we have - & what heavy responsibility. To THINK that, for whatever reason, I've been given to know, from God himself, that His church is again on the earth, as when Christ Himself established it. In times of old, prophets testified on the streets, calling people to repentance - NOW, it is ours to teach them what true repentance really is. Our exemplar, Jesus Christ, served the people, taught the gospel, & entered into the waters of baptism - Ours is to let him continue His work, through OUR hands.
I am excited, Frankly, it's an interesting phenomenon: to think that I'm now on a plane that will take me to a distant land. CONVENTION tells me that I SHOULD be nervous, or anxious, or feeling unsure - but I am not. Freedom is a beautiful & frightening thing. Beautiful because we never have a reason to be SURPRISED about where we find ourselves; frightening because we also never have an excuse.
Well here I am. And I don't plan to be surprised or make excuses. I don't PLAN to let anything diminish my WELL-founded faith that people are waiting for me. God has prepared them. Sure, my journey will come to an end. Both this plane and this passionate missionary will AGAIN touch ground. But I pray that my faith wont. That I will be able to remember how I felt when I glimpsed, even if just for a moment, how God must feel about us: clammering about, TOO often without direction, while He & the clouds can see what' is REALLY important. I testify that this gospel: the families we raise, the people we help, the LOVE we share! I know it is TRUE, and I cant WAIT to take it to the humble people of Asuncion.

Elder McCarty

This was a hand-written letter. I scanned it in and added as a picture (below). Click on it to open it and see his pictures he drew along the top.