The Rolla Holla! 11-3-08 A Little Bit ´O Joy

Walking home last night, joking with my companion in Spanish, and thinking of the people of Paraguay who are finding themselves somewhere deep down within my heart, it hit me: I´m a MISSIONARY! Wow. I´m a Spanish-Speakin, Speed-Walkin, Gospel-Sharin, People-Servin machine! Every day I have the priviledge of being empowered by the spirit, excited for the work, and enabled by my God. What an exciting time. I feel like so many of my good friends said I would: it´s almost unbelievable - this is my MISSION! Not sure why, but I didn´t really feel the culture-shock that so many others told me they felt. Maybe it´s a result of living the so-called ¨poor¨ college life for 3 years. More likely, it is because, even though they live in dirt floor, tin-roofed, road side sign walled houses, and leave the house every day hoping they can find work to bring home a bag of rolls for the family, the most common disposition of their sun-tanned, often toothless faces is a smile. it reminds me of one of my favorite sayings: Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. And through their pain and trials, these people, without fail, smile, and explain how their life is going. Always...Tranquilo. I´m also being humbled a great deal by the specific trials that I have to overcome. Heavenly Father is helping me to shift my focus from external measurements of success to internal ones. It´s interesting to see that with that shift in focus, there is a LOT to learn about how to achieve success accordingly. Now I have to ask, am I doing God´s will rather than, are we achieving our goals, or, am I loving my companion, rather than, are we effectively bringing souls unto Christ. I spent the last few years of my life learning about the rules and laws of that other perspective: how do you set and achieve a goal? What actions lead to success? Or, What can be done to make the situation acceptable to people with different needs? It seems, that the things I´m learning now follow a different set of rules. The two perspectives, like everything in life, have to be balanced. And so, I have the opportunity to level myself out a little bit. At any rate, the work that we ARE doing gives me hope. And I am excited to be able, once I learn that balance and apply it, to improve and enhance the external results as well. Anyhow, life is SO good. I am so happy. Not many details this week, and the camera died, so no pictures. But, just know how much I love you all! I think of you often...not too often. But when I do, I am filled with joy, and have to remember to STOP the thoughts before they turn into nostalgia and then outright homesickness. But I sure hope you are all doing well. Love, YOUR missionary. Elder McCarty