I have been transferred again, this time to Gama Sul. To be honest, I have no idea where I am in relation to Brasilia, but we're about 1 1/2 hours by bus to get here. It looks just like Southern Utah! It doesn't look as crowded but it also has no shade, so we'll be using lots of sunscreen.
My new companion is Elder Fillmore from Cedar Hills, Utah. He went to Lone Peak and played basketball for them. When I first met him, I noticed the basketball in a plastic bag. He just got back from Tocantins, and this is his first transfer as senior, so we should do really well. This is actually the 3rd companion I have had that just went senior, so the joke from the elders in my group is that I am a Senior Trainer.
Speaking of Tocantins, another elder came back, Elder Young! Elder Hamilton is going to stay in Paranoa and Elder Young is going to be his companion! I am way excited for them. I saw Elder Young for about 10 minutes, so I'll send the picture next week, but it was so awesome to say hi and give him a big hug.
Cristiano and Leyla were married and baptized Saturday and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost Sunday, so it was amazing how it all worked out in the end. They are such a great couple and I know they will be a great strength to that ward. They invited over half the ward to their house tonight for FHE/festa for their baptism. I gave Elder Hamilton the Liahona and temple photo to give tonight.
This past week I have been under the weather with a cold/flu/headache combo, so I think it might have been a sinus infection, but I just kept trooping and I am feeling better now. It's funny with each transfer getting to explain about my vitamins/pills/supplements. I am really grateful for good health and being able to keep going, even when my body is screaming to stop.
I was studying the other day in the back of the pamphlet we give out about the Plan of Salvation and it was a glossary in the back and says that the Plan of Salvation is God's plan to make us happy, live with Him and turn us like He is. I was thinking about that and then about chess (yes, random connection).
In chess, you use the pawns as cheap pieces to use/sacrifice or even throw away to set a trap or advance another piece. A lot of the time when we "play with the world", we are just like pawns, where the world likes to throw us away, because we are cheap and they have a lot of us. But when we permit our Heavenly Father to use us, he sacrifices to save us. I don't want to stretch the analogy, but God already sacrificed His best, most able and perfect piece to save us, all we have to do is scramble across the board, dodge a few more pieces and get to the other side. And luckily, unlike real chess, where you can only get a queen at the best, we can all become kings (okay, and queens). You can lose the other pieces, but you have to have the king, he is the most valuable piece (MVP). And we can all go from the most worthless, cheap pawns to kings. We just have to move forward, because pawns can't go back.
I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation in my life and how everything will turn out right in the end, if we just keep going forward, looking at the end and then planning on what we will do to get there.
I love you all,
Elder Barton
1 comment:
An analogue with chess?! Who but Josh could have come up with that and it actually make sense?! Sounds like this transfer will be a good one and hopefully his health will continue to improve.
Thanks for posting.
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