Well its Hot. I sweat nonstop and drink water continually and am
still dehydrated. Its just dry down here, very, very, dry. The work in the areas
that I am covering are polar opposites. One area is doing well and we are
finding people to teach out of the woodwork and the other its like pulling teeth
to get to the tooth underneath then using the jackhammer to get it out. A little
rough but that only encourages us to cherish the moments of opportunity we get.
My companion and I have learned a lot about charity and compassion over the past
couple weeks mainly through the service that we have been able to do. We see
people that are struggling so much and finding themselves in a pickle where they
begin to lose hope. I will forever remember the looks on those peoples faces as
they stand in the background wondering how they are going to make it through all
of this, thinking in their mind that God has forsaken them. I just pray that God
will show them a sign of the direction that He needs them to head in and that
they can feel His reminding presence again. I can also remember their faces
after we get there and help them with their projects and moving their materials.
With every box you move you can see their shoulders relax a little more as the
burden is slowly lifted from them. Eventually when you get to the end you see
them feel that calm embrace from the Lord that they have been so longing for,
looking as if they have jumped into a pool of cool water feeling refreshed. The
memory of those faces will blot out the remembrance of the looks of sorrow. I
will never stop to pray for those people that they will receive the help they
need and that the people nearby them will find the courage and motivation to
help.
As I was in church yesterday we were talking about the Holy Ghost and the
impressions he leaves on people and how some of us have felt his presence in the
past. Talking about it it reminded me of an experience I had a couple years back
when I was swimming at the Baxter's pool. I was standing on the edge of the
diving board getting ready to jump in when I thought of the story of Peter and
Jesus Christ walking on the water. I thought that if Peter could do it through
his faith why can't I? I began to think to myself about the faith that I had and
the faith that Peter had, the only difference was that Peter was looking at the
Lord who was already walking on water so he had his example and the evidence of
his faith. He knew it could be done and that faith turned into knowledge. So for
me to accomplish this my faith had to turn into knowledge and I had to Know that
when I jumped off I would stand on the water and that my knees wouldn't hurt to
bad from jumping onto a surface. I began to picture the scene of Christ and
Peter as if it were happening before me and putting myself in Peter's shoes
stepping off and standing. By this time I thought I knew that it would happen, I
pictured it in my mind and could see it. It became knowledge to me. I jumped and
I landed.... and at the bottom of the pool I remember myself looking up at the
surface thinking "what went wrong?", "why wasn't I just there on top on the surface
rather than down here where I am now cold and wet?" "What happened to my faith? Do
I have faith? Did I believe in Christ strong enough that a miracle like this
could be performed?" And many more questions rose up in my mind. I thought back
and right before I jumped I had a thought come into my mind, a thought that what
if it didn't happen. I shrugged the thought off and continued. Again I had the
thought right before I hit the water. At the bottom of the pool I realized that
my faith wasn't wrong nor was my experiment but that I neglected the thought of
the other side, that wasn't knowledge or true faith. I didn't know for sure. I
then had a feeling come over me, a feeling of warmth and humility. I know that I
shouldn't have been testing God and that I did have faith but that it wasn't my
purpose to walk on water. As I rose to the surface the feeling I had grew larger
and larger. I knew that I had more to work on with my faith and that I needed to
hit the drawing board again and begin again by reading, praying and going to
church to strengthen my faith.
I wouldn't encourage you to do the same thing that I did, especially at
this time of season but try and figure out where your faith is and how you have
felt the spirit in the past. I love you all.
Love Elder Leonhardt
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