Biggest Lesson I Have Learned

I am e-mailing in the public library now. We usually just e-mail in the mission office, but we need to keep an eye on some elders so we will probably be e-mailing here now.

So my life has been really fun and just crazy busy lately. It's been a long time since I'm this tired at night and I love it (probably not since I was in Anthem and had to train and go biking in the hot summer). This past week I got to drive from Prescott to South Phoenix (across the whole mission - little over 2 hours) by myself - which is different since you are always with your companion. We have to move cars around all the time, or take them to get fixed, so I get to drive at least once a week by myself. It's fun. We run around a lot and I've loved the change of pace.

So I went out with 2 zone leaders this past week on exchanges - some good times. One is really struggling with his companion - so we discussed that a lot. The other goes home in like 8 days or so - he that was cool to talk with him. I was up in Prescott which is up north and the weather now is really nice. It hit 102 yesterday - still isn't that bad. It's not until like 105 and up that it is just warm.

Last night, we started planning for transfers, so we met President and Sister Beck in the office and worked on that for a couple hours (who will be the next leaders, who is training and where, which areas to split, etc.) I like it a lot. Sister Beck made us some dinner there at the office and then we followed them back to there house to pick up some training cd's and they had us come in and made us some Root Beer Freezes. So we talked with them there for another 40 min and then came home. It's been really cool to work so closely with them. Like they had spent this past weekend with Elder Christofferson and so they had lots of good things to tell us (they are with an apostle like once every 3 months).

Now after we plan at like 10 or so I just lay in bed still dressed and fall asleep, then wake up at like 10:20, change, brush teeth, pray and sleep. I'm just tired. But it's nice.

So being in my new assignment has given me a lot of new experiences. We don't really deal with any of the little challenges or when Elders do small things (we have their district or zone leaders take care of it), but we have to deal with some really big problems. Before I thought it would be cool to be a Mission President and you look at all the fun things they do and it seems great, but then there is always the side that no one wished they had to deal with (same with Bishops, etc. I'm sure). It has really made me appreciate the testimony I have and the blessings I have received.

This past month or so, I have pondered on what is the one biggest lesson I have learned on my mission thus far. And I think it is this:

There is true safety and real happiness that comes from honoring your covenants and following your priesthood leaders.

On Tuesday - 31 May - I got to conduct zone leader council which was fun - Elder Brase and I also had to demonstrate how to teach using real inspired questions and it went really well. We have been sitting down and meeting with new trainers and trainees and discussion how they feel about the new training program we have implemented with this transfer. It hasn't been implemented worldwide yet, they have 3 test missions using it (and then President decided to add ourselves to the test group and said, "Well they never told us we couldn't do it now). He's just funny. So we have been looking for feedback on it and how we can improve it. We go to a lot of the district meetings to look for potential leaders and what training we need to provide at our next mission leadership trainings. Betweeb E. Brase and I, we hit 5 this week.

This past Saturday - 4 June - was the ground breaking ceremony of the Phoenix Temple. They announced it about 3 years ago and it has had a lot of problems going up - the community was not happy and they have done everything they could to stop it basically. But they finally did it. So we got to go to our stake center and watch a broadcast of it. Elder Rasband of the Seventy presided and gave a dedicatory prayer on the ground. They say it will take around 2-3 years to construct which is really exciting.

We both plan on having a long nap this afternoon (like 1-4) - so we are looking forward to that because next week we don't get a p-day since it's the day before transfers and there is a ton to do.

Hope all is well, take care.

Elder Perkins