What a Week!

This week was pretty sweet! Monday, after emailing home, Elder Burch and I got to go over to our assistant ward mission leader's home and help him process some chickens, it was soooo cool!! When we first started I felt pretty bad/sad about it but I quickly got over it because I realized that that is how we get our food, plus it was pretty interesting! While helping with the chickens, I felt super red neck because we used branch cutters to chop of its head and a kitchen knife to slice open the body! After we got all of the good meat from the chicken, we threw the dead body to the rest of the chickens and they started eating it!!!! Thankfully throughout the process there was only 3 drops of blood that landed on my shoes.

Cool thing about this week, I was able to be in all three of my areas within 3 days! We went up to Chipley for an exchange, and then went back to Crestview for MLC, it was sweet! While in Chipley we did some service for Brother Aukema out on his farm, something I would always bug him about, but never got the chance. We unloaded a 57ft flatbed trailer filled with hay, I honestly had so much fun! Being out there was definitely hard work but it was worth it, I always feel so accomplished after a day of hard work. Also while I was in Chipley I got to go visit with Carl again. We knocked on his door and he told us to come in, so we went and sat on the couch while we waited for him to come in the room. When I walked in, he was just talking as normal, then he looked at who was there and got super excited, yelled "SKIP!" and came up and gave me a massive hug, it was so cool! While there I found out that he has a goal of getting the priesthood and going to the temple for baptisms, so we taught him about what he needs to do to get to that point. The thing that we really focused on was the word of wisdom because he has been having a rough time with that again, but we taught a very powerful lesson to him about how if you do what the Lord asks then there is always a blessing that comes. He really liked and Elder Carpenter invited him to write down in his journal "January 3, 2017.  Today I quit smoking" and he said "Well I haven't yet..." to which we replied "Sure you did, you just chose this day to serve the Lord and accept the blessings into your life by quitting smoking." So he took his journal and pen and wrote it down, it was so cool! I honestly love Carl so much and just want him to be happy! I really hope that he will be able to reach his goal and make it to the temple, what a great day that would be! As I was reflecting on my visit to Chipley, I realized how much I grew to love that place, I actually miss it a lot. When I first got there I hated it, but now I miss it so much; its cool how the Lord softens peoples hearts and allows love to fill into it in every situation, but only if you have a willing heart.

Then on to Crestview. Man I miss that place a bunch! I really have been so blessed with the areas that I have had the opportunity to serve in! Even though I was only in the building and didn't get to go see anything or anyone, it brought back so many good memories! While there, we got to hear from President Smith and the assistants, and i loved what they trained on! The assistants focused on having pure desire and as I have reflected on it, I compared it to baseball (naturally). While in high school, literally all that I desired was to play baseball and get better at it. We would wake up at 5:30 for early morning practice and I was so excited for it! Then I would have practice right after school and I loved it! Shoot, while I was in school all I wanted to do was get out on the field and then when I got home, all I wanted to do was go play catch or hit BP with my dad or friends, now that is pure desire! So if I had that kind of desire for baseball, why not for the work of salvation? I love it out here but I don;t have that kind of desire yet, so that is going be what I am working on, I want to be like Jeremiah and have such a burning inside that it cant be contained!

The longer I am out here, the happier I get, it is so much fun and I am being filled with so much joy! No matter what anyone says, living the gospel will make you happy. I have personally seen it on both sides and I never want to go back, it's not worth it! The Savior told his disciples "Peace I leave with you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you."  This is so true, the gospel brings peace that this world can not bring and what a blessing it is to have it in my life, I just wish that everyone could have what I have!

I love y'all so much and hope you have a great week!

Elder Schipaanboord

PS I was pretty dumb and left my camera in the assistants car, so I wort get it back until the 25th...... sorry.  You'll have to settle for more pictures from last week on the beach.