Hello Friends!
This week has been full of rain and fun experiences!
Elder Murri and I have been meeting with a Baptist pastor and discussing the similarities and differences between our religions. It has been fascinating to meet with him and work to unite our church communities. We attended one of his services on Sunday, and it was really cool to experience another church's service. All the members were kind and happy to have us there. It always makes me smile to see people put their differences aside and focus on the bigger picture in a spirit of unity.
On another note, I love the trees here! I love looking around and seeing long needle pine trees as far as the eye can see. Each time I look at them, I am filled with gratitude for this amazing world that we live in. I think it is easy to feel this gratitude while the scenery is new, but I hope to keep this sense of gratitude throughout my mission and beyond.
I think it is easy to lose gratitude for things after we see them so many times, but when Christ calls us to "become as little children" I believe He is telling us to feel gratitude for His creations and miracles as if we are seeing them for the first time. In other words, by inviting us to follow the example of little children he invites us to remember our gratitude and forget our pride.
Ralph Waldo Emerson talks about a similar concept in his essay "Nature". Emerson invites his readers to become like a "transparent eyeball" looking at everything as it is, with no preconceived notions about it.
As we do this, we look at the details of things as if we are seeing them for the first time. When we see the details, miracles are much more evident, and gratitude abounds.
Love,
Elder Garff
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