April 27, 2015

Sweating and huffing up a neighborhood's highest hill, Elder Wilson and I finally made it to the peak looking over the western Maryland rolling green waves of hills when we heard a loud cough. After turning around we discovered a huge squad of ten Hispanic construction workers lounging in a front yard of the house they had been working on drinking soda and eating MickyDees, all staring at us. In the center of the group was a single tree, the ringleader leaning against it with a hip one leg bent, arms crossed, head down like a cartoon biker boss.

 

Let me tell you that my Spanish is non existent, Elder Wilson's even worse than that. Somehow we managed to preach to all of them at once while speaking to the leader purely about Jesu Cristo, amor (I think that is the wrong version to use but idc), and a whole bunch of words I can't even remember what. I pulled out a Book of Mormon and taught the story of Nephi using the pictures in the front while Elder Wilson acted them out. In a way it was our own personal spin on the Sermon on the Mount xD We handed out all five of our Books of Mormon and 10 pass along cards, setting up two return appointments for the Spanish Elders to the leader's and his best friend's families. You never know who the Lord places in your path or when he will, only that he indeed will.

 

Tuesday through Thursday I was on exchanges in Mt. Airy with one of our Zone Leaders, Elder Thompson. Most Missionaries say he's a stern, cold leader with no compassion. Maybe they were thinking of a different Elder Thompson because we hit it off from the get go! We drove up a windy dirt road to a house we had seen on the highway we thought we should knock on. It had been raining for the past day, leaving the ground dark with humidity, so we had no idea that the man had recently repaved his asphalt driveway. Woops. We pulled a U-turn in his driveway before coming out to meet him and, to our surprise, he came out to meet us instead. The first words out of his mouth were some of the most grotesque and vulgar profanity I think anyone has ever called me to the face before. That old man was the least Christ like person I think I've ever met. He made it extremely apparent to us that we had torn up a side of his pavement with our car, even though his car was parked on top of it, no sign was out warning people to not drive on it, not even a no trespassing sign. No apologies were accepted and we drove off after he refused to have us fix it.

 

Boy was I feeling angry after that. But the words of Christ came to mind to cast the beam out of my own eye. It was our fault the asphalt was messed up. It was our fault he had gotten all upset. He had put time, effort, and money into his previously pristine driveway and we had ruined it. Frankly I forgave him in my heart and hope he'll accept my forgiveness next time I see him, whether it be in this life or the next. Kinda weird to think I'll meet him again someday. :)

 

Forgiveness has been on my mind even before angry driveway man. Too often do I seek forgiveness from God without seeking forgiveness from others as well. When we forgive others, God will forgive us based on out forgiveness. The same applies to our judgments on one another. By the same judgment I judge that old man, God will judge me. Take heed to embrace forgiveness both directions to and from our neighbors. In the end we all come up short in the grand scheme of things and it is only through the eternal mercy of Christ that we may all be forgiven of our mistakes :)

 

xoxo

Elder Burgess