Liberian Independence Day and lots of rice!!

To the Beloved Readers of this blog,  (aka my family and friends... i hope)

Cant say i have much to report this week! it was a nice week, i celebrated Liberian Independence Day on the 26th which was fairly exciting! We(my companion and I) were invited to 5 different meals so we spent the day eating! you cant deny a meal here, its kind of offensive i believe. the people want the blessings that come from taking care of missionaries, so if you refuse to eat, its kind of like denying them blessings. So i can say it was a wonderful day til meal three came around! haha rice... it gets bigger in your stomach... and thats all we ate all day. needless to say i didnt eat for about 24 hours after that. haha

Sounds like all is well at home! all week i have been trying to figure out where nate is going. mom, you randomly mentioned that "nates going to NY for a week!". shoot, i was trying all week to figure out some other meaning for "NY" other than New York. surely nathan isnt going all the way to ny for a week, and why would he do that? glad you could answer that for me! hope he has fun! haha :)

This week has been full of learning, as all weeks have. I believe the concept i have come to see is the importance of Charity. Sure, we all know that without charity, we are nothing. It is the pure love of Christ. It is something we are all seeking to have, of course. But the more i strive to work on difference christ like attributes, it always seems to come back to me that its simple, you need charity.

If you have Charity, you will serve those around you, for you will love them. If you have Charity, you will truly be able to forget yourself and get to work. If we have charity, we will not be prideful, we will not get angry, we will not get frustrated, for we will see our own imperfections and forgive others of their trespasses. It is interesting that the Christ like attributes in chapter 6 of PMG all work together. yes, we should focus on each one individually, but in the end, we are simply developing something called Charity.

The key to peace in the home is Charity. How can we avoid contention? develop Charity. How can we love each other more? develop Charity. How can we find peace and happiness in whatever place we may find ourselves? develop charity. it truly is the key to happiness in life! :)

I must admit that i haven't ever really found it all that difficult to be happy, positive and cheerful throughout my life. It has always been a part of my life i believe. And i also must admit that while on my mission, i have never felt so much adversity against being happy and cheerful. It has really been a struggle to always put a smile on my face as i trek from place to place, as i strive to be patient with people and myself. it really has not been easy for me to be happy and bubbly about everything. It has been very challenging at times to simply forget myself and dig deeper than i ever have before, and put my shoulder to the wheel- with a smile on my face.

There is no scripture that says we must find happiness in every trial and conflict we face. there is no mandate in the sermon on the mount that declares that we must face life with a smile. But i believe that it is part of living a peaceful life. I only say this as i have observed the life of our prophets and apostles. If you look at their lives, study their experiences and what they have passed through, and then observe their teachings, you will see that they face life with happiness and optimism.

My challenge this week is to know that the Lord will not leave us comfortless. We will find peace at the end of this journey of life, and that should be reason enough to be positive and optimistic! Weeping may endure for a night, but in the morning the sun will rise! There is no miracle except after the trial of our faith. In life, we will face trials. My challenge is to dig deep, rely on the Savior, and set your sights on lifting others burdens!

Being in africa has been such a wonderful blessing to me!! each and every day, i feel immense gratitude for all that i have been blessed with. the trials that some of the members face here is tremendous. to see some of the hardships that these people are passing through is so very humbling. Be grateful for every stinkin blessing you have. And thank the Lord for them. I cannot describe the feelings of gratitude i have felt for everything that we have been given. we are truly blessed.

So be happy! :) When you find reason to complain, try to find reason to be grateful! when you feel overwhelmed, try to look for someone who is even more in need! When you dont think you can press on, know there are angels round about you to lift you up! when you cannot stand any longer, fall to your knees, and you will find strength. I say all of this because i believe i have felt it at some point or another while on this mission. What a blessing it has been!

Im sorry i dont have any pictures to upload yet, maybe another day. But you can picture me marching through a dirt road with my rain boots on, my missionary nametag on, my backpack on, following the footsteps of my companion through the crowed streets of Liberia. I will be sweating, have dirt on my face, mud on my boots, standing out like a sore thumb, but i will have a smile on my face as i know i am doing the work of the Lord. Choose to find Joy in the Journey my friends :)

-elder fairwell

ps. Jacob- CONGRATS on the mish call brotha! :) so stinkin excited for ya! it will be so sweet! :) love ya man.