Spiritual Sunday.......

What a great Sunday today!
Griff, one of Elder L's bestest besties ever, for his whole life, gave his mission report today.
He left several weeks after L to serve in Puerto Rico. However, after about 6 month in, he became quite ill with unexplained headaches. He fought it for awhile, then finally told his mission president about them. They had him see doctors and get tests and all kinds of stuff there, but finally sent him home to see the doctors here. He has been through every kind of testing there is, and still struggles with them. It finally became the reality that he wasn't going to be able to go back out. So, today they presented him with his missionary plaque and he gave his report.

I can't even tell you how much I love this kid first of all. He is really just another son of mine. He has spent more time at my house during the past 2o years than probably at his own. He's the boy who comes in late at night, flops on the foot of my bed, just to talk. Calls me on my phone to tell me when I am out of something and to pick it up at the grocery store. The one I would find in Luke's bed more often than I would find Luke. The one I trust to look out for my Tuffster and who I know will be loyal to my Elder L for life. He's just like one of my own.


So to hear him speak today was a real treat. He shared his experiences in being asked to speak his first week in the PR and he really didn't have the language down yet. How scared he was and while he was butchering the language, a little lady sitting on the front row would yell up at him the correct words. He talked of the dangerous areas, but how they were real faith promoters. He shared a particular story of a family that had a daughter close to baptism, but just couldn't give up their coffee. The other missionaries had pretty much just let them be, but Griff and his comp decided to keep at them and eventually, they baptized 4 generations of that family. The father came to Griff and thanked him for not giving up on them.

I started thinking about how there are people in my life, that I might have given up on and how I need to change that way of thinking. Even when you think everything is hopeless and nothing will change, we just cannot give up. Who knows what might change.....

We had gotten a letter from Elder L Saturday, but it was entirely in Spanish. Griff came over tonight to translate it for us. What a fun thing for all of us!
Makes me want my Elder home even more. Hope the next 9 month goes by quickly!!