....is pretty much non-existent haha. Actually, the truth is that, I am pretty sure the ward threw a Thanksgiving Day dinner for us just because we were all feeling the homesickness a bit. It was really nice of them. On Thursday, the ward got together and we had a big party about Thanksgiving. We explained a little bit about the culture and history of the holiday then we began! Well.... instead of jumping into the turkey we had chicken... and instead of mashed potatoes we had potato puré (yes, there is a difference). Other than that... it was pretty much Thanksgiving. We all had the family feel and it was a great time. Everyone was expected to bring a dish, and well... as missionaries..... we were running a little behind and we were busy, so we did the next logical thing.... Order pizza with chicken on it for our dish. Nothing better than having two Telepizza pizzas among the other homemade dishes. But it gets better.....
The next day we had to do a baptismal interview in Dos Hermanas so we go over and do the interview and everything goes great. Well... afterwards, the missionaries in Dos Herms invite us over to this American's house. He invited everyone over from the American Air Force base over to have Thanksgiving dinner and THAT was Thanksgiving! It felt just like home minus the family and friends. Other than that, REAL turkey, AMAZING Honey baked ham, creamy mashed potatoes. It was heaven. We were super fortunate. It was a lot better than some of the other food we had earlier in the week....
We were teaching some Africans and they invited us to eat at their house. They ate some stuff I have never seen before in my life. There was one thing in particular. It looked, tasted, and felt like raw dough. Just one giant plate of dough. What they would do is grab some in their hands, dip it into a soup and then swallow it whole. No chewing involved. Apparently, it's a popular dish in Nigeria.... Yeah.... It was a great week though. All of our investigators are slowly progressing. We are trying to be teaching more, and this week we get presentation time in our ward correlation to present our ward mission plan. Yeah... well, it was a way good week. Thanks for all of the love and support. If there is anything that I can do for anyone let me know!!
Stay in touch!
Love,
Elder Card
Opening My Mission Call
August 16, 2010
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Good Things to Come...
I think this week I have learned a valuable lesson, well both Elder Hall and I both have. We have learned that in times when things look down and the whole world is crashing in upon you, you have to keep your head up and keep pushing. This week was so hard at the start, a lot of bad things happened, a lot of unlucky and bad things, but by the end of the week we both had a smile on our face and were both so extremely happy and proud of the things that we did earlier in the week.
It all starts with the little things.... last P-Day we had to take the car in to go and get the oil changed. Well, the appointment was at 930 so, after 930 we would need to catch the bus to do all of our things since we didn't have a car. Well, we leave early and get there at 9am, but the service was slow and the line was out the door so we didn't get out of there til 10am. By then, our bus that we were planning to catch had already passed by. Discouraged, we realized that that bus was the last to pass for a long time so it was time to start the long back to another bus stop. It took us over 30 minutes walking to even find the closest bus, and even then we had to wait for awhile for the bus to even get there. After it was all said and done, we picked up our cars HOURS later (just for the oil mind you) and the cost? €178..... It was quite a.... shock to us, to say the least. By the time we got back we realized we couldn't even do library at our normal spot, the library; why? The library apparently closes for Halloween, and takes the whole week off..... Monday was far from relaxing to say the least..
Tuesday, was a fairly normal day, a lot of walking around since most of our citas failed us, and what do we see when we get back home at night? Our neighbor..... soaking wet. Apparently, since our plumbing is connected we had problems.... Our toilet wouldn't stop running and that caused hers to overflow. She was soaking wet in her PJs, and not too happy.... Por eso.... our landlords came the next day!! Fun... They inspected everything, and luckily we do do a good job with the upkeep. Well, it was really awkward to have studies and a nap while they were hovering over us the whole time. It was hard to pretend they weren't there.
Well, we decided to go visit a really old investigator since we were desperate. By this time it is Thursday and we have only taught 5 lessons. Things are rough. This man's name is Pascual. Well, he is the owner of a cyber cafe and he just wanted nothing to do with us. He said he wanted to listen but he just had no time whatsoever. So we gave him a Book of Mormon, and there goes another lead. Dead end. Well, I thought to myself, at least I'll buy myself a nice bag of chips to make me feel better. What's the worse thing that could possibly happen in regards to a vending machine? Well, first off, let me just say why do they even bother to put in the coin release button if it never works?!?! Yeah, it ate my money.... a little thing, but it was just enough to put you over the top on a week like this. To make it all worse I got lost driving home, and me and Elder Hall didn't get home until almost 2230. So.... with all that said, I will say that we were laughing and had a great time anyways, because like I have said before it's never your situation that determines your attitude, it's you that determines your attitude. So Elder Hall and I said to ourselves, these things just happen, beyond our control and we didn't let it get to us.
That's when the miracles started to happen. Starting on Friday things started to turn around for the better. I don't even know how to explain them all, and to others they might not seem like miracles at all, but to Elder Hall and I, we know that they were miracles. We were walking randomly down the street when an old investigator called us and told us he wanted to start listening to us again. Later that night, we were able to meet with another old investigator for the first time in months, and she said she wanted to take the discussions again. Then at church on Sunday one of the members who, from our perspective, always seemed as if he hated us, invited us over for dinner and it turns out it's quite the opposite. We have also seen old investigators while shopping at our grocery store. The rest of the week has just been filled with miracles. Throughout it all, I couldn't help but think of the words from Jeffrey R. Holland, who said,
"Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. Moroni spoke of it in the Book of Mormon as “hope for a better world.” For emotional health and spiritual stamina, everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of “good things to come.”
My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve.
I think of newly called missionaries leaving family and friends to face, on occasion, some rejection and some discouragement and, at least in the beginning, a moment or two of homesickness and perhaps a little fear. I say: Cling to your faith. Hold on to your hope. “Pray always, and be believing.”
You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. You keep your chin up. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."
--Jeffrey R. Holland
Anyways, I know that that is true, because I have lived it. Although it was just in the span of one week, and not one lifetime, I know that looking forward to the future with a smile and optimism will bring those good things to come. Elder Hall and I repeated that phrase many times throughout the week, and in the end I am proud to say that we made it. It was a rough week, but we survived, we did well, we are serving the Lord and throughout it all we looked forward to good things to come.
Thanks too all who send their support and I hope that this has brought some positive attitude into your lives this week! Until next Monday!!
Love,
Elder Card
It all starts with the little things.... last P-Day we had to take the car in to go and get the oil changed. Well, the appointment was at 930 so, after 930 we would need to catch the bus to do all of our things since we didn't have a car. Well, we leave early and get there at 9am, but the service was slow and the line was out the door so we didn't get out of there til 10am. By then, our bus that we were planning to catch had already passed by. Discouraged, we realized that that bus was the last to pass for a long time so it was time to start the long back to another bus stop. It took us over 30 minutes walking to even find the closest bus, and even then we had to wait for awhile for the bus to even get there. After it was all said and done, we picked up our cars HOURS later (just for the oil mind you) and the cost? €178..... It was quite a.... shock to us, to say the least. By the time we got back we realized we couldn't even do library at our normal spot, the library; why? The library apparently closes for Halloween, and takes the whole week off..... Monday was far from relaxing to say the least..
Tuesday, was a fairly normal day, a lot of walking around since most of our citas failed us, and what do we see when we get back home at night? Our neighbor..... soaking wet. Apparently, since our plumbing is connected we had problems.... Our toilet wouldn't stop running and that caused hers to overflow. She was soaking wet in her PJs, and not too happy.... Por eso.... our landlords came the next day!! Fun... They inspected everything, and luckily we do do a good job with the upkeep. Well, it was really awkward to have studies and a nap while they were hovering over us the whole time. It was hard to pretend they weren't there.
Well, we decided to go visit a really old investigator since we were desperate. By this time it is Thursday and we have only taught 5 lessons. Things are rough. This man's name is Pascual. Well, he is the owner of a cyber cafe and he just wanted nothing to do with us. He said he wanted to listen but he just had no time whatsoever. So we gave him a Book of Mormon, and there goes another lead. Dead end. Well, I thought to myself, at least I'll buy myself a nice bag of chips to make me feel better. What's the worse thing that could possibly happen in regards to a vending machine? Well, first off, let me just say why do they even bother to put in the coin release button if it never works?!?! Yeah, it ate my money.... a little thing, but it was just enough to put you over the top on a week like this. To make it all worse I got lost driving home, and me and Elder Hall didn't get home until almost 2230. So.... with all that said, I will say that we were laughing and had a great time anyways, because like I have said before it's never your situation that determines your attitude, it's you that determines your attitude. So Elder Hall and I said to ourselves, these things just happen, beyond our control and we didn't let it get to us.
That's when the miracles started to happen. Starting on Friday things started to turn around for the better. I don't even know how to explain them all, and to others they might not seem like miracles at all, but to Elder Hall and I, we know that they were miracles. We were walking randomly down the street when an old investigator called us and told us he wanted to start listening to us again. Later that night, we were able to meet with another old investigator for the first time in months, and she said she wanted to take the discussions again. Then at church on Sunday one of the members who, from our perspective, always seemed as if he hated us, invited us over for dinner and it turns out it's quite the opposite. We have also seen old investigators while shopping at our grocery store. The rest of the week has just been filled with miracles. Throughout it all, I couldn't help but think of the words from Jeffrey R. Holland, who said,
"Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. Moroni spoke of it in the Book of Mormon as “hope for a better world.” For emotional health and spiritual stamina, everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of “good things to come.”
My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve.
I think of newly called missionaries leaving family and friends to face, on occasion, some rejection and some discouragement and, at least in the beginning, a moment or two of homesickness and perhaps a little fear. I say: Cling to your faith. Hold on to your hope. “Pray always, and be believing.”
You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. You keep your chin up. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."
--Jeffrey R. Holland
Anyways, I know that that is true, because I have lived it. Although it was just in the span of one week, and not one lifetime, I know that looking forward to the future with a smile and optimism will bring those good things to come. Elder Hall and I repeated that phrase many times throughout the week, and in the end I am proud to say that we made it. It was a rough week, but we survived, we did well, we are serving the Lord and throughout it all we looked forward to good things to come.
Thanks too all who send their support and I hope that this has brought some positive attitude into your lives this week! Until next Monday!!
Love,
Elder Card
Monday, November 7, 2011
It Starts In Fifteen!
What a crazy weekend. Yesterday was the confirmation of Unai, our recent convert from last week. All day he was sweatin bullets because he didn't know what to say for his testimony. He was freaking out the whole time. Normally, he attends church with his grandma because his mom got offended by someone at church and for that she doesn't come. Well, right before the meeting started we get a call from her cell phone saying that she wanted to come to church to see her son Unai's confirmation! She never comes to church! We have tried for months now. Well, we look at our watches and we see that the meeting starts in fifteen minutes and Unai's mom has no idea how to get to the chapel! We rush out the chapel doors get in our car and head straight out the parking lot... I wasn't paying attention and BAM reversed the car right into a car parked behind me!
Okay, so that part is a joke. But, moving on... we drive all the way out to the closest Burger King (the only monument everyone knows) and direct her to the church. As we park the car I felt like running into the meeting like I am about to stop a wedding! STOPPPPPP! Well, I didn't yell.... I actually didn't say anything. I walked reverently into the chapel, and it was right after the Sacrament so perfect timing. Well, Unai's grandfather confirmed him and all is said and done. He is officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now. It was a great day.
I wish I could say the same for the rest of the week.... It actually was really productive but I got sick! The first time in my whole mission that I was sick! I caught the flu, and I was bed ridden for a day or two. But, I was back on my feet in no time. It was a rough week when you are bed ridden and you can't just watch TV or eat Saltines and sip on 7-Up. We did manage to teach a new guy named Carlos. A 30 something Spaniard who is actually one of the most sincere guys I have met on my mission. His wife is a member and the missionaries have taught him in the past. He knows exactly what he has to do to get an answer, and the missionaries have been trying to show him that he is most likely received an answer.
He came to church this last Sunday though, and even though he isn't a member he participates even more than the other members do. He is an awesome guy, but he wants to be positive before being baptized, so we are trying to show him that he already knows this church is true. He even came up to us at the end of the meeting and said, "You know, if it wasn't for you guys not one of these people would be here right now. Don't you feel a little prideful about that? You have effected each one of their lives." Almost everyone in our ward of about 70 is a first or second generation convert. Carlos is a great guy, and will hopefully be a member soon.
Well... anyways.... I love the support that you all have given me. If there are any questions that anyone has for me, let me know!!
Thanks all! Love ya all
Love
Elder Steven Card
Okay, so that part is a joke. But, moving on... we drive all the way out to the closest Burger King (the only monument everyone knows) and direct her to the church. As we park the car I felt like running into the meeting like I am about to stop a wedding! STOPPPPPP! Well, I didn't yell.... I actually didn't say anything. I walked reverently into the chapel, and it was right after the Sacrament so perfect timing. Well, Unai's grandfather confirmed him and all is said and done. He is officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now. It was a great day.
I wish I could say the same for the rest of the week.... It actually was really productive but I got sick! The first time in my whole mission that I was sick! I caught the flu, and I was bed ridden for a day or two. But, I was back on my feet in no time. It was a rough week when you are bed ridden and you can't just watch TV or eat Saltines and sip on 7-Up. We did manage to teach a new guy named Carlos. A 30 something Spaniard who is actually one of the most sincere guys I have met on my mission. His wife is a member and the missionaries have taught him in the past. He knows exactly what he has to do to get an answer, and the missionaries have been trying to show him that he is most likely received an answer.
He came to church this last Sunday though, and even though he isn't a member he participates even more than the other members do. He is an awesome guy, but he wants to be positive before being baptized, so we are trying to show him that he already knows this church is true. He even came up to us at the end of the meeting and said, "You know, if it wasn't for you guys not one of these people would be here right now. Don't you feel a little prideful about that? You have effected each one of their lives." Almost everyone in our ward of about 70 is a first or second generation convert. Carlos is a great guy, and will hopefully be a member soon.
Well... anyways.... I love the support that you all have given me. If there are any questions that anyone has for me, let me know!!
Thanks all! Love ya all
Love
Elder Steven Card
Monday, October 31, 2011
Ripped Pants
Well, it was an amazing weekend if I do say so myself. I mean, when you have a BAPTISM it's bound to be good. That's right!! Baptism in Aljarafe!! Unai just got baptized last night and it was one of the best services I have been apart of. His whole family was there, which was actually a huge deal since a lot of them are not members of the church. What was even cooler was that we had to travel to the main stake center to do the baptism which is about twenty minutes by car from our pueblo, but we had EVERY SINGLE ACTIVE member from our ward make it to the baptism. We had about 50 members from our ward show up to this baptism. It truly was a special event. He is a great kid, and now his family can be together forever! What a blessing!!! Unai had his interview earlier in the week, and he was really funny. He was afraid he wasn't going to pass since he stole a one Euro coin one time from his mom's purse, and so he was freaking out. He also had some pretty funny explanations about the law of chastity and word of wisdom.
This was just to top off the great week. Earlier in the week we had dinner at the American's that are in our ward. They cooked us some delicious chicken and warm Apple Pie. It was like heaven. I love going over there. They treat us way too well. We also got transfer calls this week!!! BUT Elder Hall isn't going anywhere. We will now have been together for 18 weeks at the end of the next transfer. That's insane. And he's been here even longer than I have! I also did a split with the elders in Dos Hermanas. There is an American Air Force base close by and because of that there are Americans in the ward. I visited them and they had Mountain Dew. It was like heaven. I missed it so much. But now I got my thirst quenched for at least another year.
I'm sorry that wasn't the best email, but I also attached a bunch of pictures to make up for it! Thanks again all for the support and I will be in touch!! Love ya all!!
Love
Elder Steven Card
Oh yeah, the story of the title. The little kid, we gave him two pairs of pants to try on for the baptism. He ripped the first pair trying to get into them, and then we ran scrambling for more pairs, and then he ripped the second pair as well. He ended up having to be baptized in a pair about two sizes too small, with the button undone, and the zipper half way up hahahaah. He's a bit of a chubsters lol
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Olive trees...wait, What???
Oh wow, oh wow. It was such a great week, and then last night happened haha. I don't know if I have ever had an appointment go so awkward so fast. Our Bishop invited us over to have dinner and then talk to his cousin who has been having some weird dreams about vineyards. So we obviously accepted, then decided we would study Jacob 5. That was a mistake.... We get to the Bishop's house and we exchange our saludos and then start talking. She explains her dream and talks about she is walking in a vineyard and there is this tree that is always dying so she is trying so hard to save it but doesn't know how. Elder Hall and I thought, perfect, we'll show her the parable in Jacob 5 and she'll see that look the Book of Mormon has this parable that talks about a similar situation. Well.... we open up the book and start to read selected verses that we had marked. She then stops us in the middle of reading just the third verse and says..... "Yeah, this has nothing to do with my dream." But we said, "But look, it has the dying tree, and the Lord of the vineyard wants to save this tree." Dijo, "Yeah..... but not, I just don't see it." Bishop dijo, "Well, why don't you explain your dream more then..." She then basically went off for like twenty minutes talking about how this was all a trick of the Bishop trying to secretly convert her and that we were invited here to baptize her before she left the house..... It was just a lot of confusion. You think the story sound random and confusing? Try being there. I don't even know how to type it out because it was just so strange so fast..... Well.... anyways, we have a baptismal interview tomorrow for Unai! That 9 year old kid. Finally! He is getting baptized this Sunday so pray that it all goes through well. Elder Hall also just celebrated his one year mark in the mission field last week so we went to Telepizza and celebrated with €3 medium pizzas. I also had some spare time that morning so I went into the dark eerie basement and looked through some closets and I found a gold mine, of a sort. Ensigns! The old dueño of this house can read English and so he had Ensigns and he kept every single Ensign from the old missionaries that used to live here. I have Ensigns back to the 80's! I also found some old cool study guides and some pretty interesting books written by general authorities that I have never heard of before. Well, anyways... it's been a strange week to say the least. Next week, if all goes well I will include pictures of the baptism!! As always, I am thinking of you all always! Stay in touch!! Love Elder Steven Card |
Monday, October 10, 2011
The Stonecutter
This has been a pretty intense and crazy week. It was definitely not expected the way it turned out. First, I found out on Monday that there was going to be a mini exchange of companions for a day. The elder that I got switched with back in August was coming back to Sevilla to pick up his paperwork and so he needed a place to stay. Perfect, since my companion was going to be out of town for a special training. So.... let the fun begin. Well, I picked him up at the train station. I never realized it but after driving in the crazy narrow streets of Sevilla, I feel like I can drive anywhere in the world without problem now.
But, I picked him up and away we went. He wanted to visit some of the families that he knew while he was here so we stopped by, and I don't think I have ever eaten so much in a single day. All of the families that we visited wanted to feed him so we ate probably three dinners that night. Well, the next day it was time for him to leave so away we went again to the train station. His train left at 1245, and one problem: No one knew what time my companion, Elder Hall was getting home. The zone leaders didn't know, the ayudantes didn't know, noone knew. The time passed though and he had to get on the train, so my temp companion left and I was left in Sevilla all alone. Now, I don't know if it was the mission that did this to me, because normally I don't mind being alone, but.... it was way way way weird. Being alone for just about an hour freaked me out. What has the mission done to me??? haha.
Well, we all figured it out, and I eventually just stayed with the Sevilla elders until Hall arrived. Then, the next day, the zone leaders call us because they have a problem: The mission just switched phone companies and all of the phones of the elders that switched didn't work. (The zone leaders and our phone had already switched earlier). That meant, that we needed to drive out to each of the areas, since we are the only ones with a car, and hand deliver the replacement SIM chip. We drove from Huelva to Dos Hermanas to Alcalá to Cordoba. A total of about 500km. It took us about 9 hours to do it all. What an exhausting day that was.
To make it all better, why not play a little basketball on Saturday morning, right? Well.... the one court that was open that was close by on Saturday morning was a little off..... Maybe the Spaniards think that regulation hoop height is twelve feet, but.... it's not haha. Not even some of the tallest elders that were 6'4 could touch the rim. Well, it all is better when you hear of a great story to end the week. It is called the Stonecutter. Here it is:
Once upon a time there lived a stonecutter, who went every day to a great rock in the side of a big mountain and cut out slabs for gravestones or for houses. He understood very well the kinds of stones wanted for the different purposes, and as he was a careful workman he had plenty of customers. For a long time he was quite happy and contented, and asked for nothing better than what he had.
But, I picked him up and away we went. He wanted to visit some of the families that he knew while he was here so we stopped by, and I don't think I have ever eaten so much in a single day. All of the families that we visited wanted to feed him so we ate probably three dinners that night. Well, the next day it was time for him to leave so away we went again to the train station. His train left at 1245, and one problem: No one knew what time my companion, Elder Hall was getting home. The zone leaders didn't know, the ayudantes didn't know, noone knew. The time passed though and he had to get on the train, so my temp companion left and I was left in Sevilla all alone. Now, I don't know if it was the mission that did this to me, because normally I don't mind being alone, but.... it was way way way weird. Being alone for just about an hour freaked me out. What has the mission done to me??? haha.
Well, we all figured it out, and I eventually just stayed with the Sevilla elders until Hall arrived. Then, the next day, the zone leaders call us because they have a problem: The mission just switched phone companies and all of the phones of the elders that switched didn't work. (The zone leaders and our phone had already switched earlier). That meant, that we needed to drive out to each of the areas, since we are the only ones with a car, and hand deliver the replacement SIM chip. We drove from Huelva to Dos Hermanas to Alcalá to Cordoba. A total of about 500km. It took us about 9 hours to do it all. What an exhausting day that was.
To make it all better, why not play a little basketball on Saturday morning, right? Well.... the one court that was open that was close by on Saturday morning was a little off..... Maybe the Spaniards think that regulation hoop height is twelve feet, but.... it's not haha. Not even some of the tallest elders that were 6'4 could touch the rim. Well, it all is better when you hear of a great story to end the week. It is called the Stonecutter. Here it is:
Once upon a time there lived a stonecutter, who went every day to a great rock in the side of a big mountain and cut out slabs for gravestones or for houses. He understood very well the kinds of stones wanted for the different purposes, and as he was a careful workman he had plenty of customers. For a long time he was quite happy and contented, and asked for nothing better than what he had.
Now in the mountain dwelt a spirit which now and then appeared to men, and helped them in many ways to become rich and prosperous. The stonecutter, however, had never seen this spirit, and only shook his head, with an unbelieving air, when anyone spoke of it. But a time was coming when he learned to change his opinion.
One day the stonecutter carried a gravestone to the house of a rich man, and saw there all sorts of beautiful things, of which he had never even dreamed. Suddenly his daily work seemed to grow harder and heavier, and he said to himself: "Oh, if only I were a rich man, and could sleep in a bed with silken curtains and golden tassels, how happy I should be!"
And a voice answered him: "Your wish is heard; a rich man you shall be!"
At the sound of the voice the stonecutter looked around, but could see nobody. He thought it was all his fancy, and picked up his tools and went home, for he did not feel inclined to do any more work that day. But when he reached the little house where he lived, he stood still with amazement, for instead of his wooden hut was a stately palace filled with splendid furniture, and most splendid of all was the bed, in every respect like the one he had envied. He was nearly beside himself with joy, and in his new life the old one was soon forgotten.
It was now the beginning of summer, and each day the sun blazed more fiercely. One morning the heat was so great that the stonecutter could scarcely breathe, and he determined he would stop at home till the evening. He was rather dull, for he had never learned how to amuse himself, and was peeping through the closed blinds to see what was going on in the street, when a little carriage passed by, drawn by servants dressed in blue and silver. In the carriage sat a prince, and over his head a golden umbrella was held, to protect him from the sun's rays.
"Oh, if I were only a prince!" said the stonecutter to himself, as the carriage vanished around the corner. "Oh, if I were only a prince, and could go in such a carriage and have a golden umbrella held over me, how happy I should be!"
And a prince he was. Before his carriage rode one company of men and another behind it; servants dressed in scarlet and gold bore him along, the coveted umbrella was held over his head, everything his heart could desire was his. But yet it was not enough. He looked around still for something to wish for, and when he saw that in spite of the water he poured on the grass the rays of the sun scorched it, and that in spite of the umbrella held over his head each day his face grew browner and browner, he cried in his anger: "The sun is mightier than I; oh, if I were only the sun!"
And the mountain spirit answered: "Your wish is heard; the sun you shall be."
And the sun he was, and felt himself proud in his power. He shot his beams above and below, on earth and in heaven; he burnt up the grass in the fields and scorched the faces of princes as well as of poorer folk. but in a short time he began to grow tired of his might, for there seemed nothing left for him to do. Discontent once more filled his soul, and when a cloud covered his face, and hid the earth from him, he cried in his anger: "Does the cloud hold captive my rays, and is it mightier than I? Oh, that I were a cloud, and mightier than any!"
And the mountain spirit answered: "Your wish is heard; a cloud you shall be!"
And a cloud he was, and lay between the sun and the earth. He caught the sun's beams and held them, and to his joy the earth grew green again and flowers blossomed. But that was not enough for him, and for days and week he poured forth rain till the rivers overflowed their banks, and the crops of rice stood in water. Towns and villages were destroyed by the power of the rain, only the great rock on the mountainside remained unmoved. The cloud was amazed at the sight, and cried in wonder: "Is the rock, then, mightier than I? Oh, if I were only the rock!"
And the mountain spirit answered; "Your wish is heard; the rock you shall be!"
And the rock he was, and gloried in his power. Proudly he stood, and neither the heat of the sun nor the force of the rain could move him. "This is better than all!" he said to himself. But one day he heard a strange noise at his feet, and when he looked down to see what it could be, he saw a stonecutter driving tools into his surface. Even while he looked a trembling feeling ran all through him, and a great block broke off and fell upon the ground. Then he cried in his wrath: "Is a mere child of earth mightier than a rock? Oh, if I were only a man!"
And the mountain spirit answered: "Your wish is heard. A man once more you shall be!"
And a man he was, and in the sweat of his brow he toiled again at his trade of stone cutting. His bed was hard and his food scanty, but he had learned to be satisfied with it, and did not long to be something or somebody else. And as he never asked for things he did not have, or desired to be greater and mightier than other people, he was happy at last, and never again heard the voice of the mountain spirit.
Well, it is an interesting story, and one to think about as we go into the week ahead. Thanks everyone for all of the support! Love ya all!!
Elder Steven Card
Monday, October 3, 2011
There Is Nothing Better Than General Conference...
Especially when you watch three sessions in a row! We had an interesting week this week, to say the least. On Saturday we watched the Saturday morning session live at 6pm local time, so it was a good way to end the day. Then on Sunday we all came back to the stake center in Sevilla and watched the Priesthood session at 11, a short break, the Saturday afternoon session at 2, and then the Sunday morning session live at 6pm again. Basically, it was nothing but all day conference and I LOVED every last second of it. Is it just me, or are the conference talks just getting better? Or maybe, because I am a missionary now I am just amped up, and enjoying it more.
Well, I could easily talk about conference for hours and hours, but that wouldn't be very fun, since the majority of you have also, already watched conference, so it would be nothing new to you.
Earlier this week, Elder Hall and I bought a haircutting kit, since we didn't want to deal with our long hair and having to pay for a haircut, etc. We decided to use the kit that very night, and so Hall said he would help me cut mine, so he gets out the kit, turns it on, and then puts one of the guards on the razor. He then puts it to my head and starts shaving away....
"Hmmm, that's strange, it looks fairly short....."
Elder Card: "Did you make sure to put the guard so the rounded side is facing down?"
"Oooops....."
Oooops is never something you want to hear when someone is cutting your hair. Instead of getting a nice 30mm cut like planned, I pretty much got cut down to where each morning my facial hair is longer than the hair on my head. Let's just say..... embarrassing, so... don't expect pictures hahaha.
Well, at least our first appointment after that incident was with an American so I could explain what happened in English. But to be honest, it didn't turn it toooo bad at all. And as for the American, he is the only other American in the ward, working for John Huntsman or something... but it was nice to be able to use my English scriptures in an appointment for once.
Well.... now we are all going to go out to Sevilla because they are having a World Festival, so I am going to go see how they represent our country....
Love,
Elder Steven Card
Well, I could easily talk about conference for hours and hours, but that wouldn't be very fun, since the majority of you have also, already watched conference, so it would be nothing new to you.
Earlier this week, Elder Hall and I bought a haircutting kit, since we didn't want to deal with our long hair and having to pay for a haircut, etc. We decided to use the kit that very night, and so Hall said he would help me cut mine, so he gets out the kit, turns it on, and then puts one of the guards on the razor. He then puts it to my head and starts shaving away....
"Hmmm, that's strange, it looks fairly short....."
Elder Card: "Did you make sure to put the guard so the rounded side is facing down?"
"Oooops....."
Oooops is never something you want to hear when someone is cutting your hair. Instead of getting a nice 30mm cut like planned, I pretty much got cut down to where each morning my facial hair is longer than the hair on my head. Let's just say..... embarrassing, so... don't expect pictures hahaha.
Well, at least our first appointment after that incident was with an American so I could explain what happened in English. But to be honest, it didn't turn it toooo bad at all. And as for the American, he is the only other American in the ward, working for John Huntsman or something... but it was nice to be able to use my English scriptures in an appointment for once.
Well.... now we are all going to go out to Sevilla because they are having a World Festival, so I am going to go see how they represent our country....
Love,
Elder Steven Card
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