The
other day I found myself waiting for a bus in a placed called Don
Torcuato. We were there for over thirty minutes, waiting for a few
other missionaries to arrive so we could head to another place called
San Fernando together. As we waited I observed something, like I said,
peculiar, but very thought provoking.
This specific
bus stop that we were at is located on a very busy street in Don
Torcuato. There is two way traffic, three lanes on each side, and a
large median or sidewalk sort of platform that divides the two sides.
On different occasions I have seen people use this sidewalk as a stage
to sing, dance and even juggle. And at other times I've seen people
there selling food, purses, jewelry, and passport pictures. People here
use what they can to their advantage. When there aren't jobs available
and there are mouths to feed, people in Argentina are forced to open up
shop and become an entrepreneur of sorts.
The
other day I watched as two women used this area as their place of
business. Although there are many different types of people here in
Argentina that pass out business cards, offering different sorts of
appealing products, law advice, information concerning upcoming events,
hot deals and offers at the grocery store, all types of professional
services, or even cards pertaining to religious practices and new
churches that have recently opened their doors, it was more than obvious
what services these two scantily clad women were offering.
At
each red light when the drivers were forced to stop their cars, the
women left their stand and passed out cards to all of the male drivers
in the street. I watched as they made their way to each car, and EVERY
driver accepted the cards.
I watched as the men read the cards and realized what was being offered.
I
watched as they looked up at the women, back down at the cards, back up
at the women, back down at the cards, and weighed their options.
I watched as they all counted the cost.
Even
if we haven't been in a situation exactly like this, we have all been
presented with situations that have offered choices, were we've been
forced to weigh our options.
Some might argue
that as a missionary I should not have been paying attention to what was
going on in front of me, but I did, and I feel like I was able to
observe something very real, something heart breaking, but something
valuable that taught an important lesson. Not all lessons can be learned
just by reading Friend magazine.
It was so hard to watch as these men were presented with such a difficult situation.
It
didn't seem as if a single one of them intended to drive to this
specific street, get stopped at this specific street light, and receive
another love letter from someone they had an intimate relationship with.
Rather, they were driving to work, home from work, heading
to other places, and it just so happened that at this moment one of
Satan's most prized organizations was having an exhibition on main
street.
The light turned red and they were all caught in the trap.
I
was mostly sad because of the fact that nearly every man that I
observed in this situation either "didn't see it coming," or gladly
accepted the temptation without putting up a fight.
It made me think about what Sister Linda Reeves said in the last general conference, "the
personal internal filter that comes from a deep and abiding testimony
of our Heavenly Father’s love and our Savior’s atoning sacrifice for
each one of us," is what will allow us to confront, dismiss, and much more easily avoid tempting situations that are inevitable in this life.
I
will I ever know if any of these men that were offered the services of
these women were members of the LDS church, any church, or if they
believed in God. But I do know that they lacked this "internal filter"
that comes from feasting on the words of God, to the degree that they
become a real part of us.
What purpose do the scriptures have if we just simply read them?
What
purpose does General Conference have if we stay at home lying on the
couch in sweat pants, playing with our I-Pads, and just every now and
then we look up at our big screen TV and pay attention in fifteen second
intervals?
Even if you post an Instagram photo or a Tweet
(#confrencewithmybesties) but the messages of the Lord's servants don't
penetrate your heart and mind, nothing is gained at all!
Elder Donald L. Hallstom said, the voice of the prophet is "the Lord’s own voice (see D&C 1:38), (but his message) has little value unless we are willing to receive the word (see D&C 11:21) and then follow it. Simply stated, the purpose of general conference ...is fulfilled only if we are willing to act—if we are willing to change.
All of us will have occasion to
find ourselves in a situation where we contemplate the wrong choice and
maybe even then we will make the wrong choice.
I've done it plenty of times. We all will. I guess that's just a part of life.
But
I hope and pray that we can obtain a true love for the scriptures and
always have "hunger" for the revelations of our Prophet and the leaders
that guide us in these difficult times.
I know if we obtain
this "internal filter," if we are willing to receive the words of our
leaders and if we are willing to constantly progress towards a better
more Christlike version of ourselves, we will be much better prepared
when we find ourselves in these difficult, trying situations where we
fill inclined to count the costs--that aren't worth it.
I'm
beyond excited for General Conference this week. I can proudly say
that I have read and studied every talk from May 2014's General
Conference, and I shamefully admit that it has been the first time that I
have put much effort into studying the GF talks.
BUT, after
receiving immeasurable direction and guidance in these last six months,
I have officially committed myself to studying these talks and messages
for the rest of my life.
We can't afford to not take advantage of them.
I
hope you all have a great week. Prepare yourselves to receive the
messages of the prophets this weekend and make an effort to allow the
messages to become a part of you.
I love you all and hope all is well where ever you find yourself.
Love,
Elder Puzey
No comments:
Post a Comment