Week number... I don't know!

January 12, 2015

Kermit, Texas

Week number... I don't know! But I consider it a blessing. Time continues to fly by as I put my head down and go to work! There's no greater feeling then coming in at the end of the day, taking off your shoes, kneeling, praying, and planning, writing in your journal, and then going to bed utterly EXHAUSTED. Nothing can beat it! Work isn't work if you're enjoying it. And I'm LOVING it.

Me with my dog, Prance. Not sure if that's actually his name...
but I named him for how he runs after us and follows us around town.

Our job here in Kermit is really reactivating all of the members down here. But its hard because it's a 30 minute drive to church every Sunday and no one wants to put in the effort, time, and the gas money! (Although the gas down here was 1.96 when I was in Lubbock! I'm not sure what it's like up where yall are but it's DIRT cheap down here- maybe because of the oil fields). Anyway, I continue to make friends and teach people down here.

Hermana Anaya (a less active) has taken it upon herself to be my "abuela" while I'm here in Kermit. She doesn't know any English so we talk together in Spanish. She makes sure I wear a jacket on the cold days and when I don't she raps my forehead with her knuckles and reminds me that I'll get sick in the cold! Hahaha. I want to learn Spanish SO BAD! But it looks like it's going to come down to a ton of personal study. Not to many opportunities here in Kermit.

We had a cookout at Sister Anaya's for dinner. I had to collect firewood in the desert on the edge of town!

Our district placed each person in a TV show according to their personality... I got placed in the Walking Dead, because I seem "older then my age", Like I've been through a lot I guess? I don't know. And they can just see me going crazy and slaying zombies and saving people too I guess. Who knows?

I also was voted by the Sister Missionaries to be most likely to become a bishop and Stake President... yikes. To much pressure for me, not my cup of tea.

My district

Transfers are coming up on January 28, so Elder Carlile won't be here for my birthday. I'll know if I'm going and staying and who my next companion will be the Saturday before the 28th. I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for me while I'm out here. Hopefully wherever he sends me next will have a high population density of rattlesnakes. Crossing my fingers! But either way, I'll go wear He wants me to go, and do what He wants me to do.

Hey... take a picture of my missionary plaque at the church? Haha, I'm just curious what it looks like. I can't believe I'm up there on the wall. I've been looking at it all of my life, admiring the pictures and stories that go with them. I positively LOVE being a missionary.

Temple trip with the sisters in our branch. They serve in a city named Monohans which is where the church building is.
We obviously serve in Kermit. The Temple is in  Lubbock!

I've got a ton of pictures this week. We were able to go to the Temple this week with a few members and do an endowment session. Our mission president encourages that we go once a transfer. I love it. And after we got to go to a BUFFET!! Holy smokes. Golden Corral, I think it was called. Steak Fries (Like Red Robin), Steak, Biscuits, Mexican Food, Clam Strips, Asian Cuisine, Salad Bar, cakes, Ice cream, Cookies, cobblers, even a Cotton Candy machine! I thought I had died early and gone to the Celestial kingdom. It was good, but didn't eat as much as I used to because I'm "watching my figure" haha. Don't want to come home 50 lbs. heavier then I left it! I'm actually going to be shooting to come back a little lighter! So far, I'm succeeding. I even started off at the Salad bar at the buffet. Got a plate of salad, cottage cheese, and peaches. Reminds me of Izzy's buffet how, Mom and Dad, you always used to make us start out with a plate of salad. Good times.

The member that took us had a party van! up front is a 26inch tv... we watched bible videos all the way up
and played scripture pictionary and hangman. Good times.

At the store in Odessa last Monday I got a superman shirt. Just had to. And Elder Carlile and I had some fun with our shaving cream... I know, I'm still very much a child. IF it makes it any better, it was Carlile's idea! We're stuck in a shed with nothing else to do! You just gotta' get creative.

I'm finding horseshoes everywhere! Hopefully I'll be able to send a few home. Everyone needs a lucky horseshoe, right?

Everyone in Texas has a beard.  We just wanted to fit in.

It started out small.. but it escalated quickly.

I love my Tuff Shed!  I've duck taped up our broken window so I could take away Elder Carlile's coyote barricade, I convinced him it was safe to do so, haha. I showed him how the window lifted OUT so Coyotes would have to lift it up and crawl in. That put his mind at ease.

Sometimes during the night I'll sit up and hit my head on the tin roof. Oh man I love my shed so much, haha. I kid you not!

Exchanges with Elder Mofitt (last 24 hours)

Story: So, once upon a time, (this week), the pipes froze in our shed and we didn't have any water out of the sink, toilet, or shower. We called up a member and were able to go over and shower there but we learned to always keep our sink dripping from now on! Good times as a missionary. Our showers are getting COLD too! Oh the struggle.

Gotta' love the tuff shed. That roof hits my head almost every morning. I sleep in the back left hand corner.
You can see the edge of our bed. Bathroom with shower and toilet in the back right hand corner.
 Kitchen front right. Study area front left. The Lily Pad!

I'm so happy where I'm at right now. In my life, my spiritual and physical progression, and everything in between. I love y'all, take care!

My spiritual thought for the day is on Virtue.

What is it? How can we obtain it?

Well, first off, I'd like to remind y'all of the story of Sleeping Beauty. In order to fight the terrible dragon Maleficent, prince Philip was given the sword of courage and the shield of virtue (Go Disney!). What is the purpose of a shield? Well, to protect you, duh!

I looked in Preach My gospel under Christ Like attributes and found virtue. It defines it as follows:

" Virtue is your innermost thoughts and desires. What you choose to do and think when you're alone...." it continues on by comparing your mind to a stage and how you have control over what actors come on and off.

So I think of virtue as spiritual integrity, if you will. In Proverbs 31:10 it says that a virtuous woman (I'd also like to add man) is far beyond the worth of rubies.  And it's true... how easy is it to find someone spiritually clean and worthy these days...? Not corrupted by pornography, drugs, alcohol, or things of the world? Even simple addictions? Hard. But I promise you, they're out there! Choose someone that makes YOU a better YOU to be your friend or your comrade in this great battle I'd like to call LIFE!

In Doctrine and Covenants 121:45 it says "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly." Article of faith 13 also has the word virtue, which in the footnotes it compares to modesty. THIS is why modesty is so important. Because inappropriate clothes that YOU wear can cause inappropriate thoughts for someone else. It challenges and sometimes conquers the virtue that someone ELSE has. Your decision to wear those clothes may not affect YOU, but I PROMISE, promise, promise, it'll affect someone else. Just wanted to point that out! It was a cool little connection I made.

Anyway.. back to prince Philip fighting the dark dragon... how can virtue be a shield? Well, if you have virtue you have a clean mind, meaning you don't have bad thoughts. Thoughts often lead to action, so if you head it off before it even begins you're ahead of the game. I'd also like to compare this to ANOTHER Disney movie... Hercules (great movie). If you HAVE those bad thoughts and you entertain them but don't act on them, you're okay, right? WRONG! By not acting, you're like Hercules cutting off the head of the hydra- it just grows back 2 more! Eventually, you'll be overwhelmed. So head those thoughts off before they have a chance to take overtake you! (Pun intended). Virtue is like the boulder Hercules removes from the cave of the hydra to save the two kids. The rock was keeping the hydra under lock and key. Don't move the rock! And if you don't have one... find one! A big one! Rocks are EVERYWHERE! Church. Scriptures. Leaders. TRUE friends. Parents. Rocks are all around you.

To end, in Psalm 51:6 it says,"Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom." Virtue is that inner light and cleanliness. Strive for THAT. God knows what's inside, because he sees not as man seest, but he looketh upon our heart. Our desires. Those we wish to be seen AND those we don't.

Every time you do something wrong... picture Satan looking up at Heavenly Father and laughing. Every time you sin... he's winning. And our God and creator who LOVES us more then ANYTHING in this world is being laughed at by evil. Picturing this helps me stop. Because I LOVE my God, and I want to serve him.

Love y'all so much!  I've just got so much information I want to share! I'm so excited to be out here living and learning this gospel! 

With Love,

Your brother, son, friend, and admirer,

Elder Austin Daniel Sork

P.S.

Last spiritual thought... short.

Its family home EVENING. Not Family Home 15 minutes. ;)

Little things lead to greater things. It could go either way.

Think on it.

-A