Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net> 27
March 2017 at 10:21 AM
Hi, all!!
This week was pretty uneventful, honestly. I don't have too
much to tell, but I'll still try to be somewhat exciting.
-I have really started to enjoy cooking, and I've started
branching out to more things! I know some of you back home already know how to
cook fancy awesome dishes, but I'm learning to cook here, so I'm kind of
excited, haha. I've started making stew (it's kind of like spaghetti sauce, I
suppose, but a little different) to go with rice or with spaghetti, and I've
had several different people in my district here try it and say it was really
incredible, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I also learned a cool way to prepare
beans from one of my previous companions, so that's been cool. If any of you
back home know what Cafe Rio is, I can make some mean Cafe Rio now, and I'm
just excited, haha. I'm trying to find healthier foods to eat, because
everything around here is just loaded with carbs, and it's making me fat... So
I'm working on that. Hopefully I'll be super skinny again when I go home, so
we'll see how that works out!
-I've noticed that I've become more outspoken and bold since
coming. We were visiting a less active member earlier in the week and she had
been ill earlier, so she had lost a lot of weight. Her health is okay now, but
she's still thin, and she claims that is why she doesn't go to church since
people will look at her and be asking her what's wrong and why's she's lost
weight and why she hasn't been coming and things like that. What came to my
mind was a scripture in 2 Nephi 8:7 which says, "Hearken unto me, ye that
know righteousness, in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach
of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings." I helped her to
understand that we can't let other people get in the way of doing what's right.
The scriptures often talk about how we need to have a greater fear of the Lord
rather than of men. That's not to say we need to be afraid of God, but we need
to be more concerned with pleasing Him than men. That scripture really touched
me as well. It's hard sometimes trying to do the right thing and to have people
ridicule you, belittle you, laugh at you, mock you, and much more simply
because you're trying to do the right thing. It can be challenging, absolutely.
But one thing I do know is that if we have faith in our Heavenly Father and His
Son, Jesus Christ, as we put forth effort to do what They want us to, They will
indeed give us strength to do so despite challenges and adversity. Sometimes
people will even ask why we should follow the Lord when doing so may bring
about ill interactions from others around us? I can say with certainty that as
we do what we can to keep the commandments of our Heavenly Father and to trust
Him, He will bless us with greater joy and happiness. Despite challenges and
opposition, we will still have enduring peace that comes from a loving Father
in Heaven that permeates our lives, even when things around us aren't perfect.
I love all of you so much. I hope you all have a great week
and that I hear from you all soon!
With love,
Elder Buchanan
I'm sorry I have no pictures this week... I know my Mom
won't be happy, haha. I'll try to have some fun pictures for next week, though!
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