DAY 12 -- The P Word

It is such a relief that our papers are now in the hands of the Church.  Everything has been done on the local level.  All interviews, all other things, and again we start the waiting.

Bonnie, today after our interview, has said, "I want to go there."  And the "theres" she has mentioned are about fifteen different places.  She is excited.  She is planning on our next eighteen months.  She has it all planned out.

As I said before, when we are planning on going on vacation, or a weekend away, or even an hour away, Bon plans the whole thing.  She has stated over and over again that the planning is the BIG thing about it all, even more than going.

So she is ready to plan our next eighteen months without knowing where or when.  That is good.  Except her plans will have to be modified many times I am sure.  But she doesn't care and is excited to make those plans. 

So our waiting for our papers to be in, is over. Now another kind of waiting is starting. When we do finally get our call, when we know where are going, another kind of waiting will begin.  Isn't it interesting that there is so many different stages of waiting for the privilege of going on our mission?   So many dear ones have looked me in the eyes and mentioned one word, "patience."  We submitted our papers eight weeks ago.  Now they are where I thought they would be eight weeks ago.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have had problems of slowing down, being patient, and waiting, waiting, waiting.  I don't know if everyone else is plagued with that concept, but I am being "blessed" with opportunities of being patient everywhere I turn, throughout my life. 

Yes, we are told that endurance is a major challenge in this mortality.  But isn't there patience in endurance?  Isn't that what it is all about?  Isn't faith, the first principle of the gospel, also lined with patience also?  Loving our neighbors is also surrounded in patience.  Being in leadership is also blessed with patience.

It is sure interesting to me how patience is contained in many aspect of this gospel, many aspects of life, and especially in the attributes of Godhood.  Guess I need to concentrated on learning patience, for I am sure we will be surrounded with patience throughout our missionary life.