Today I had my 200th workout at Curves. Hooray for me! I didn't get my "200 Workouts" T-shirt because they didn't have my size; but, hopefully, I can get it soon so I can brag about working out 200 times! I started going to Curves every day a couple of weeks ago, and I really like going every day. I should have been doing it sooner.
Last night at the MTC the speakers were Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Kathy. Elder Andersen spoke about why sacrifice is such an important part of missionary work. He told the story of Benjamin Landart who, in 1888, gave up his chance to play in the territorial orchestra and sold his beloved violin so he could serve a mission. Forty-five years later he said, "The greatest decision I ever made in my life was to give up something I dearly loved for the God I loved even more. He has never forgotten me." Elder Andersen went on to say that this will be a time of great sacrifice for you. Exact obedience is part of sacrifice. Leaving your family and friends and things you love is part of sacrifice. Your time becomes the Lord's time. He said that when he was a mission president in France he used to feel sorry for the missionaries when they would come to him with their stories of their struggles and how hard things were. That made him recall his own struggles as a missionary in France, so he would feel sorry for the missionaries. One day he felt an impression from the Lord that said, "Pres. Andersen. Don't feel sorry for them. They're not serving this mission for you, they're serving it mission for me, and I don't feel sorry for them." Elder Andersen said that made him realize that the struggles, the rejections and hard times are the things that cause missionaries to grow, to humble themselves and to become better servants for Him. Great blessings come into their lives as a result, even blessings that extend long past their missions. Then Elder Andersen talked about how Christ was the greatest example of sacrifice. "What an example He set for us in our miniature world of sacrifice!"
After the devotional, we met with the District D, which is the new district that came in last Wednesday--eight elders: two going to Bolivia and six going to Mexico. They seemed to have learned a lot about sacrifice from Elder Andersen and how sacrifice is and will be an essential part of their missionary service. It was kind of strange for me when I first went in to the classroom where old District D also met before they left last Wednesday. I felt like they were still there somehow, or at least I could kind of see and feel them in the room. That's the first time I have felt something of an old district in one of their classrooms after they had left the MTC. Or maybe it was just the first time I paid attention to that feeling. In any case, it caused me to think about them and wonder how they are doing.