22 June 2007 – Friday

I woke at 4:30 but managed to go back to sleep until well after 6. Obviously I am not worrying as much about the English class, mushrooms, or other things to interfere with my sleeping. I am not sure that is a good thing – but at least it is good for my sleeping.

We decided – mostly with my prompting – to read the Kitab Mormon at the office instead of at home. In that way I could print some pictures of the Salt Lake Temple in the winter for the students. It is a good thing that I am still working on patience as a Christ like attribute because for some reason the printer would only print half a page of pictures and then stop. After working on the problem for the best part of an hour, Mary suggested that the paper might be too stiff and was getting hung up. So I tried gently pulling on the paper as it came through and that seem to work. At least it worked once, which was all we needed.

Today is Tom’s 46th birthday – I tried to think back to my 46th but nothing clicked. Of course since I can not remember anything about my 68th birthday and very little about my 69th – it is not strange that I can not remember earlier ones. In fact the only birthday I can remember is the one where I got smacked in the mouth with a bat – I think I was 8 at the time.

We did not teach today, but I was busy for almost 6 hours doing things for the class. Mainly I was writing sentences to help them with vocabulary. I also sent off a few e-mails – the Bennetts and the young man at BYUH. We also read for in the Kitab Mormon for an hour. I think when the class is over and we are in the office, we will try to read for at least an hour.

Sister Mary taught the morning class and the Petersons taught the afternoon class. Tonight they will go to president Smith’s house to be taught but mainly to be fed. I am not sure that they learn much when they do not go to Joel’s but I am not sure. I know the next time we will be more organized about the lesson plan.

Right after we got home – John, the Petersons’ driver, drove us home so Sam could stay in class – we went down and had haircuts. I like the way this barber does my hair – I am definitely going to keep short after the mission.

I spent the next hour reading the D&C. I was especially interested in D&C 46. I do not remember it being so powerful, but maybe I was never ready to hear and feel it’s message. It is about the spirit and the gifts of the spirit.

D&C 46:7 says “And that which the spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye do it.” I wonder how often I am close enough to the Lord to feel the spirit ‘testify’ to me. And if I am do I then do it or do I procrastinate because I am ‘too busy’ with other things that I like to do. Nephi and that boat keep coming to my mind – what would I have done if the Lord had ask me? Probably complained that he must have the wrong man.

46:10-29 contains the great discourse on the Gifts of the Spirit. I especially like 18 and wonder if I will ever be ‘wise and have knowledge’ in the Lord’s eyes.

46:30-33 lays out the way we need to live by the spirit. It came to mind how important is my personal relationship with God and the Savior and to live so I can have the spirit to always be with me. I need to read this section more often. Like the 50th section that is coming up, it emphasis the importance of the spirit in the church and in our lives.

I wrote to bishop Pletsch – I have not been very good about writing him. I think this was only the third time in the 6 months we have been on our mission. But then he has only written to us once so I guess I am still ahead of him. We have kept up with some of what has been going on in the ward through letters from others.

We just finished doing our second hour of reading the Kitab Mormon. We are in 3 Nephi 7 where the Nephites seem to have broken up into tribes having destroyed the rule of judges that had been started by Mosiah.