Llamado a Servir en España: Come what may, and LOVE IT!

My wonderful family and friends,

What a week it was! It was full of lots of thinking about how and why we have certain things happen in our lives. On Tuesday night we realized that we really needed to do something about the lice. Soooo we all mayonaised our hair and wrapped it up in plastic wrap for the night. It was TERRIBLE! It smelled so bad! And the next morning we all woke up with pounding headaches!!! Everyone else´s went away within the hour but mine

wouldn´t stop pounding because my plastic wrap had been SO tight. That morning while we were picking through each other´s hair to get all the eggs out, the District Leader called and said, "we have to have an emergency transfer meeting - come to the church NOW!" Well we went. I felt SO sick and we litterally had lice coming out of our heads and our hair was still wet. (good times). We had the district meeting and the result was that we got all of our investigators and recent converts taken away from us (It´s kind of a long story but they were all about to get baptized...)... it was not a very fun meeting... but Hermana Larsen and I have done a lot of praying and we are ready to go find new investigators this week!

On Wednesday I couldn´t even walk because I was so so so sick. Something was wrong with my stomach and it had never hurt that bad before in my whole life and my head was still pounding. I've never liked being sick but I most definitely don´t like being sick on the mission!!! It is the hardest thing ever! I kept working on Wednesday because I haven´t had to stay in piso for a sick day yet on my mission and I didn´t want to start now. But by the afternoon Hermana Larsen was literally holding me up to try and walk with me in the streets... so we went home because we couldn´t get anything done.

I went to bed that night... but not really. I was up ALL night with a hurting stomach and pounding head. I woke up the next morning and couldn´t move so we called president and he said I should go to the Emergency room. We called Obispo and his sweet wife Angela to see if they could take us because they have a car. It was only 7:30 in the morning but they said, "yes. Of course we will be there in 15 minutes!" They came and spent the whole morning with us in the ER and then took us to the pharmacy to get medicine and then Obispò gave me a blessing and then Angela went home and took the list of foods I was allowed to eat to make me food! It was the sweetest thing! And they call every few hours to make sure I am ok! I love them so so much! The doctors didn´t really end up finding a whole lot but just said that I have a bad infection in my stomach. Well they were right... it was really really bad because I have been in piso for the past FIVE DAYS! Today is my first day back in the world and it is just lovely! I have really missed it :) Anyways, while I was sick I learned A LOT! A whole montón actually :) First.. I learned that being sick away from your madre is really really hard. But the members here have been like my family. They have been absolutely incredible! Right after Obispo and Anglea left our piso we had the mission leader, relief society president and members all call us telling us what time and day they would be bringing food by to make me feel better! It was so so sweet of them! And so many members were willing to go out a few times with my sweet companion to a few of our really important citas. I am so grateful for all of the members! I was especially grateful when Hermana Susana called and said, "what are both of your full names?" When we asked her why she said, "I am calling the temple right now so your names will both be on the prayer roll". I immediately started to cry because that is exactly what my dear mom would have done. I feel so blessed to be in an area where the members care so much about the missionaries and each other. The love for the gospel in this ward is very very evident and them serving me this week just shows how much they love their Savior Jesus Christ and are trying to be humble followers of him! I love them so much!

The second and most important thing I learned this week was "come what may and love it". I read Elder Wirthlin´s talk this week and encourage you all to read it! I forgot how much I love that talk! Here is a little bit of it with my favorite parts...

When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling discouraged. My mother was there. She listened to my sad story. She taught her children to trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes, and give their best effort in everything they attempted. When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again. So the advice my mother gave to me then wasn’t altogether unexpected. It has stayed with me all my life.

“Joseph,” she said, “come what may, and love it.”

I have often reflected on that counsel.I think she may have meant that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.

1. Learn to Laugh:

I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.

We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now, I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.

2. Seek for the eternal:

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; “And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”

With that eternal perspective, Joseph took comfort from these words, and so can we. Sometimes the very moments that seem to overcome us with suffering are those that will ultimately suffer us to overcome.

3. Principle of compensation:

The third thing we can do is understand the principle of compensation. The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.

4. Trust in the father and in the son:

He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong.

One of our daughters, after giving birth to a baby, became seriously ill. We prayed for her, administered to her, and supported her as best we could. We hoped she would receive a blessing of healing, but days turned into months, and months turned into years. At one point I told her that this affliction might be something she would have to struggle with the rest of her life.

One morning I remember pulling out a small card and threading it through my typewriter. Among the words that I typed for her were these: “The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him.”

She did put her trust in God. But her affliction did not disappear. For years she suffered, but in due course, the Lord blessed her, and eventually she returned to health. Knowing this daughter, I believe that even if she had never found relief, yet she would have trusted in her Heavenly Father and “[left] the rest to Him.”

I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it. As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as did my mother, “Come what may, and love it.”

I am so grateful for our inspired leaders of the church who constantly help us and remind us what is most important in life. This week was really hard. I am not going to lie. I wanted to be out and working and teaching people. But then I took a step back and realized that I need to practice what I preach and take care of my body because it truly is a gift from our Heavenly Father. I know that sometimes we all have hard times in life and we don´t understand why. But if we will choose to follow Elder Wirthlin´s counsel then I promise you that we will always be happier and ALWAYS see the blessings as we choose to say, "come what may and love it". I know Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us and it is absolutely perfect! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Hermana Eyring