Growth On A Mission and Training Wheels

I love being a missionary. For a long time before my mission, I was afraid I'd change on my mission. I would always hear people say, you change on your mission, and become a better person. I was afraid of this because I liked me the way I was. At the time I didn't understand the way that missions change people. I imagined it would just make me really churchy, and that It would make my personality go away. After being on my mission I have realized that the changes I’ve gone through are better in all ways. First and most important, my faith has increased a lot, and I understand the way the church works a lot better. I have also become a better thinker, and I have more control over/ have an even bigger imagination. I understand who I am more, and am more confident with myself. I am able to study better, and for a longer time. I have also obtained many small talents and skills, such as baking bread and deserts, cooking Mexican food, walking on my hands a little, solving rubix cubes, and other stuff like that. Choosing to go on a mission was definitely the best decision I have made in my life. The Lord gives special blessings to his missionaries, and the families of missionaries.
Enriqueta came to church again yesterday. She is at one of the big forks in the pathways of life. She knows which way is the right, but she is just waiting right now to make sure she is ready. I feel it is just a sort matter of time before she is baptized. Our ward just formed a Spanish Relief society. I am so excited for that. They don't have a Spanish Priesthood yet, but most of the male Hispanics in our ward speak English, at least a little.
On Saturday we were at the Caretos, helping Bro. Careto with some problems with his van, when I learned an important lesson about our Heavenly father that I want to share with you. We were outside working on their van so they could come to church, and their 4 year old daughter came outside to try to ride her bike she got for Christmas. It has training wheels on it. At first she couldn’t move, so I gave her a boost to get her started. She struggled a lot at first to keep moving, and if she hit a small hill, or patch of dirt while the peddles were in the position were one was up, and one was down, she would get stuck, and no matter how hard she pushed, se could not get the peddles to move. Upon realizing that she was stuck, she would call my name and ask for help. I went over and helped her many times. Each time, it was not hard at all for me to get her moving. It would just take the smallest little shove with my feet, and the peddles would no longer be in the difficult up and down position, and she would be moving. By the end of our visit, she was able to keep herself moving all by herself, and unless she got in a really hard spot, she could start herself again if she stopped. We in a sense are like this 4 year old girl trying to learn how to ride her bike. She needed a good push to get started. We also need a good push. That is a big reason of why our Heavenly Father gives us families. Then at times, if we hit a small dirt patch, or hill, we might not have the strength to keep moving. At these times we need to call upon our heavenly father, and ask for help. Even though for us, things may be impossible, for Our heavenly father, they can be as easy as a little shove with his feet, and were moving again. Now If I wanted, I could have grabbed hold of the handle bars of the little girls bike, and easily pulled her around everywhere, and she would have easily gotten past any hill or dirt patch, but at the end of the day she would not have been any better at riding her bike then when she started. But with her having to struggle past the dirt and hills, and only receiving help when she needed it, she learned a lot. She will keep learning and eventually not need her training wheels any more, and will be able to bike up large dirt hills without struggling too much. We were put here in this life by our heavenly father, and he is teaching us many things. It will be hard at times, and during those times he will help us, and eventually we will all became very capable beings, and eventually gods. We won’t need training wheels for ever.
I love you all.
Elder Finch