As a female freshman here at BYU, it's easy to feel forgotten in all the fuss and celebration of the weekly mission call announcements. Although I'm just as excited as the next girl to hear what corner of the globe my friends will call their home for the next two years (especially if that corner is Stockholm, Sweden as is the case for one of my FHE brothers), I have a tendency to feel the tiniest bit irked when mission-prep talk leaks into every church-related gathering.
So, this week I resolved to stop feeling left out and in the spirit of every-member-a-missionary I called myself to serve in the wherever-I-am mission for the next two years. I didn't have a cool call-opening party or announce it in sacrament meeting, but I made commitments that give me a sense of focus and purpose.
One of these commitments is to read all the standard works. Lacking natural organizational skills, I am starting with the book of Psalms. I have grown very fond of David's usage of the word "lovingkindness" and have marveled at the beauty of phrases like this one from the eighteenth psalm:
Thy gentleness hath made me great.
Good goal. Read the Old Testament and love it for me while I am in Thailand?
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent idea! Does this mean you are also going to start keeping missionary sleeping habits?
ReplyDeleteI actually think that calling ourselves as missionaries would make a lot of difference for all of us - and you are already a great example of it.
I still think you should have a party, though. (we want to be invited, of course) =)
oh that IS a wonderful phrase... "thy gentleness hath made me great". I love your mission call. It's the best anyone could ever get. I think I need to go on that mission, too.
ReplyDeleteI approve, as long as there aren't mission restrictions on how frequently I can talk to you. :) And hey, I don't think the particular order of the books in the bible is necessarily inspired - they're not all in chronological order, and the truths contained therein are not dependent on reading them sequentially. I think starting in Psalms is a great way to ease into the Old Testament.
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