PART I: THE EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER

HEY YOU GUYS!! I think I've finally gotten a taste of the emotional roller coaster this mission can be. This past week has been so much fun! I learned once again I don't have to let myself get caught up in someone else's choice of feelings.

I was on exchanges with Elder Farris, our district leader on Saturday. We were talking as we drove to contact a few refferrals and he was sharing some practical wisdom with me. "Some missionaries just get so cuaght up in things that they don't have fun. They let it get to them so much that they get so down and depressed about it. Some of us just need a reality check. Yeah, it's hard, but life is hard. Just pick yourself up and keep going. Don't stress about it if you don't have to." I don't know what part of what he said was what hit me like a ton of bricks, but suddenly I realized some of the challenges Elder Herrin has are just because of how he is. I've been stressing and worrying about so much, I've been drowning in not only my problems, but everone else's too. Elder Farris pulled me up out of the water and suddenly I could breathe again.

The next day was so calm inside my head. It was such a good day. Despite a bad day Elder Herrin might have been having or whatever might have been going on around me, I was happy and was happy to these around me. If something went wrong, no sweat, just roll with it, make the most of it and move on.

I had to adjust my attitude to accommodate and work with Elder Herrin's attitude. It was no big deal, I just should have done it a long time ago. It goes along with something else Elder Farris said: "If there's anything I've learned on my mission, it's that peope are SO different." I've come to realize the same thing. Thus, just because the way I did things worked with Elder Mose, doesn't mean they'll work with every companion. So, I've finally been able to adjust and find what works with Elder Herrin. It's cool to see how much I've learned about getting along with different types of people. Though it may seem like they are the ones who need to change for you to get along with them. There's actually a way to be happy no matter who you're wokring around by adjusting yourself.

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