Have you ever been so caught up in your life that all you ever worry about is yourself? Have you ever served someone then bitterly said to yourself that they didn't desire the service that you have rendered? Have you ever thought to yourself that you are better than others because of your rank, age, education, the clothes you wear, or even color of your skin?
If you have had these experiences in your life may I suggest that it came from selfishness?
This week for me has been an eye opener, an experience that is engraved to my soul. It wasn't one event that happened but a series of minute events that have brought me to the realization that I like many of us lack the Christlike attribute of gratitude. For some reason it is hard to show gratitude maybe it is because to an extent it makes us vulnerable when we tell others of the gratitude that we have for them or maybe we may feel it's even childish. Well I would say it does make us vulnerable and even childish but both of those are ok! How do you think Christ felt as he was walking in to the Garden of Gethsemane? Well from a scriptural account it says speaking of Jesus' emotions he "began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy." -Mark 14:33. I think that it is plausible to say that he felt exquisite vulnerability. Yet vulnerability lead him to the greatest act in all eternity. Now let us precede to talk about being childish. Anyone that is a student of the Book of Mormon should know the scripture that I am about to use. Mosiah 3:9 which reads "Becometh as a child." But let me take this a little further and expound on not only this scripture but chapter. In the same chapter in verse 17 it reads "whereby salvation can come unto the children of men". In verse 18 it reads "humble themselves and become as little children". In verse 21 it reads "none shall be found blameless before God, except little children". In this chapter it mentions 4 times that we need to be as children and even more interesting is that this is coming from King Benjamin who from a physical stand is the farthest thing from a child! Yet he was urging all who could hear the words of his voice to be as a child! There is something special about children and we can learn from them, especially in gratitude. It is interesting to me that what was once so easy for us as children has become so hard for so many of us. As we show are gratitude both vocally and by deed our Heavenly Father is much more inclined to help us.
Sorry for my ramble this week on being vulnerable and childlike. But I learned heaps about them this week so I just thought that I would share. So to all I am grateful for my family, friends, the gospel, the scriptures, South Africa and the people here, and most importantly my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Mcolisi got baptized!! It was so powerful and even the bishop said after that he has never heard a testimony that powerful from a recent convert! It was really cool. We are going to get him started on his family history this week so he can go and do baptisms in the temple in a couple of weeks!!
All is going well in Jozi!! We are loving it!!
Time for some humor. So this week we were at one of our members house and she has a ginormous tarantula! Apparently like snakes it sheds and the shedding looks exactly like the spider. So I had this great idea that we could scare Sister Dunn pretty bad with it. So we got home and saw that they weren't home yet and so we wrapped the skeleton around the door handle and waited patiently. Soon after they pulled in and Sister Dunn was with her sister and as they got out of the car Sister Dunn's Sister says "Oh my is that a bug ahhhhh Sister Dunn look!!!" So Sister Dunn goes and gets a close look and says "Elder Olson your not pulling a prank on me are you?? This couldn't be a joke!! Ahhh its moving!!!" Both of them are just losing it and scared out of their minds. Finally after I stopped laughing I showed them what it was and even chased sister Dunn with it.... haha it was a good laugh. Here is a Picture of it
Also a pic of hillbrow in Joburg! (I had to hurry and take the pic from the car...)
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