USAO and Reflections.

Today was my last day working at the US Attorney's Office. Those of you that know me well know that I loved my job. The work itself was either monotonous and mind-numbingly easy, or way above my pay grade. (You want me to close the 10+ box Blower case?? ...... all right...)

What made working at that office so fantastic and such an amazing place to be were the folks that worked alongside me. The attorneys and legal assistants all treated me with respect and as a peer rather than some punk kid that really had no idea what he was doing half the time. (seriously)

Now lets talk about the REAL reason I love the USAO.
                          Food.  :)

Whenever someone has a having a birthday or is leaving us we ALWAYS have food. On top of the banquets throughout the year. i.e. Admin Day, the Chili Cook Off, Halloween, Christmas, etc (I learned that there are TONS of excuses to have office parties) And today was no exception. We had a complete smörgåsbord for breakfast, then root beer floats later that day. We were eating all day. And it was glorious!
I had been told again and again while working there that the work I did was appreciated-- even if I thought it didn't make THAT much of a difference. But after reading the DOJ Seal the staff had all signed and the card they gave me, and the numerous emails and the endless visits of people to my cubicle did it really sink in that I had lightened the workload of my co-workers as a student clerk. What a feeling it is to be appreciated! It is so so so important for us to recognize what other people do for us and let our appreciation show. The idea that we always have an affect on other people was reinforced today. It is how we treat those around us and the attitudes we carry that denotes whether that affect is positive or negative. I hoped that I was a positive force for good there, and that I may continue to be one in the future.

I'll miss the friends I made there as I start my new adventure. But who knows, maybe they haven't seen the last of me. ;)

Weak Things Made Strong

My roommate was supposed to teach the lesson in Elders Quroum on Sunday, but the night before he remembered that he was going out of town so I, the wonderful roommate that I am, stepped up and offered to sub for him. The lesson was circled around Jeffrey R. Holland's talk "Place No More for the Enemy of my Soul". [A fantastic talk that I highly recommend.]

Here was my train of thought: "I'll be spending the next two years teaching people gospel related things, How could I pass up an oppurtunity to practice?" Right???

Wrong.

After I finished the lesson I felt embarrassed, incompetent, and inadequate at my teaching abilities. It wasn't a bad lesson per say, it was nothing more preparation couldn't fix; I just couldn't shake this feeling of discouragement.

But....

Today I was thinking about the scripture Ether 12:27. In it we learn that the Lord has given us weaknesses that we may learn to be humble. Then, as our faith increases, our weaknesses, whatever they may be, can become our greatest strengths. I have a weakness in teaching. [Rather, I am weak in my studying and preparing for a lesson] But with faith, and a lot of work, I know that my teaching can one day be my strongest attribute.

I look forward to the coming weeks before I enter the MTC. I plan on kicking myself in the butt and mentally prepare to be saturated in both Slovak and the Spirit.

There is definitely a lot of work to be done my friends.

I love blogs

And so begins my Missionary Blog. I'm starting this blog for a myriad of reasons. I've always appreciated the blog because it allows me to keep tabs on someone without putting in any effort (don't judge). Hopefully this will be an easy way for everyone to keep in touch (please notice the contact info on the right). Another reason I decided to start a blog is because I could not find a blog by a missionary from the Czech Prague Mission. [Scratch that, I think I found one with about 3 entries in it] It would have eased a lot of nerves had I read someone else experiences doing the mission thing. And so it will serve as motivation to chronicle the events that will happen while I am "in the field". You see, I am a terrible journal writer, something my mother will attest to, so I need all the motivation I can get to remind me to remember the things that happen.

And girls love guys that blog..... right??