Smile: It's all for your good

Kamusta ka na?

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• So you know how I got sick? Well, now the other three missionaries in my apartment are sick!!! Dengue is typically passed because mosquitoes bite people affected by dengue, and then that same mosquito bites someone that is not sick. However, I bypassed the middle man and just went ahead and bit each of the three missionaries, so now they have dengue. JUST KIDDING!! THEY DON'T HAVE DENGUE!! It's just a fever, and they are recovering very well.

I have a lot I want to talk about, but not a lot of time. So for a short email this week, I just want to let you know how much fun being a missionary is. I seriously love serving a mission. Don't get me wrong, it's no vacation and definitely has its ups and downs; however, it's all good stuff. Every day brings new experiences, or in other words, new opportunities to grow. I find that most days my cheeks hurt from smiling by the end of the day, and here are the reasons: (1) I have met so many people that I have come to love. I desire the best for them and it makes me concerned when they get into hardships, but even in their struggles they often find time laugh. They are a reason for me to smile. (2) I have a wonderful companion, Elder Burton, that is not afraid to work hard. He laughs at the simplest of my jokes, and is always by my side. My trials are his and his are mine. Without my companion I would feel incomplete. He is a reason for me to smile. (3) This area in GMA Cavite is VERY HILLY. Each day I lose my breath to the hundreds of stairs that I have to walk and I without fail I sweat through my clothes before the night hits. I've gotten used to it, and now just laugh through the sweat and hills. Another reason why I smile. (4)  But most of all is the message that I am sharing. It was provided, outlined, and highlighted as important hundreds and even thousands of years ago, and continues to be circled, underlined, expounded, and explained. It is the message of a Father's plan for his children to be happy and is centered around one son that was willing to sacrifice ALL for his brothers and sisters. That sacrifice is the GREATEST reason why I smile, and is why I am serving a mission.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: There are hundreds of reasons to smile. I only shared 4, but the list is without end. This week, find reasons to smile even when you want to frown. When you see the stairs that you have to climb or the sweat you have to endure, think of that son that climbed to Calvary and endured the "sweat" of Gethsemane.

Elder Hemmert