One Year in the Mission Field!

I just have to start out by saying how much I love the fact that when I do a mass email, I can look at every name and just feel so much love and appreciation for the soul that is behind the name.. Thank you so much for being a part of my life and making it what it is.  

So, this week marks my one year mark. To be honest, I'm not sure what to say about that exactly. In all reality, it was hitting me more last month than it is right now. Things have been especially tough though, because my companion and I have been cooped up in the house because of various sicknesses. It has been driving me absolutely INSANE! When you are locked up in a place like that for extended periods of time, your thoughts start to drift. These thoughts have been my downfall because I've been worrying about things that need not worried about, I've feared over things that are already taken care of, and I've ached for people that I already know I'm going to see again someday. 

The great part about all of this is, I know I can rely on the Lord for help to get through this. The message of today is, "what holds your attention holds you". It comes from a book called, Putting on the Armor of God by Steven A Kramer. With any trial or event that we have in life, more often than not, it is our thought process that effects so greatly how we actually feel. We could be having the craziest of things going on in our life, but if we are focused and determined in a good cause, nothing will bring us down. 

I am experiencing this right now as I type this. With this one year mark of being out in the field, it also marks a year for one of the greatest losses that I have experienced.  I've not thought about this until I got on here and people have talked about it. They talk about what is correlated with this year mark, and it pulls my thoughts towards the devastating aspect of this time of year for me. It creates frustration and heartache as I dwell on it. As I allow my attention to be held on such a topic, the reality of the event sinks in and makes it more difficult. 

I'm not focusing on that anymore. My focus and attention is on the people and the Lord. More and more each day the Lord is burning through my heart and what's in there. At times it feels as if there is nothing in there because He doesn't want anything there at that time. It is when I resist and focus on the things that I need not, that the Lord is unable to mold me into the individual He needs me to be. It is the law of consecration and I am trying my absolute best every single day to give that to Him. It's what I'm supposed to do. It's what I covenanted to do.

Thank you for all of your support, prayers, and love..

Elder Sandberg