Learning so much

In spite of apparently hosting 'Alien' in his gut, he's still eating well

This week's letter from TMFKATB was a bit of a breathtaker for the stunningly patient and mighty fine SML and me. He got online much later than has been his pattern, which was a bit of a clue for us. While on our respective devices, we read the letter together and we both drew in a couple of deep breaths as we got into the meat of his weekly missive.

In short, his new companion who had only been in the mission field less than two weeks, opted, quite abruptly, to go home. It was a bit of a punch in the gut as TMFKATB felt like things were going quite well. Suffice to say, it made for a crazy week and our boy is now in the mission office for a few days, awaiting a new assignment. Not only was there this challenging situation, apparently 'Alien' which is uncomfortably ensconced somewhere in his gut, is making life unpleasant. All this served to take our breath away.

The part that is simply incredible is the wisdom he is showing as a nineteen year old. It is far beyond his years. He is looking at these up-and-down moments as learning experiences. He said, "I have seen so many trials with companions, health and a whole bunch of stuff but it has made me grow so much. All is well. I'm learning so much." He talked openly about placing his trust in God and how, in spite of it all, happy he is. That happy came through and gave us a great deal of comfort as we read his letter time and again.

It's not an easy thing to find the happy, or the good, in challenging situations. My boy reminded me today how soothing the balm of goodness is when you find it. He has found it in dedicating himself to the service of others right now and is willing to look beyond some really tough things to find the good. It seems to me that the lesson is that there is always something good to be had, or learned, in even the most challenging of situations. He says he's learning so much. He's teaching too. I'm glad I learned something today too.