All over the place

Hello again everyone! This has been a really busy week for us. Last Monday and Tuesday we were in Ivano on exchanges, which was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we came back home and had our English class before going to bed. The next day, Wednesday, we had enough time for district meeting and lunch before I went on exchanges with Elder Schmidt and the two of us caught a train to Kyiv--I went for zone leaders' council with the new mission president, Elder Schmidt went to see the mission doctor because he has a fungus on his hands and feet and a weird set of cold sores spread on his nose and right eyebrow. I stayed away from his side of the train compartment as much as possible, which is tricky when the whole compartment feels like two phone booths laid on their sides and stacked on top of each other.

So, from their we came back on Friday morning for almost a whole day of actual missionary work. Then came Saturday, when our branch and the Ivano Frankivsk branch met up for a Fourth of July picnic (...on the 5th...). After that was Sunday, and we had church as usual and then finished some preparations for the Elder Hurst Solo Show (i.e., zone conference) this coming Wednesday. It's kind of cool, but really really weird, that I get my own zone conference. My name's on the program all over the place. I'll have to keep a copy of it. Especially if President Steinagel ever makes the mistake of trying to assign me a responsibility again, I can take it out and remind him.

It was sad to read about Grandpa Hurst's passing. He was a great man, and it's always hard to see such things happen to such people. But those who understand the gospel understand that this is not a time of mourning, but happiness, for Grandpa is now free from the heartbreak of our fallen estate. At this time it helps me to think of Elder McConchie's description of the three pillars of eternity--the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. When God created the world, He created it in a state of perfection. Adam and Eve dwelled in the Garden of Eden in a perfect state where God could visit with them and speak with them. When Adam fell, the whole of creation inherited a lower state of being. As Elder McConchie described it, to fall literally means to move from a higher place to a lower place, and so did man, animals, plants, and the very earth when Adam and Eve transgressed. And so life continues even until today, with each of us still bearing the fallen nature of our world. Having fallen, we each now need to climb back to our higher state. How is this possible? If I fall into a ten foot deep hole, no matter how high I reach or jump, I can't reach the top. If I try really hard by myself, I might seem to get close, but in the end I'll still be in the hole, tired and alone. To get out, I need some help. Thankfully, each of us has someone up top reaching into the hole to take our hands and pull us out. When Christ atoned for us, He gave us the opportunity to grasp His hand and be pulled out of our personal hole. Through the Creation, we were perfect; through the Fall, we became imperfect; and through Christ, we can become perfect again, if we so choose. How many people there are around us who ignore the hand reaching down to save us! Grandpa was a man who recognized the Lord and accepted Him readily, and he lived his life in such a manner. He set his feet on the gospel road, and he continued thereon until he passed from this frame of existence to the next. Arvel Hurst is now in the next stage of the plan of God, having successfully navigated our current one. His passing is not a time of grief, but joy; and while we should indeed be sad that we'll be apart for a time, we have the comfort of knowing that that sadness is as lasting as a rainstorm or a summer night. Sooner or later, the sun will come again.

I love you all, and I hope you all have a great week!

--Elder Hurst