Praying for Patience

2/15/11


HOLA Familia!

It's been almost four weeks! Can you believe that? FOUR WEEKS. It's flying by.

Mom, when you sent me that package last week that you included things for Elder Coffman, it meant so much to me.

I'd been in a bad mood that night and I knew not why. I was troubled. Then I opened that package and realized I was like very very mildly ever so mildly homesick.

In a prayer another night I mentioned patience, not really thinking about it. I jumped from my knees into my top bunk right at 10:30 and laid there in the dark. I heard a strange noise. A ukulele from somewhere in the room south to us. "Great" I thought, "opportunity to practice patience, I will give them 5 whole minutes to stop before I go over and make them." All of the sudden at 10:31 and a half-ish I found myself pounding on the wall, completely irritated. I thought "fail. 10:35, I can do it." At 10:32 and a half-ish I found myself getting out of bed, walking to the door, LOATHING the ukulele, and the devil serving inhabitants of the next room. After all, if I can't sleep, I can't pay attention in class and learn the gospel in Spanish well. If I can't do that then people won't be able to feel the Spirit, then they will not accept the gospel or attain the celestial kingdom right? So obviously if they keep me up they are serving Satan. (I didn't tell them that, nor do I think it.) NEVERTHELESS I found myself storming out of my room, walking down the hall to their door and knocking. An elder looked at me from inside, "It's time to sleep", I said.

"Sounds good"

You're dang straight it sounds good, it's revelation straight from on high, fool (tontito!) (I didn't say that either. should have.)

I went back to my room and laid in my bed for a sec and thought about the uselessness of patience anyway. After a minute I thought, "I bet it is not even 10:35 yet." I looked at my watch and sure enough it was 30 seconds past 10:34.

Moral of the story, don't pray for patience if you are ELDER Patrick Taylor.

Real moral (what I really ended up thinking about for 45 minutes after I decided patience was useless, laying in bed wishing I could achieve a thoughtless stupor.) , Patience is not merely waiting for things, it's making the best of any situation. Patience is changing your perspective from "Da**! this traffic jam" (thank you James) to I see this as an opportunity to REALLY get to know whoever is in the car with me, Or to pray, have an actual, long conversation with God. Patience, I learned, like joy, is an attitude.

That was actually my second experience with patience. Last week as I e-mailed you, My DL was messing with me. Just touching my head, and I found myself with my fist thrusting into his bosom, grasping for his still beating heart. Luckily I did not accomplish my design.

I GOTS LOTS TO LEARN.

I love you guys.

You are the best.

love you bunches, Elder Taylor