I threw a lot of things.

Remember that Turkish man named Fevzi? He's crazy, and hilarious, and crazy hilarious. And quite possibly my favorite human being. We had a lesson with him, and he is determined to really study the Book of Mormon before he makes a decision about joining the church or not. Which is exactly how we hoped it would go so all is well on that end. 

 Before we started the lesson though, he locked up our bikes with his bike lock and then told us he forgot the code. And I believed him. So after the lesson when he unlocked our bikes and laughed at me for believing him, I through an empty plastic water bottle at him. And then he laughed harder. And so did I. 

 I threw a lot of random objects this week. First the water bottle with Fevzi, then the elders wouldn't tell me the truth about when and where the baptismal service was so I threw some m'ms at them, then they put my shoes on a high shelf, so I chucked the shoes at them, and today I found that when it comes to golf I have better luck scoring if I just lob the golf ball. I should probably stop throwing things; it'll get me into trouble soon enough. 

The big news of this week is that I HIT MY YEAR MARK. Yep. You read that right. April 19th has passed and gone. 

 How does one sum up a whole year of being a missionary? I have no idea. But I do know that I made one dang good choice in deciding to come one a mission. It was a hard choice for sure, but also a good choice. 

 I recommend it to any and all who have even the slightest desire to serve the Lord. 

 At this point in my missionary service, the testimony that I want to share with you is that God understands that we're human. He knows that we have our weaknesses and that we get worn out in our strivings to faithfully live the gospel. That's why He provided us with a Savior. So that we could get back up again so that we could have as many second chances as we need. 

 As a self-diagnosed perfectionist, my missteps off the well-beaten gospel path drive me insane. But I'm learning that such a thing is the natural order of life. 

 To help you understand what I am trying to communicate, here is a current issue in my life. 

 As missionaries, we strive to talk with EVERYONE and share the gospel with them. Which is a hard task (for me) most days. When I was about four months into my mission, I made my peace with the fact that I would awkwardly testify to every breathing thing that crossed my path. By month five I had embraced it, and I ran around like a crazy banshee to talk to everyone. I zoomed across streets, rolled down car windows, and backpedaled a lot to talk to literally everyone. 

I expected to stay that way, to only get better, crazier. But here I am a year into this experience, and it's the opposite. I walked by at least ten people today and exchanged nothing but hellos. And I've been doing that for about three months now. I still talk to the people but have lost my energy for everyone. Don't worry, I have prayerfully set goals and made plans to improve myself in this area, but I have also learned a really important lesson. 

 Becoming worn down seems to be the natural order of things, in our lives and the gospel. This pattern is why we go to bed at night, why cars are taken to a mechanic and why plumbers are called. Sometimes it's the force behind our lack of desire to go to church or open up our scriptures. It's just a part of life. 

 What I've learned, is that life is life. And that's the W H Y of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

 C.S. Lewis once said, "Redeemed humanity is to be something altogether more glorious than unfallen humanity ever could have been." 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not in place to wrap our spirits in some fuzzy cocoon. Our Savior and His gospel are in place to redeem us and our experiences, to turn our families and us into someones who have a place in heaven and are worthy of it.  

 Life is life, and Heaven is better. So that's what we aim for, what we work for, what we hope for. And that is the knowledge that we must share with others. 

 Listen, missionary work is really, really simple even if it sounds/feels scary, awkward, intimidating, impossible, etc. 

 I think it's put best in 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15, "...and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you."

 We shared a spiritual thought with a family after dinner last night with this same idea given to us in the first epistle of Peter. The feeling of love that filled that room was unmistakable. God wanted us to know that there really is reason for hope. So this week I invite you to share the reason for your hope with someone. You never know how much they might need it.