Dallin was so sick this week that he was having a hard time breathing. He didn’t have insurance because it was still set up for out of country. They had a mission celebration and did a 5k run and he was so sick and could hardly do it. He kept it pretty quiet, but by Tuesday he was so ill. Wednesday he could harldy function. He was allowed to call Mike (to figure out insurance) and Mike told him to get to the hospital. So Thursday he went and it was very stressful for him because they didn’t want to treat him because his insurance wasn’t working. He could hardly breathe and was worried. Then a nurse who was a member of the church came in and helped him and reassured him. She then gave him $20 for his needs. It really gave him some peace. He was diagnosed with Bronchitas. Later they had to wait for a few hours at the pharmacy and he noticed 2 guys who looked like they were falling hard on luck. They needed some prescriptions and they were expensive. Dallin ended up giving the $20 to those men. He is such a sweetheart, and serving others even when he was so sick himself. I was a little disappointed he didn’t have more help from the mission home. It’s hard to not call and complain. So we are grateful that strangers helped him and his companion was kind and patient. He is learning so much!
Here is his letter:
Hey my friends! I am so stoked!!!! I got bronchitis this week! Aint nobody got time for that!!!! Yeah I was in bed for a lot of this week but that is ok because the spirit is still strong out here in Arizona.
So far in South Pheonix I am learning so much about outlook! How do you view other people? Your circumstance? Yourself as a person? Jesus Christs hand in your life? It is seriously so crazy how our attitudes can be the biggest deciding factor on if we want to find happiness?!
Sometimes I feel pretty unappreciative for the apartment that we live in, I want a bigger desk, I want a softer bed, I want more ties, I want this, I want that. How ungrateful? Why can’t I just be happy with what I have? – I am so thankful to my Savior for putting me here to have me realize many things. Going out and finding, there are people that have close to nothing but the clothes on their back out here! And they make it work! How incredible? – I have been given a clean apartment, with hot showers and running water. What a blessing? I need to start acknowledging and expressing my gratitude for what I HAVE. Not what I dont.
Also for a couple days I was cooped up, sick out of my mind and I was so frustrated! – I want to go work so bad! I am out here serving you, Lord!? Why can’t you allow me to get better so I can!? – I was so caught up in being annoyed that I forgot to acknowledge everything incredible happening in life! I am still on a mission? I still have all my limbs? I still have the ability to walk? Talk? See? Hear? Just because a couple things were not going my way, I decided to distance myself from the man I am out here serving, as opposed to using that time I was struggling to come closer unto him!?
Isnt it always such a blessing in disguise to recieve hardships and pain? How privileged are we are, as gods children, to be given opportunities every single day to choose to come closer unto Christ?
When bad things happen, I am working my hardest to ask the question “how can I come closer to Christ by this experience?” As opposed to saying “Christ why are you allowing this to happen to me? Why do I deserve this?” – It is incredible that our father has THAT much love that he can put things in our life to break us down only for a minute, but in the end, build us up so much higher than we could have thought.
Please I encourage you to access what you are more grateful for in your life – God will see that you are making the effort to be more appreciative and will shower down more blessings. I love my Lord and Savior! I am forever grateful for the constant companionship on the Holy Spirit. Although it sucks sometimes, I am so thankful that life is so difficult sometimes, because that makes the good moments even better.
Please find time this week to open up a paper copy of The Book of Mormon, please, reading out of this book will be far more important than any other thing you do this week. I love yall and cant wait to guys soon!
Winter Edition Red Bull is actually nasty, Elder Ballard
(A couple PS’s for yall)-Dude I’m pretty ticked about what happened to Juice Wrld, make sure you pay your respects this week -I just hit 3 months put here-For those wondering, I am at the point in Spanish still where I cant understand literally anything that anyone says to me right now, its kind of funny when people talk to me because I just got to cheese it until my companion tells them a response lol
Elder Ballards Bolivia Mission 