Enjoy the Journey

Holy Cow. Although it has only been a couple of days since I wrote you guys last, I have a ton to update you guys on. This week has been incredibly crazy. I have also learned a ton. Because this week was so crazy, This email might be a little bit of a novel so like always I wouldn't be offended if you took it in pieces. Read a little now and maybe the rest some other day.

To jump into it. The beginning of the week was pretty standard, lots of knocking, teaching some lessons and talking to less actives. We are working a lot with a less active member. He has been a member of the church for quite a long time, but has seemed to lost motivation to attend church. He works the night shifts at Wal-Mart so it is hard for him to work up the desire to attend church on Sunday mornings. We have been visiting him quite a bit and he has actually started to show up to church a little more! We are excited for him. We set a date for him to work toward going back to the temple. I miss the temple so much!

It started to heat up a little bit on Thursday. Elder Dunford and I have been teaching a guy for as long as I have been here. He is a super religious guy and he knows the Bible really well. He even organized a bible study for his military group. He is a stud. We have only been able to teach him a couple times because he is so busy so we haven't seen a ton of progress. We taught him again on Thursday and it was fantastic. We were talking about the importance of the Book of Mormon in conversion and the spirit was so strong. Even if he didn't feel it, I know that my testimony of the Book of Mormon grew a bunch. He committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. My writing definitely doesn't compensate for how great the lesson actually was, so you will just have to take my word for it.

Friday we had mission tour. Basically a general authority comes to our mission and we have an entire daylong meeting about missionary work. Elder Anderson from the seventy came out to Des Moines and it was an amazing experience. He and President Badger gave incredible trainings that pretty much rocked my world. I noticed a theme through out the meeting though. What I learned is the importance of gratitude. You guys know me so you know that my mind wanders a little bit. This was the case during one a part of the training. I was thinking about my emails home and I realized that my usual emails are usually focused more on what ISN'T going on in our area. I realized that I forget to mention all of the great things that happen in Ames.  Although it is a pretty hard area, I have learned so much here. My testimony of the scriptures has multiplied ten times over in just the short few months I have been here. I have been required to strengthen my testimony because devout members of other Christian faiths are constantly challenging it. Let's just say I have benefited immensely from serving in Ames. I love the ward here. There are amazing families in Ames that I will remember for a long time. Although it is pretty dang hard sometimes, I have learned to trust that I am being molded into something better because of the hardship I face. Because of that I have grown a ton as a missionary and as a member of the church.

I think that that Walter Mitty/ Revelatory experience was the preparation for the news I received this morning. Buckle up! During studies this morning we got a call from President Badger relaying our transfer information. President only calls the companionships that are receiving leadership positions. I answered the phone and got ready to hand it over to Elder Dunford. President then said he wanted to talk to me! My heart started beating pretty fast and I started to get a little sweaty haha. He told me that I would be staying in Ames this transfer and that I am going to be having a son (in missionary speak that means I will be training a new missionary). Holy cow I almost passed out right there. I feel like one of the teenagers on 16 and Pregnant! Young, immature and hardly prepared to bring a new life into the world (or into the mission). Of course I accepted the call but am extremely nervous. I hardly feel like I can be a missionary by myself, now I have to train another one. Poor kid is going to struggle! Haha I obviously felt a wave of inadequacy at the call, but President Badger told me that he has complete confidence in me! I had the thought in my head that "Whom the Lord calls he qualifies." It is going to be quite the experience, but I am really excited to learn with another new missionary. It is going to require me to better my study habits and learn a lot more about the New and Old Testaments.  I won't meet my new companion until Wednesday so I will have to update you next week on all the details of the delivery. Keep the poor kid in your prayers!

The rest of the week pales in comparison to this weekend. Elder Dunford is heading down south to Des Moines to be a district leader there. He is going to do great. I have loved being his companion these past two transfers. I have learned so much from him. I am going to miss him a ton. But of course he won't be too far away and I will see him at all of our mission conferences. Good stuff.

I will end this email with a cute little spiritual thought. During the meetings yesterday, I heard a quote that really stuck out to me. It was that we should "Enjoy the Journey." This is something I have kind of struggled with in the past couple weeks. I have kind of had a salty attitude about knocking doors with very few results. I was only enduring my time in Ames. I have come to realize that it is not only important for us to "Endure to the End," but we are to "Enjoy to the End." One of my favorite scriptures is in 2 Nephi 2:25. There it says, "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have JOY." We are meant to enjoy our lives here on earth. I am meant to enjoy my mission not just endure for two years and then go home.

That thought made me sound like I haven't enjoyed my mission. That is absolutely not true. I have loved my mission. I would be lying if I said that I have loved every second, but looking back on my short months in Ames, I realize how much I really have loved this place. I so look forward to spending two more transfers here!

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Expecting Father,

Elder Obray

Just one picture this week from Mission Tour. The missionary right next to me with the dark hair is my Grandpa and the missionary on the far left is my Great Grandpa. You know Elder Dunford as my Dad. What a blessing to continue that wonderful lineage.