I just lived through Severe Typhoon Usagi, a double-eyed monster that was the worst storm in 50 years. My rating?
Two thumbs down! Down on the Kowloon Peninsula (where my 13th story apartment is), she didn't really do anything! I've seen worse tropical disturbances. When I was doing the weekly call-in report last night my Zone Leader (Elder Gwo from my Missionary Training Center days) was legitimately afraid for his safety so he went into the bathroom (no windows) halfway through reporting numbers. The people out west got hit harder, but I'm not in contact with anybody in Kwun Tong, so I can't really report about that one.
Besides the weak storm, we had two special meetings this week! On Tuesday we had a Mission-Wide Leadership Training Meeting in which the 44 of us in attendance got 3 hours of time listening to (Elder) Larry Wilson, the Asia Area Seventy (the leader of Missionary work for all of the continent, except for Japan). It was really good, and I learned a ton about being a more Christlike leader. I took 3 pages of notes.
And if that wasn't good enough, on Friday the Tolo Harbor Zone and half of the Kowloon Zone (crazily enough, there were 44 Missionaries in attendance at that one as well) met with Elder Wilson again! I got 6 1/2 pages of notes from training we recieved, which brings me to almost 10 pages of notes for the week, not counting what I got during Personal Study. Not too shabby.
The most important thing I learned is that sincerity moves this work along, and sarcasm kills it. I'm afraid that I've been getting them rather out of balance recently, and it was good to be reminded gently that this isn't the work of Elder JE O'Gara, this is the work of Jesus Christ. It's easy to be Christlike when you're comforting a Missionary who's had a rough week or giving a blessing to someone that's got serious problems going on, but what really counts is the little interactions you have with people all throughout the day. If you don't instinctively do what Christ would, you're falling short of the expectation and need to correct your course. It's good to receive a reminder that my course is straying a bit, and I intend to act on it.
Love,
Elder JE O'Gara
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