Blitz!

Coach they're calling a holding penalty on me everytime...

Did I ask for your excuses?! You want to act like a star, you better give me a star effort, you hear me?

...

Forget about him! Alan! you're up!
Now, I don't want them to gain, *another yard*
You BLITZ ALL NIGHT! If they cross the line of scrimmage I swear I'll take every last one of you out!
And you make sure, that they remember, FOREVER! the night they played the Titans!


Love that one ^^ No connection I'm afraid.

Alrighty everybody! Hello! How are you? I'm fine thank you and you?

All I can say is... I'm going to be so weird..er. I'm going to be so incredibly weirder when I get home. I will explain. So, for those of you who can remember, I just got transferred to the area with the English branch included in it. Now, I can be a funny guy. I have no problems whatsoever going up to complete and utter strangers, speak to them in Korean, carry on a conversation, get a appointment and the like... I have no problems with that! Absolutely none! I don't think that I seriously look at myself anymore and really realize that that's what I 'm doing, but yeah! So, I've been thinking as people constantly and consistently remind me that I'm going home and not to get trunky, that I'm actually not going to be that weird when I get home. I honestly was thinking along those lines when I got the transfer call. Then last Sunday came around...

Do you know what reverse culture shock is?

I didn't either... But ooohhhhhhhhhh boy......... Heh... Yep...

So... We're waiting at the subway station for someone we invited to church. All of a sudden, a foreigner comes out of the subway, nicely dressed, comes right up to me, and says "Hey Elder how are you?" And do you want to know what I said?! I just looked at him for a second.. then another.. and then responded, "I'm fine thank you and you?" ... now that might not be that bad, it's an acceptable answer. But considering the fact that I had said it in a KOREAN ACCENT, made it ten times more awkward. If it was on purpose it would have been funny. If the foreigner had been there for several months he probably would have gotten a good chuckle... Instead, he just kind of looked at me funny, sadi he was fine too... and then walked away... You could have cut the awkwardness with a butter knife. Man... I kind of shook it off then went to the English sacrament meeting. I have never seen so much blonde hair in one place in my life. Ok I probably have, but... WOW. What followed was a day full of people coming up and talking to me and my responses full of blank stares trying to understand what language these people were speaking to me in ^^ Needless to emphasize further... I will be weird..er when I get back home ^^ So, please cut me some slack ^^

But this weekend was full of incredibly wonderful moments. We were able to watch General Conference, as well as two baptisms. They are such wonderful people, I know I felt the Spirit incredibly strongly in that baptismal room. One of the Brothers that was baptised was the husband of a convert, baptised about twenty years or so ago. That wonderful wife of his bore a tender testimony at that service, speaking first of the love that she had for this son of God, her husband. She had led her life, filled with love for both him and for the gospel, and was blessed to see her husband baptised for the remission of sins. She spoke often of patience and being blessed with the ability to wait. What captured my attention the most though was her words for how much she loved her husband.

This spoke deep to me, and the words mentioning that 'charity never failieth' entered into my mind. I continued to ponder that. Why is it that charity never faileth? Why not patience? Why not faith? And who could forget humility and diligence? Why charity?

Perhaps the Lord's example points to a solution. Those who have felt to 'sing the song of redeeming love' know that the greatest feeling, comes from knowing that someone loves you unconditionally. Regardless of what you've done, knowing that someone will never ever voluntarily turn away from you, gives the greatest everlasting hope. To start again. To keep going. To not only survive and get through something, but to discover, to create, to excell!

The possessor receives blessings just as sweet, though maybe more difficult to express through words to those who have never felt it. I cannot yet express it. I have not yet felt pure charity, I do not yet know what giving such charity feels like.

However, I do know how it feels to receive charity, and to give only an imperfect amount of it.

I love you all,

Make this a great week,

Loves and misses,

Elder Annen