Antelope is a little bit boring so far. Not that we're not doing anything. The other missionaries rock though! That's always one of the best parts of an area. Driving is much different than riding a bike, haha. I never thought I'd say this but sometimes I miss riding a bike. It's not as fun going around your area in a car. You don't get to see as much, you're not outside, you can't ride a little bit in front of your companion to have some alone time. Not that I want to get away from Stoddard. But it's kind of fun to just feel like you're biking down the road by yourself! I've also found that in the car I haven't gained any weight (and I don't plan on it) but my weight is more consistent. On bike it would be all over the place. That doesn't happen as much in a car.
As far as my seniority position I am kind of junior companion right now. My first time being a zone leader and I don't know the area. So he's showing me how to do the paper work and the forms and what not for a little bit.
From my letter to Calum: I had my opening faculty meetings on Friday. I think they went well overall, but my opening went flat. Haha! My theme this year is centered around having a Growth Mindset rather than a Fixed Mindset. It's based on a book called Mindset by Carol Dweck. Basically a person with a fixed mindset says "I can't do that" But a person with a growth mindset says "I can't do that, YET". It's the YET that's the important part. The fixed mindset person believes he is born with specific talents and you can't change who you are. So a person might be an amazing violinist or tennis player because they were born with that talent. The trouble with people with a fixed mindset is, they don't want to try new things because they might fail. And if I fail, then I guess I wasn't a born tennis player after all. But with a growth mindset, people believe that they can do anything if they work hard enough. They are not afraid to try, because if they fail, that doesn't mean they are no longer a talented person. They just hit a bump in the road and they will try again. We want to help develop a growth mindset in our students. So rather than telling a student 'you are a genius' implying they were born that way, we use words like 'you must have tried really hard to accomplish that.' Anyway, that was a long explanation. Because with a growth mindset, we should all be happy, because there's no such thing as failure, I bought all kinds of smiley face things for the teachers. Like a smiley face emoji. The library looked really cute all decorated with yellow smileys. So to start the meeting I played Pharrell's Happy video, thinking everyone would start to dance in their chairs and clap their hands - like we all do every time it comes on. Well, no one moved. In fact, they didn't even stop talking to each other. I was pretty disappointed in their reaction. But the rest of the meetings went well. Haha.
That sounds like a very cool theme! I agree with the whole "yet" thing. That would be a cool way to think. Always expecting and looking for growth. I'll give that a shot. That's too bad that the teachers didn't react haha! Maybe they just thought it was supposed to be background music while they waited for you? I dunno. I bet you'll enjoy this year especially with Riley there.
That makes me sad to hear about granddaddy. I'm scared for him and Nana. Feeding through a tube never sounds appealing and I'm sure granddad isn't looking forward to it.
From my letter to Calum: I love and miss you. You have proven yourself as an amazing missionary and servant of our Heavenly Father. Because of your dedication and hard work, you have been made senior companion, district leader, and now zone leader. And you haven't even been out a year. It brings a tear to my eye when I think of a comment you made right after high school. You said, "I used to be a soccer player, but now I'm nothing". My darling son, you are far from nothing. You are a talented, loving man, who is sacrificing two years of your life to serve our Heavenly Father. He is proud of you. Your mission president is proud of you and trusts you with these advanced responsibilities. You have shown that you are much more than a soccer player. You will never be 'nothing'.
Thank you for the uplifting words mum. I do feel like I have more of a purpose while I'm out here. I'm proud that I can be trusted. I don't want to be prideful, I dread being prideful haha, but I also want to be confident. I love and miss you mom. I think about you and your work everyday! I hope you feel excited for this school year. I have kind of a signature quote that I'm known for out here, one of them is "Come on!!" (You know, like Andy Murray - Come On, Andy!) but the other one is "Have a good time all the time." But I always have to explain that when I say that I don't mean just mess around and do whatever you want. I mean have a good time no matter what you're doing, feeling the spirit is a good time to me, teaching a lesson is a good time to me! Weekly planning isn't... But that's why I say that quote. Try to make planning a good time. When I feel like I've had a successful planning session, I have a good time. Haha. So I hope you're having a good time all the time mum! Haha! I love you mum and I miss you so much. Send the girls my love too.
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