Weekly Letter 1/18/2015

This week I listened to several speeches by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. I think the idea that had the longest lasting impact on me was when he stated that, "America needs more idealism." I thought about that a lot; I feel the exact same way. If I want to fulfill that dream I have of changing the world, I think the most significant contribution I can make is to increase the amount of idealism in it. If we had more idealism, we would change ourselves and those around us. I suppose I should explain exactly what idealism is. Idealism is a thought or behavior based off of one's conceptions of how things should be. In other words, idealism is when we act and think according to our vision of the future. Our hopes and dreams, and, most significantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's in the Book of Ether, 12th chapter, that we have the significant statement that whosoever has faith hopes for a better world. 

     This thought has affected my thoughts about career paths. For a while, I considered teaching. That thought had taken the back burner, but after listening to Elder Holland speak (the majority of the time as a dean of religious studies, or president of BYU) I've had the thought that, as a teacher, I can spread that idealism to students and others. I can have a hand in shaping a generation, and that's where significant change takes place in society. Of course, I can express idealism in the other areas of professionalism I'm considering, but I've been able to come to the decision that if I enter education, I will enter in the fields of either English or social studies, with short term goals being high school teaching, with a long term goal of either a position as a professor at a college, or a dean. 

      Enough about me! We had a zone conference this week, in the which we dwelt extensively on "Stewardship." My personal definition of stewardship is something that we are entrusted with, for which we are accountable. As we discussed stewardship, we thought about the impacts it has on us as missionaries, from the concept that of people being entrusted to us in our areas, to companions, to our agency, then over to the accountability portion of stewardship -- to the concept that we will report to the Lord on our stewardship's, both personal and public. It was quite enlightening; we watched a conference talk together which really impressed me. It was "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence," and I really liked how the Elder speaking said that self-doubt can chip away at our faith, and rob us of the power to do miracles. That's something to watch out for -- faith in Jesus Christ is incomplete if we lack faith in ourselves. 

     As a final piece of my week, I had the chance to play a Korean sport called "Choku" (촉구). It's a cross between volleyball and soccer. It's extremely fun, even though I'm terminally uncoordinated. The net is ground level, and you play with your feet, using a soccer ball, as if it was volleyball. 

     I'm sorry for the short letter, but a lot of my thoughts this week were focused on pondering: a necessary habit, but one boring to share. 

With love,
Elder Austin Lynn