May 11, 2020
Heeeellllllloooooo
Everybody!
So we've been in quarantine for over a month now and we've got two puzzles done and we're starting on a third. That's the big news. I made a goal to read the entire Book of Mormon in Georgian before my year mark of being in country, so we'll see how that goes. It's still hard to understand, but I'm getting the vast majority of it. It just takes a long time because my brain is still not used to quickly reading this alphabet:
აბგდევზთიკლმნოპჟრსტუფქღყშჩცძწჭხჯჰ
Speed is tough.
We've been lucky enough to find a few people to teach online, but it's a bit of a challenge because not everyone wants to meet via video call. Companionships got switched up so I'm with Elder Springer now and Elders Herr and Crapo are together. Every Saturday, we have calls with a former missionary that served in Georgia which is great. He is probably in the
top five missionaries to have ever learned Georgian. He's great to ask questions to. I really wish I had more to say, but I guess I'll give a short quote that I shared when it was my turn to share a quote from General Conference in the mission group chat.
I've always been fond of the lawyer general authorities, so I've got a quote here from President Oaks.
"The power of the priesthood exists both in the Church and in the family organization. But priesthood power and priesthood authority function differently in the Church than they do in the family. All of this is according to the principles the Lord has established. The purpose of God’s plan is to lead His children to eternal life. Mortal families are essential to that plan. The Church exists to provide the doctrine, the authority, and the ordinances necessary to perpetuate family relationships into the eternities."
The connection between family and church government has been a point of pondering for me over the last few years. We are given immense blessings because of the Church organization. As President Oaks says, we wouldn't have the doctrine, authority, or ordinances without it. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a more organized worldwide organization than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When the members
prayerfully and diligently fulfill and magnify their callings, the church runs and grows wondrously. The Church not only stimulates the growth of righteousness within individuals but within parents and families. Parenthood is the most important calling to be magnified. When parents exercise priesthood power for their children in the home, we can compare it to God using His power to bring forth eternal life for us. This is a preparatory state so that we can be more ready to eventually live the kind of life that God lives. I would say that there is no better way to learn how to become like our loving Heavenly Father than to righteously exercise priesthood power as loving earthly parents.
That's all I have for now. I'll see you all soon.
--უხუცესი ფიშერი
Passing the time in our apartment
(Elder Crapo and Herr and Elder Springer on the chair)
Cutting each other's hair
Elder Herr and Elder Fisher
Quarantine gives extra time for baking
Views of Tbilisi from our balcony.
There was a beautiful rainbow in the distance.
Elder Fisher and Elder Springer
Sunday, May 10, we had permission to meet for church with sister missionaries for the first time in two months.
left to right: Elder Fisher, Sister Gehring, Sister Mafi, Elder Crapo, Elder Springer, Elder Herr
