Rules are Lame

Dearly beloved....

Good week in Fort Belvoir.
Right now our missions theme is "Be all In"..... I think it's similar
to themes we have had in the past, themes of consecration, and
sacrifice and such. I've learned through all of these themes that we
each have different levels of "being all in". Sometimes I'll recognize
that I am not "all in" for a specific principle and so I strive to
change and then I feel great! Like woooohoo! I'm "being all in" and
then I settle down and realize there is even MORE I can give to the
Lord. So basically every time I think I have reach the "all in"
level....I see the next step and have to push for it.

Something I struggle with in life and on my mission are the little
rules.... (Rules that the consequences or blessings for following or
not following are not seen right away or maybe at all.)
For examples BYU-Idaho's curfew, not eating in mission cars, backing
up your companion, texting in class, drinking green tea, etc.
I could follow the rule of not getting out of the car to back my
companion up with no problem but the moment I choose not to do it
once, then every time after that I struggle following the rule.
Thoughts run through your mind like, "Well I didn't do it that time
and nothing happened" or "I've been follow that rule my whole mission
and it doesn't seem to make a difference."
The thing I have learned the most is that once you break a "little
rule" once it's that much harder to not break it over and over again.
And maybe it's not always breaking a rule or commandment, but instead
refraining from acting on a prompting.
Just as "by small and simple things, great things are brought to
pass", by small and simple things, dangerous (or bad, terrible, etc)
things are brought to pass. It all starts with something little.
Missing church because you're tired, not reading your scriptures
because you don't have time, the list goes on and on.
The point is----little things matter.
So I guess a lesson I am learning on my mission is that it is not
necessarily the big choices that shapes our lives and testimonies but it's the simple daily choices that shape us into who we will be when
we stand in front of our Heavenly Father at the last day.

If only I could remember that lesson every second of everyday. Then I
would make better choices. #sinner #confession #roughlife

Hashtags make it easier to say stupid things.

Yesterday we were tracting and sister stucki was teaching the man
behind the door about temple and eternal marriage because he had
mentioned he has been married for three years. While she was
explaining it she says, "in the temple i can be sealed for time and
all eternity to my family and my spouse.." And she motions to me as
she says spouse. He just kind of giggled at us.