One Year! Huh?!

This week I hit a year on my mission. SO WEIRD. Honestly. When I got here to Puerto Cabezas about 11 months ago I never thought that this day would come (I think that back then I was going to die on my mission rather than going home at the end of it). The funniest thing of all is that I still feel like it was yesterday that I got here. I can remember getting set apart, going to the airport and all as if it were yesterday. Totally bizarre for me.

This week I got SO sick. It was the first time in my entire mission that I felt that sick. I call the mission nurse and she told me that she thinks that I have gastritis. I have to be careful about eating spicy foods, lots of onions, etc. I also have to take this pill for like a month! So annoying to try and remember it. I did still go out and work that day. I didn't work a LOT but I did do what I needed to do in order to help out people in my area. It was awful though. I also got very sunburned, so naturally I am very tan right now.

While I was sick I received some rather cool revelation for my life that I think some of you might enjoy. I hope that this helps out some of you who may be thinking that you are just "normal" or "average" and that you aren't that unique. First of all, get sick. Just kidding. But really, being sick always makes me super humble and makes me reflect more on divine help and inspiration. Okay, so step one should always be to read your Patriarchal Blessing. This opens up the means of communication between our Heavenly Father and our hearts and minds, so if we read and ponder on the words therein, we will be able to have heaven's inspiration ever close. Step two is to study things out in our minds. Sometimes we think about something for like 5 minutes, come to a conclusion and then decide that's best. No. That's not how it works. You study it out, ask Father for confirmation on the ideas, thoughts and feelings that you receive and then you act. So that brings us to step 3, ACT. Do something about the revelation or inspiration you receive. If it is personal revelation for a problem, trial or dificulty in your life, GO WRITE IT DOWN. Save such things in a very sacred place and review them at times.

Okay, that brings us to what I was trying to say like one paragraph ago. If you a are feeling average, think for a while. Do you really think that you are where you are in your life because of mediocracy. If the answer is yes, start acting differently. Be the person you can be. Recognize that you have divine potential and act on it. Do something to prove to others that you can and will be your own you. I am Elder Braden D. Bolton. I have a different mission than my companion on this earth, I have a different mission from my family members on this earth. Some of us may be called to do similar things (i.e. be parents, hold Church callings, be spouses, be employees, etc), yet each one of us has the opportunity to be our own me. This kinda sounds like dribble right now, but this is how I feel and what I want to express to you right now.

We are all different. We all have varied potential on this earth, but our divine potential is all the same. We are all born to be Kings and Queens. We need to recognize that and prepare ourselves to be such. I teach this principle to others on a constant basis, and it always astounds me how much of an impact it can have on someone. We need to recognize this and apply it to our lives. We need to be better, live up to our potential and become the Princes and Princesses we are meant to be on this earth.

Well, I love you all and wish you happiness and success in your lives this week. 

Love,
Elder B