Hitting another milestone, and amazing lesson about hope

Well, yesterday we had a mission counsel with some other missionaries and I saw Elder Bitner and Elder Helsten from the MTC, and as I was talking we all realized that yesterday marks our 500th DAY on the mission!!! WHAT?! Holy moly... it seems like it just hit my year mark and now were already up to this? It seems like the more I love this mission and enjoy it the faster it's slipping through my fingers. I'm learning SO much every day and it's just insane that I can't even seem to keep up with it. At the counsel our President taught us a lesson about hope, and wow... Definitely one of those life changing doctrines. Basically he explained to us that true hope is an enduring confidence, that isn't affected by results or circumstances. It means that you'll completely rely and trust on the Lord and his promises regardless of how long they take to be answered, or regardless of how He answers. Basically it taught me that our circumstances are actually determined by our internal and eternal attitude. It has a lot to do with optimism and pessimism, but it's doing wonders. Instead of thinking, aww... this person didn't accept the gospel... I'm trying to think, ah! This person surely knows someone else who the Lord is preparing, and the Lord simply used this person as a link so that we could get the referral fot the other person!!! for example. I'm super super excited for the future and to really put this in practice. Basically I'm learning that our success and results in all aspects of our lives are never determined by our circumstances or situations, but simply by the way we take and use them. I love this lessons that'll help me not just here but throughout my life :) I sure love that about this gospel... and especially about missions. Even though I'm here to pass on what I know and feel for others, I end up learning just as much if not more in the process, and then pass even more for investigators, other missionaries, you guys back home, it's just the most effective and perfect plan!! This gospel truly is inspired by Heavenly Father, and now it's our job to just apply it! Hope that everyone's doing well, thanks for your prayers and letters!!! Hurrah for Israel!!!

   -Elder Ballard

Sorry about the lack of pics... It's raining so much that I don't even like carrying my camera with me.