Saving Starfish

So I  was pondering what I could yet again on a story that Coach Cornell told the class one day. Again, I found that it could easily be applied to any person living the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Saving Starfish

     A young man is walking down the beach at sunrise with his grandfather. It was low tide, and there were many creatures to be seen. They laughed, talked, and explored the tides, until they reached a spot where thousands upon thousands of starfish covered the sandy beach. 

  

     "Grandpa? What is going to happen to all these starfish?"

     "They are going to dry out and die on the beach, then at high tide, will come and wash them all up and it will happen again tomorrow."

   

     "That's awful! Isn't there something we can do?"

     The young man then picked up the nearest starfish, and hurled it as far as he could into the ocean.

     "What are you doing? There's no point. You can't save all of them, it's just the way it has to be."

     The young man continued. He threw another starfish in the ocean, then another, then another. He wasn't going to give up that easily.

     

     "You can't save them all, it doesn't matter!"

     The young man threw one more starfish into the ocean, turned to his grandfather and said,

     "It mattered to that one."

     He turned around and threw another starfish. Without a word, the grandfather bent down, picked up a starfish, and hurled it into the ocean.

     And so it is with the daunting task of being a believer in Christ. Some may say the work I do as a missionary is pointless. I've heard the words yelled at me out of a car window, "You're wasting your life!" Some may say, "You can't save them all, it doesn't matter." To those people I say, "It mattered to that one." 

     There are those who do not know they are lost until they are found. Some don't realize that they are just like those helpless starfish, stranded with no way out. Jesus Christ is the saving ocean that gives life to the stranded people of this life. You and I enable those stranded people to find a way back to Him. It matters to that one. So who is that one? Find the one, and save them.

It's not always easy

So I got transferred last Tuesday. For those who do not know, missionaries are sent to different areas around their mission over a span of two years. We stay in an area for at least 6 weeks. So for the first time on my mission, I got transferred to a new area and it's called Mineola, NY.
     I didn't think I would have a problem moving around because I have been a missionary for 8 months now. I kind of know the ins and outs at this point. But guess what? I was wrong! Moving to a new area is actually incredibly difficult. I now have to build a relationship with a completely new branch (congregation), spend 24 hours a day with a guy I just met last Tuesday, and leave all my dear friends in Hampton Bays behind! So dealing with that stress has been difficult. Now here is the solution:

We have to remember that we all have mountains to climb. What separates the people of god from the people of the world is how we handle those mountains. Do we climb them? Do we give up and turn back? Here is the best way, try asking the Lord to show you the way. Ask him to show you the trail He has laid out for you. If you walk up a mountain using the path that Christ laid out for you, the trip will seem lighter. However, you end up at the top of the mountain just like you would if you had climbed your own way up! Let's all remember the Savior in our trials and allow Him to support us to the top.
     As I have done this, my life here in Mineola has become easier. I went from being down, and just wanting to go home, to loving the people even if I can't understand their Spanish yet. I know that I was able to come out of this past week stronger than I was before, and happier than ever because of the Atonement and His guidance up this steep mountain. I invite all of you to do the same as you go through trials and I know that you will be blessed to find happiness and peace rather than hopelessness and failure.