The Miracles Of A Mission

Imagine that...one more week in the books. Done, over, finished, and never to be done again. Sometimes I think that is the hardest part about time is that you can never go back and fully experience what you went thru the first time. It just makes me want to enjoy the moments as they go by so much more!

This week was a short week because p-day seems more like yesterday this week than ever. 5 days goes by much faster than 7. Imagine that! We spent Wednesday night much like the rest of the beginning of the week in saying goodbye to several recent convert and less active members here in Knoxville. Elder Howard was sad to go. Wednesday night, packing up, you are thinking, "ok, i am ready for a change. 3 months together is enough." Then not one day later, you just flat out miss him. He was a great missionary and taught me so much! We did so much together and created so many memories that will last forever. Memories are truly the molecules that make up eternity!

Thursday was transfer meeting and I am particularly grateful for a man named Mike Gerrit. He was in town like the rest of the 30,000 people here for sprint car nationals but i think he was probably the only member. He lives down in Florida and he, on his vacation, was the only member available to drive us to the transfer meeting down in Iowa City. I have grown such a love for just flat out getting to know people. It's just....delightful! We spent a good 4 hours in the car just talking and I loved it all! So grateful for his willingness to help us and to help the Lord.

At transfer meeting, I was one of the first 3 new companionships announced. I am now with Elder Smith who is from Provo, UT. He is the oldest of three boys in his family and before the mission played soccer for a semi-pro team here in Des Moines called the Menace. He also played up at Iowa Central College in Fort Dodge, IA so he knows the place pretty well. Haha. He has now been in the field for as many days as I have months almost! Haha. He is brand new, but he will be great!

We spent most of this week getting him used to the area and to the members. The branch of 40 people Sunday was a bit of a shock to the urban raised Mormon from Provo. A little difference there. It was pretty funny to see his face. But, he has now met the entire branch and we will start working with some investigators. In the MTC now, apparently they don’t teach them the lessons from Preach My Gospel. They teach more on how to teach so as a trainer my job is to teach him the lessons so he can teach them to others! Pretty interesting, but the church knows how to train missionaries. They have been doing this whole missionary thing for a couple hundred years now so they have a pretty good grasp on the best way to do it I think.

My thoughts this week have consistently been turned to the word greatness. It all started with a window sticker in a car that said, "On the 8th day, God created Jordan" as in Michael Jordan. Pretty comical but it really got me thinking on what it was that made Michael Jordan so "great"? I have come to the conclusion that it is because of Consistency. A lot of people are capable of outstanding performances but the great ones all have one thing in common: Consistency. Day after day, they perform at the highest levels. The reason they are so consistent is because their actions are congruent with their thought process. Champions always have a clear mental picture of what they want, why they want it, and how to move closer to their target objective. While average people are complaining about the sacrifices they have to make to become great, the champions have already made that decision and continue to move forward. Erratic performance is the result of erratic thinking. So, the first step in in mental toughness is gaining mental clarity. Champions invest an inordinate amount of time mapping out an exact plan for their attainment. Consistency in performance is the direct result of knowing why it is necessary to perform well and the benefits that will accrue, especially when the going gets tough and the pain sets in. Consistency is also created by practice. Plenty of men can do good work for a short amount of time with an immediate objective or reward in mind, but for the man who has your back, you want a man to whom good work has become a habit. Greatness is not achieved in a singular moment but rather in a consistent progressive movement towards perfection.

I love being here and I can't imagine anywhere better! I love everything about my mission - who it has made me and who I will be because of it. I love my Savior. I love my family. I love you all.

Elder Excell

P.S. Prepare for your missions....It makes allllllll the difference. You've already been extended the call. Start now because when the time for action arises, the time for preparation is over. :)