How a Leader Should Be
(What's up friends and family!)
Holy Rusted Metal Batman!! Week 4 of my last 6 weeks is Gone! AAAAHH! Time is really flying by and I am excited to tell y'all about it!
Tugende! (Let's go!)
October 25, 2021 Mon
Today was P-Day! Talked to makka (which was awesome) and sent some emails. Then we got picked up by the ZLs at around 10:30 to drive us to Kansanga where we played basketball and hung out with a bunch of other Elders. It was fun to catch up with em and have fun.
After basketball we all went to FoodHub! I got my Shwarma Sub sandwich and a waffle which was SO good! Also I had a fun time time talking with Larson, Center, and Kearsley. I miss my MLC boys.
After that the Zone Leaders were taking us back and we passed by the Seeta guys and hung out for a bit, playing a little basketball, then heading back to the apartment.
The ZLs are doing exchanges with Muringa & I tomorrow so they're spending the night which is fun. Elders Beal & Hamblin are both really cool guys.
October 26, 2021 Tues
Today we had exchanges with the Zone Leaders. I went with Hamblin in Bweyogere and Beal went with Muringa in our area. Hamblin & I had our Morning Studies, which were really good, then we left Mukono to take an Elder & his comp to the hospital. Zone Leader Bradford was back for the day haha!
After dropping them off at the hospital we grabbed some lunch at a pretty decent rolex place, then we picked up those Elders at the hospital and dropped them off where they needed.
Then we went to the Bweyogere apartment, chilled for a moment, grabbed some pamphlets & some Pass Along cards, as well as listened to a talk.
Then we hit that street contacting grind for a few hours, pretty much talking to everyone. Throughout the day Hamblin & I had some good talks and just all around a good time.
Afterwards we headed back to Mukono, ended the exchange, and the ZLs left. I ate dinner, relaxed, showered, and passed out!
October 27, 2021 Weds
Today we had District Council Meeting which went well. It was followed by lunch, then calling some people.
After a minute we went street contacting and actually had some pretty promising contacts. One of them was a Golden Contact!
We were walking towards the main road and we passed these two Mzungus walking, a guy and a girl. I waved and greeted them as they passed us. The guy kinda waved back and the girl completely ignored us and I didn't think much of it because that's pretty typical. Suddenly the guy runs back to us and stops in front of us! His name is Per. We got to talking and it turns out his girlfriend is on a mission for the Church in the Baltic South Mission and that he attended church multiple times in Germany, where he's from. He asked us about this mission and then asked if the church was in Mukono. We told him about it and ended up exchanging numbers! He wants to learn more!
After that high of the day, we continued street contacting, grabbed a bit of food, then came back to the apartment, we all ate dinner and watched "Baptists at the BBQ" which was surprisingly good!
October 28, 2021 Thurs
Today allotment came in so the District and I went to pull money and to buy some stuff. We were out for a while because Elders Iga & Muringa needed haircuts. We stopped by a couple shops along the way back as well as the supermarket, then bought some food for lunch.
After lunch Elder Muringa & I did 12 weeks training which went alright,. Following that we proceeded to experience no success with calling people and street contacting. Pretty rough day, but there's always tomorrow!
October 29, 2021 Fri
Today was way better. We had morning schedule then a lesson cancelled on us so we had a pretty chill rest of the morning. We had lunch, then did 12 weeks, which went awesome. After that we tried to call people, then went street contacting.
We ended up having some really solid contacts, but also some really ridiculous ones. Elder Muringa & I passed this group of friends and they yelled all that, "Mzungu! Mzungu!" junk that I hear on the daily. Then Elder Muringa sees it as a contact opportunity. It most certainly was not, because all that these guys were asking me about was if I wanted a Ugandan wife.
I gave missionary responses which had no effect on them, then I gave kinda stupid responses to make em laugh and leave us alone. Elder Muringa had to be pulled away because he was convinced they were interested, but no, no they weren't.
Also at the end of the day we passed this group of dancers, doing a traditional Ugandan dance. We watched, talked to people watching, then Muringa got invovled in the dance. I would've as well, but somebody had to hold our stuff and I am not too trusting of random Ugandans, but even still, it was hilarious to watch Muringa dance with these guys.
October 30, 2021 Sat
Today we were able to meet with Per! We met him at the church, showed him around, talked to him a bit more, and shared the Restoration with him and it went really well! He is convinced that him coincidentally running into us was a sign from God to learn more! So that's pretty wizard.
After the lesson, Muringa & I returned to our apartment, ate lunch, relaxed for a sec, then went back to the church where our two scheduled lessons bounced us, so we called people for a while, then did weekly planning, bought a few groceries, came back to the apartment.
Also Valentine and I attempted to make frosting and I'd say it was a half success, because it was kinda frosting, but also not at all. Made for some fun moments though!
October 31, 2021 Sun
Happy Halloween!! And Happy Birthday Grandpa! We went to Church for an hour because Elder Muringa was not feeling well so we left and he spent basically the rest of the day with a stomach pain, but by the end of it he said he felt better. In that time I listened to talks, cleaned dishes, drew, relaxed, and just tried to fill my day. We really didn't do much today which was kinda lame, but oh well, I still got a little more time!
This last week I read the Book of Omni in the Book of Mormon (which is literally one chapter) and while reading I tried to find something more to learn from it and I think I found something.
In verses 27 and 28 it says;
"And now I would speak somewhat concerning a certain number who went up into the wilderness to return to the land of Nephi; for there was a large number who were desirous to possess the land of their inheritance.
Wherefore, they went up into the wilderness. And their leader being a strong and mighty man, and a stiffnecked man, wherefore he caused a contention among them; and they were all slain, save fifty, in the wilderness, and they returned again to the land of Zarahemla."
This very short story I think holds a truth that is very important when considering what a leader should be like.
It says that this group's leader was a "strong and mighty man" which, I'd imagine, is what you'd want in a leader when traveling in the Wilderness with angry Lamanites that are out and about waiting to kill you.
But it also says he was "a stiffnecked man" and because of this "he caused contention among them" which caused almost ALL of them to be killed.
This is a perfect example of what makes a bad leader, but if this is an example of a bad leader, where is an example of a good one?
Well let's take a look at the next Book.
Words of Mormon (which is also one chapter) verses 17 and 18;
"For behold, king Benjamin was a holy man, and he did reign over his people in righteousness; and there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness because of the stiffneckedness of the people—
Wherefore, with the help of these, king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land."
This scripture says King Benjamin was "a holy man" and that he labored with all "the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul."
While it doesn't seem to say that King Benjamin is "a strong and mighty man."
It does say that he was holy, reigning in Righteousness, diligently working with Holy men to establish peace again in the land.
It seems to me that the most important part of being a good leader is to work in righteousness and to work diligently, which makes more sense to me.
Think about it.
Some one who is working diligently in the things of righteousness is trying to do good and relying on God, who has all power, to do so.
While the mighty man, who has his power alone, can only really bring people to Contention rather than peace.
Now I am not sure that all of us or any of us will be a King of a Nation or a Leader of an Expedition, but maybe we will be leaders at school or at work, in friend groups or in families, whatever the situation I implore you to be a Good Leader. Work in Righteousness and with Diligence. Mbyogedde mulinya lya Yesu Kristo, amiina.
Well well well another week, another opportunity to SEND ME AN EMAIL! Those opportunities are hard to come by so pleeeeeeeeaaaaase send em my way!
Qwagala mukwanos era makka gwange!
(I love you my friends and family!)
Elder Bradford
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