Tout l'amour

Graham speaking, we've got a live one today.

Being on the receiving end of mission mail is a beauty I didn't really understand until after my own mission. During that time I gained an appreciation for a lot of truly valuable things...love, the real kind, not that crap you see on Grey's Anatomy, that's one of the things I really learned to understand. It's not something that can be explained; it has to be experienced. Patience and quiet dignity were also things I came to terms with, and while I'm no model citizen, I do know when to shut up and hold on for the ride.

These are things that full-time service teaches us. The more you fully immerse yourself, the more you are molded to fit the Master's needs, like a well-wrought lump of clay. Judging by Emily's most recent letter to her family, she's all the way under, hook, line and sinker. Using my own experience (not that it's flawless, it's just what I know) as a measuring rod, she's only about a hundred miles ahead of where I was at that point in my mission...we really have so much to be proud of in her. Her faith in the Lord and love for others are evident in the way she expresses her love to her family and friends, and especially when she talks about the people she teaches.

Because the letter was somewhat personal, I won't repost the whole thing here. I'll just say that she is such an immense strength to her family, and her letters are more than inspiring and uplifting. You can tell she knows why she's out there and she's acting accordingly, and for me personally it's a beauty to be reading the missionary e-mails and not writing them.

Bottom line, Soeur Emily Fairchild knows and honors her calling, and the people of Talence benefit from that.

Til next time,

Graham