April 13, 2026

Hey guys we got a good week in. Butt of course let's hit up with the spiritual thought

Spiritual thought:

I want to start with a story that comes from this morning actually. I decided that I wanted to make some chocolate pancakes. So I went through the normal routine and added the chocolate powder. Soon enough, I was frying the pancakes on a skillet. Except this time, the pancakes were just not turning out. Sticky, messy and just not looking pretty when they come off. They were always torn, or looking half cooked.

I started to get really frustrated. Like, I've done this a million times. Maybe it was the batter, or the spatula. Why was I not getting the results I wanted? I almost just gave up on the batter and stuck to the pancakes I already had. Cut my losses right? Now easily agitated, I took a step back and chose to continue. Change the batter a little bit, and try again. This did not change the outcome, but the last pancakes definitely looks better than the first. Not so torn, and still unevenly cooked.

I ended up with about 7 pancakes all pretty thin and now heaped up in one pile. I placed the last clean pancake on top and I could almost forget the horrendous mess underneath. But as I was eating them, I found the most interesting thing.

All of the pancakes were delicious. The bad ones and the good ones. I really enjoyed breakfast this morning, even if I started in a bad mood.

Ok, I hope that you are starting to see how this applies to us. In my interpretation, I see the pancakes as our lives. The process of making the 7 pancakes represent our choices. Some decisions we make are good, some are bad. Some don't turn out because of outside factors just like the batter or sticky spatula.

I can't help but feel like all of our actions will be put on a plate and given directly to jesus christ. We may feel sometimes that we can hide all our ugly pancakes under the nice pretty-looking ones. God will still inspect each pancake, both the good and the bad. But God, blessfully, does not judge based off of looks, he judges off of taste. How merciful is that? I just love that. Sometimes our batter may stink, but we can always change it for the better NEXT time. Yeah some pancakes struggle at first, but giving up and throwing out the batter won't get to better results. God asks us to change, but he'll always love us, and our effort. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Ok, random events

-(chicken launcher story) me and a companion went pretty out-there for a lesson. Got a bit lost but found it eventually. At the end of the lesson, we walk outside to see two young boys throwing a chicken around just for kicks and giggles. My comp shut it down pretty quickly. (It was pretty cruel)

- we had zone conference and found some more info on the new mission split.️

- we ate at a restaurant that was really nice. The food wasn't like the states, but it looked fancy.

- crazy rainstorm that kept us in all day.

- contacted an apartment that was actually successful. (that never happens)️

Anyways, if your thinking about emailing me, do it. I have way too much time and it'd much appreciated. Love you guys!

- Elder Hill

Splits with Elder Ofias