Alex

Alex

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Week 29 - A Busy Week

Next to the ocean in Cherbourg


Curtains draw to reveal black stage. A single light illuminates stage left.)

ELDER HACKER: (Steps into light, speaks slowly, gazes heavenward)   It is already June... June always had that "summer-freedom-joy" connotation. It was a time free from school and responsibility. A time for frolicking with friends through warm Wyoming evenings...

(A series of younger Alexs enter stage right. They represent Alex throughout the summers of his youth. They begin an interpretative dance.)

ELDER HACKER: (Labored) Oh! How different the once warm dance of summer now feels! Without that artificial calendar imposed by the school districts... How strange to see other people celebrating something that no longer has special meaning to you. No longer do I wait for the weekend...

(A large image of Journey flashes across the backdrop.)

ELDER HACKER: ...really though, these things do feel a little strange. Not in a bad way, just a bit strange,

(Suddenly a stream of angry French men march across the stage. They are all wearing mustaches and are complaining. It is a strike! Another one! The audience can tell by how organized the strike is that this happens very often in France. The strike passes and a shadowy figure is left on stage with ELDER HACKER and the still dancing young Alexs)

MYSTERIOUS STRANGER: (With bellowing voice) It is I! Olivier! I am from Cameroon and I like to meet with the missionaries. I kind of speak French and have very white teeth, especially when compared to the general quality of French teeth. I am 23 and am a nondenominational Christian. I like dancing a lot! I was an electrical engineer before coming to France but finding work here even when qualified is very hard. I am currently waiting on legal junk before I can legally work here. I think Elder Hacker is the best!

ELDER HACKER: Olivier! It is good to see you my brother!

MYSTERIOUS STRANGER WHO WE KNOW KNOW AS OLIVIER, ONE OF THE PEOPLE ELDER HACKER REGULARLY VISITS: Yes my brother. God bless you.

(Curtain)

So I didn't actually do any missionary work this week, the whole week was spent writing that play you just finished reading.   Just Kidding!!!  Although I have to say that I am running out of creative gimmicks to start my emails with.

This week was nice! We didn't have a chance to actually see Olivier but we did get a chance to spend some time talking about receiving answers to prayers with our Russian friend C. Tuesday we were in Paris for a meeting and then on Thursday we were off in Cherbourg helping the missionaries there. The week has been pretty tiring but overall it was wonderful. We did a little bit of planning and preparation for my companion who is about to finish his mission.

My invitation this week, is to be confident in who you are. However lame you may think you are, you are at least twice as cool as that.  You are a child of God and he'll talk to you if you let him! Take whatever you are in this instant, put all your previous choices behind you, and let yourself be defined by whatever decision you next make. And you better make that a good one. You are more than the product of what you have done. Take confidence in the faith that you have. Or if you don't  feel you have faith in anything, put confidence in the faith you hope to have. You are put on this earth to be a light. To share your personality, thoughts, etc... With the world. You are a light! You're here to shine. To be happy. To be surrounded by darkness sometimes.  And it is those moments where you have even more need to shine. It might be hard to be that light, or even think you are a light and not just a black hole, but I am telling everyone who ever reads this email that you are a light.

One of my favorite lights has to be my father. His balding graying head just had its birthday. If any of you know him be sure to wish him Happy Birthday.

I love you.


Elder Alex Hacker


With our friend Olivier at the train station

Some cool art I saw in a shop window

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