iPad - A blessing or a curse?

Hey! Hello!! How are you??

This week has been... weird...? A lot has happened and at the same time nothing has.

We have been trying to meet up with our investigators a lot and had a fully planned jam-packed week. We were ready to go at it, when suddenly more than half of what we planned for fell through (for instance: we had nothing but finding on Sunday, because of canceled appointments). Appointments would be cancelled just as we were about to leave the apartment! From now on, I should probably work better on "Plan B", as we mostly rely on the activities we plan directly. So yeah. That happened.

We did, however, get iPads!! It was like a surprise to me: could it finally be it? The digital tool foretold in many prophecies and legends... would it see the light of day? We went to the Shimogamo meetinghouse for a "special meeting", where our mission president was awaiting our arrival. It basically took a "Douzo" and there it was, on my desk the next morning. I actually didn't know how to approach that thing. I was kind of like a caveman seeing fire for the first time. I marveled at it and wondered "What do I do with this??"

So it did take some time to get used to it. In the end, it has become an excellent tool for personal scripture study and language study (though a little bit distracting sometimes). I have yet to find out how to teach using the iPad, though. I'm taking time during study to create a solid teaching plan with this new tool. I just can't wait until we can use our daily planner and area book on it too. I'm sure that once I figure out how to properly use it, it will become a powerful asset for reaching out to both members and non-members and for quick and efficient teaching. Work in progress, heheh.

This week, I want to focus on becoming stronger. The iPads are like a two-edged sword: it will make the righteous stronger and enhance their ability to invite others to come unto Christ, while it will make the unrighteous stumble and fall into the snares of the devil. Very dramatic, no? I feel, however, that this is just what it's going to be like. I felt a little distracted here and there with the iPad last week. Its handy gadgets and fancy doodads distracted me from what I'm supposed to be doing here. I came across a very good article in the Liahona (or the Ensign) on changing our weaknesses into strengths through the enabling power of Jesus Christ's Atonement. I love how it emphasizes on the fact that weakness is not sin and that those weaknesses can be turned into strengths, through faith, humility, diligence and patience. That article really inspired me and gave me a lot of ideas on how I can become more disciplined and confident in using the iPad without being distracted by its fancy gadgets.

Give it a read! It's good!

Clicky!

You know what makes me really happy, though? You. Thank you for taking your precious time to read all of this. You are awesome!! I hope you all have a wonderful week filled with wonderful...ness.

 

A missionary in Japan loves you,

~聖徒長老, Elder Santos