Every morning when we wake up I go to the sink in the hall and see a small army of tiny black disgusting worms crawling up out of the drain. I tried everything I knew how to get rid of them. I repeatedly rinsed them down when they came up, I flooded the drain to drown them, I even dumped in entire bottle of bleach to kill them, but no matter what I did they kept coming back.
We finally figured out that the reason they were surviving was because the sink dripped and created a constantly damp environment that let them thrive. I turned off the water supply to the sink, but a plastic bag over the faucet to keep it from dripping, and then opened up the drain under the sink and cleaned out all the worm infested mud and sludge that I'm sure had been sitting there for years.
It. was. nasty.
After a week of letting the sink dry out to completely kill anything else that might still be inside we were pleased to see that the problem had been solved and all the devil worms were dead. We happily started using the sink again and for about two weeks we didn't have any more worm problems.
But guess who greeted me again when I woke up today?
When I went to the sink this morning I was horrified to see the same black worms once again making their way up the porcelain and I realized that our disgusting problem was back. As I stood there wondering why in the world this had happened again I realized that after we had solved the problem the first time we hadn't taken any time to fix the leaky sink. The damp drain once again became the perfect home for our little friends and we were left right back where we had started.
I think there's a lesson to learn here. Often in life we make mistakes and our lives become stained with sin. Thankfully through the atonement the Savior can purge our wrongs if we repent, but after we've been cleansed we must make the effort to change our habits and ultimately our natures if we want to stay clean. If we repent of our sins but continue living the same way as before those sins, just like tiny black worms, are bound to creep back into our lives.
This week we're definitely going to take the time to get our sink fixed, and my invitation for each of you is to do the same. Take some time this week to examine your life and see if there are any "leaky sinks" that need fixing and then set goals to improve. As we seek the Lord and rely on His grace to help us change our habits and our hearts we'll be able to avoid the disgusting burden of sin, of that I testify. :)
Oh, Prem was confirmed yesterday and we can see his testimony getting stronger and stronger every time we visit with him. We're so happy that he's chosen to step onto the path of eternal life and I know that he'll be a great instrument for the Lord one day. :)
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| We tried this great new roadside snack the other day. They break a small black coconut over a bowl mat or palm fronds and then you drink it. This is Elder Krishnavelu demonstrating. |
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| And this is me, wondering if this is really a good idea. (It ended up being delicious) |
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| Look closely at this picture, see anything unusual? |
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| What about Mrs. Cow chillin' in the middle of center street during rush hour? |
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| "I have to admire your courage Bessy, even the heavy traffic didn't stop you from munching on those decorative banana leaves." |
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| Prem's baptism photos. On the left are his family members, on the right is our Branch Mission Leader and some young men. |
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| Here he is, excited to take the plunge. |
Stay strong and rock on everyone. :)
-Elder Cloward
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