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| Elder Olsen and I with our Bowls! |
Recently I had the opportunity to learn how to use a lathe and make a wooden bowl out of a piece of old pallet wood. As we started the project I thought it was going to be pretty simple and not take that long. We first started by taking our square piece of wood and gluing it on to a circular piece of wood so we could attach it to the lathe. We then started the lathe and turned the square piece of wood into a circular piece of wood. A process that takes some time. After we shaped the wood into a circle we then cut if off the piece of wood we glued it to and we flipped it around so that we could shape the other side. We then put it back on the lathe and at this time we started forming the bowl. At first I had no idea what I wanted my bowl to look like. I just kind of started cutting and went with the flow. Something the man who was teaching us said, "Every cut you make is perfect." As I was making my bowl I would make a few mistakes and accidentally cut in the wrong spot. However, on a lathe everything you do turns out perfect. It was amazing. After Hours on the lathe of forming my bowl and sanding I was ready to flip the bowl again and form the bottom. The Process of making a wooden bowl is pretty tough but the results are amazing.
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As you can see we took pretty rough looking wood and turned
it into something beautiful! |
I was thinking about this process and I related it to my mission. I feel when I came out I was an unshaped piece of wood. As I have been out here the Lord has been shaping me into someone he wants me to be. A process that will take a very long time. Sometimes we aren't sure why we are going through hard times and trials but the Lord knows everything and when we go through hard times the Lord is just giving us experience and teaching us and 'shaping' us into what he wants us to be. I am so grateful for the time I get to serve the Lord and learn so much. My life has changed so much from just the short time I have spent out here as a missionary.
