TIME

Nearly 6 and 1/2 weeks ago, I bought this little alarm clock.

For 1.50 pounds, it was a worthwhile buy.

It has woken us up from countless deep sleeps,

and even more afternoon naps...

It has traveled with us to Rome and Stratford...

It has kept me up every now and then with it's constant "tick, tick, tick, tick."

But I guess I can't be too bothered by it,

mostly because it has done what I have not - 

kept track of my time.

I woke up, all of a sudden, to it's ringing this morning to realize that this is my last Sunday in London.

I felt some sort of urgency, I suppose,

to make the most of this day.

With it being fast and testimony meeting - 

the fast and testimony meeting following a regional stake conference, mind you - 

many individuals stood up at the pulpit and remarked on some of the comments and challenges made by the prophet to continue to build the kingdom of God.

The stake was recently issued a challenged to invite a friend/less active member to church for every Sunday during the month of June.

Could you answer the same challenge?

In the conference, President Monson instructed all in attendance to ponder and reflect on this question, 

"What am I doing to double the membership and activity in the church in the next 10 years?"

The question/challenge itself is quite intimidating.

I've been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for all my life.

I've felt the power of the Holy Spirit testify of the truthfulness of the gospel,

and I have felt my life become enriched with joy and happiness and purpose as I have lived in accordance with its principles.

But looking back on this lifetime, I had to ask myself,

If I have felt the joy of the gospel in my life, what have I done to spread that same joy?

What have I done with my time?

As a "tourist," you're aware that your time will run out.

You run around, sometimes like a chicken with its head cut off, 

trying to see everything,

do everything,

experience everything,

before you have to leave. 

There is an urgency to the life of a tourist -

an urgency, I realize now, that I need in my life more abundantly,

to spread the joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This blog started as an opportunity for me to share my adventures in London with my friends and family -

to share my joy with them.

But what am I doing/what can I do to share the eternal joy I have claim upon?

It's so easy as a student at BYU to say, 

there's not much I CAN do,

but after the spirit I've felt today, 

and after witnessing the examples of countless members who showed up to church today with the new face of a friend by their side,

there's no excuse.

There's no excuse for wasting my time - the Lord's time. 

We are all "tourists" in this life.

Like my flat here in London, it is simply a "Temporary Home" for us.

As a tourist,

we must do everything,

experience everything,

share everything we can with everyone we can. 

I'm so grateful for the experiences and examples I've had here.

I have been changed by this experience - made better - and motivated to do better than I was before.

I'm keeping better track of my own time now. 

Here's to the life of the eternal tourist. cheers!