Phew sorry I just spent too much time emailing Sister Vallejo. I love her! Isn't it so crazy that as a missionary you meet all these people that you never would have even known existed?! Definitely.
I got Hannah's graduation announcement on Thursday I think. I might have started crying when I saw her picture... Wow! So exciting and totally crazy. Haha definitely sounds like a crazy weekend for y'all. I'm SO happy Matt and Taylor were able to be there.
Oh and remember Shea and Chris Studinger from Prescott? Shea just emailed me and said that they're getting sealed at the end of this month. I'm invited, and Sister Falke is making plans to come down too. I am beyond happy! It's so interesting, because I definitely had a breakdown of sorts this weekend. Satan is the worst!!! But I have a lot of support from missionaries and others here which has helped.
I got letters from my MTC companion, Sister Crandall, and Morty this past week! They're both doing great and actually both have been assigned in the new position of Sister Training Leader in their respective missions! Definitely great news and shows so much of their progression as missionaries - now they get to go and train all the other sisters in their mission!
We found a couple more people to teach this week which has been a huge blessing. Two from members and one actually from all the hullabaloo on that crazy trial about that girl that killed her boyfriend (yes, I've heard about that like 4 times... just makes me grateful that I don't have to listen to the news every day). Interesting eh?
We weren't able to meet with Tracy this week and they didn't come to church :( We really need to be doing something different but haven't quite figured out what that is yet...
Also can I just say that I'm AMAZED at youth these days. Amazed. The zone leaders just passed off this kid named Hatem to us. He is really close to a family in their ward but lives in ours. We basically started drilling him because his knowledge and testimony already is incredible. He has very little Christian background but wow - he has connected to the Spirit and is learning so much. He strengthened our testimonies. We're excited to be able to keep teaching him.
Uh Ariel said that I'll be staying with her for a bit in August... CRAZY. I don't need any details haha, I just wanted to make you aware that life is SO WEIRD right now.
Also, I love your emails. Y'all always say the perfect things. And Taylor, thank you for the picture of Hannah as well. I LOVE YOUR EMAILS.
Neat realization for me this morning during my studies. Throughout my mission, I've been really rubbed the wrong way for days when people are pretty much telling us we're of no use to them because missionaries are young and have seen nothing of life and have no idea what we're talking about. People usually tell this to us as an excuse for how they're living their lives (whether they're less-active or rude to their LDS neighbors or not interested in religion at all) because we will supposedly live out our own lives and see that in the end God will leave us and religion won't be worth it and everything we're devoting our lives to right now is worthless. Phew. But you get my drift? I have DESPISED it on my mission. Gets under my skin and I totally lose the Spirit when I'm talking to those people (I usually have to stop). I had no idea why! But this morning I was reading a talk from President Monson - I'll put the link here - and he started out by talking about his life and continued with experiences from his own life. The thought came to me that, yes, I haven't experienced much of life. I'm sure that I'll have experiences that will cause me to test my faith and analyze again the things I know to be true now. I don't know what the future will bring. BUT this I know now: my call to be a missionary at this time and in this place is from God. I have no doubt of that. For one thing, a prophet of God who HAS seen life in all it's varieties and hardships still trusts in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the truths They reveal to him. In addition, President Monson approved ME to go on a mission and preach the gospel. I have a letter call from him and a ministerial certificate signed by him. It says that I have been "duly called and set apart as a missionary" and that I have "authority to preach the principles of the gospel". President Monson has seen life and knows the truth. I know the truth even if I haven't seen life. And that's enough. Most importantly, though, Heavenly Father knows all. He has seen it all. And He trusts me to be out here right now. I don't need to have every experience in the world to know that this gospel works. It will bring the most happiness, peace, and completion to our lives right now and forever. That I know. People can make all the excuses they want, but the words that I am trying to hard to receive directly from the Spirit (which will tell us ALL things) are of infinite worth to them. That's why I'm here.
Phew. That one only took me over a year to figure out. Not a big deal.
Man. I think this Pday is going to be awesome. It already has been.
The Atonement is so real. I feel it working in my life and know that it works in the lives of everyone who asks for it. Isn't that amazing?!
Love y'all a ton. Dad, I'll be thinking of you on Sunday! Not that I don't every day hahahahaha
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
Sister Parks
Sister Turner and I visited someone in a hospital who had mercer... yeah...
I told Sister Barnett to not look for a second so I could do something. And so she goes in a corner... yeah I'll be a terrible mother one day hahaha. Then she found a hat. I think that's it for explanations.
Happy Father day to all and to our most heavenly father.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up.
family care foundation (fcf)