Can't believe it... another week gone

This week was really great.  It involved a few days that seemed slow and frustrating at times, but overall I can't believe how quickly it's gone by.

 

This week we were really blessed to have Nancy be able to come to church.  She hasn't been able to because of her job, even though she's wanted to be there, but this week she was able to come to all three hours of block time!  She's doing super well and is learning the gospel so quickly.  We've been going over the plan of salvation with her again and it's so wonderful to see her understand and apply all of the doctrines so well.  She's been a little down because her family still doesn't support her investigating the church.  She's very decided on being baptized, but hasn't invited her family to her baptismal service yet because she doesn't think they'll react supportively.  This week at church a sister who served here earlier this year happened to be there visiting.  She has an amazing conversion story.  She was kicked out of her house at age 18 for deciding to be baptized and during her whole mission never had any communication from her family because they didn't support her decision to be a member of the church.  She was able to share some of her story and testimony with Nancy, which was a huge blessing and hopefully will help Nancy have the strength and the faith to move forward.

 

I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to grow up in an environment that has been centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I've never felt alone in my decision to live the gospel and I've never felt alone in my decision to serve a mission.  Of course Heavenly Father supports those things and is literally beside each of His children as they strive to live the gospel, but it's been such an amazing blessing to have my family on earth support me too. There are so many people who don't have that, and I hope I never take that blessing for granted in my own life.

 

This week at church we also had a recent convert who has been slowly slipping into inactivity, David, come to church as well!  He hasn't been to church the whole time I've been here--so over 3 months.  It was a relief for us, especially for Sister Osborn, who found him and taught him from the beginning, to see him come to church and immediately be welcomed by the ward.  The YSA swarmed him right away, which was a great sight to see.

 

I had a cool experience on exchanges with Sister Bram, my old companion, in Daly City.  That day all of their appointments had canceled before I got there, so we had what was going to be a very long and disappointing day ahead of us.  But Hermana Bram is such a positive person, and the Lord is so merciful to us, that we somehow got put in the right place at the right time all night long and all day the next day.  We thought we'd have zero lessons during our 24 hours together, but we ended up having 5 lessons, which is a lot for such a short amount of time, especially in that area.  It was a lesson in having faith that the Lord will let us fulfill our purpose as long as we're patient and diligent in working as hard as we can and following the Spirit. :)

 

Anyway, that's about it.  I hope you all have a fantastic week with lots of good experiences.  I love you all!  Stay safe and healthy.  I can't believe it's almost been a year!  My mission birthday is coming up....  Wear mourning clothes in my honor.  :/

 

Wow. I am going to kill Sister Osborn.

This week was full of surprises.  Like Derek, we had transfers this week.  Sister Osborn and I were anxious all week long because we didn't know if she would be released as sister trainer and transferred or not.  We thought it would be impossible that she'd stay another transfer, since she's already been here for 6 transfers as sister trainer and we'd had a total of 4 transfers together.  But apparently she's supposed to be with me in San Mateo as sister trainer, because she's staying for one more transfer!  That's where the title of this email comes from--I will be her last companion before she goes home on Nov 28th.  I get to kill my trainer... in my 9th transfer!  That's pretty much unheard of.  We're both very happy and excited for this transfer.  I love Sister Osborn and I'm so grateful that I've had her as my example literally from day one.

 

I have to tell you more about Nancy.  We had an amazing week with her.  We went to the Visitor's Center this weekend and it was an awesome experience.  I'm just blown away at how faithful she is at recognizing and following the Spirit.  She recognizes the difference that the Spirit makes in her life, and she's doing everything she needs to be doing to prepare for baptism.  It's so amazing!  This week we had a lesson with her and she shared some interesting things with us about how the Lord has prepared her to accept the gospel.  She said that for a long time, before she even met missionaries, her family would always tease her for dressing modestly and not drinking alcohol.  They would tell her, "You might as well be a Mormon--you live like one!"  She also said that she had a couple of good friends that she loved being around, and eventually found out that they were Mormon as well.  When she first met Sister Osborn in the street, she loved the way she felt when she was talking to her, and didn't even realize she had talked to Mormon missionaries until she got home and read the pamphlet about the Restoration.  It's so amazing to see how many small things have helped her to be open to and prepared to receive the gospel.  AND, get this.... last year, she randomly bought her nephews BYU SHIRTS.  I know, right???  We couldn't believe it!  Haha, it was actually really funny.  Sister Osborn and I were elated.  Her family was like, "Why did you buy them BYU shirts?  Well, at least they have a good basketball team."  Hahahaha,  :D  She showed us a picture of her nephew in his Cougars garb.  We were so proud. :)  Anyway, I've been amazed at how prepared Nancy is, in so many ways.  We went over the baptismal interview questions with her and found her to be so faithful and so ready for taking the step of baptism.  Her heart and desires are in the right place, and she's gained a testimony through the witness of the Spirit as she's read the Book of Mormon.  It's absolutely amazing, and teaching her has been an experience that has strengthened my faith that the Lord is preparing people everywhere to receive the gospel. Thank goodness her Mormon friends were good examples and had the Spirit with them so she could see and feel the difference!

 

This week we also had interviews with President Meredith.  I love talking with him.  His leadership style is very much based on receiving revelation WITH people, not just for people, in his stewardship.  It was a great experience to talk with him about the needs of the mission and the needs of the sisters in the mission.  I'll be forever grateful to have been called to this mission at this time so I could be with President Meredith, and also with President Wade.  I've learned so much and I've been so amazed to see how the Spirit really is the one guiding this work, because it is the work of the Lord.  And just like it says in Jacob 5, which I read this morning, as we labor diligently in His work, we shall have "joy with [Him] because of the fruit of [His] vineyard."  I feel so blessed to be here and to see the many miracles and gifts of the Spirit daily.

What a week!

HIIIIIII!  Wow, so much craziness this week, right?  I was blown away by the announcement on missionaries being able to leave at a younger age.  Like Elder Holland said in the press conference, the work is hastening, and I'm so excited for so many more missionaries to be able to serve in this great work!  It's the Lord's work, and He obviously has great plans for it to move forward with greater speed and an even larger army.  It was cool to be in a chapel full of missionaries when that was announced.  The only two places I can think of that would have been more exciting to be in are the MTC and the basement at 1692 E. 6765 S. :)  The first person I thought of when the announcement was out was of course Rachel.  I'm excited to see what the future will bring. :)

 

We had a week truly full of miracles this week.  A lot of them happened last night and are thus fresh on my mind.

 

We have a recent convert here, David, who has been slipping away little by little.  He had to start working on Sundays right before I got to the area, and things have gone downhill from there.  I can't imagine how difficult or testing it must be to be a brand-new member of the church, especially at age 21.  He's struggled somewhat, and we've been trying desperately to meet with him and also to have him more connected with the ward.  We've been very scared that he's going to slip further and further into old habits.  After two canceled appointments this week, we were finally able to have a lesson with him in our bishop's house.  It was a miraculous 30 minute lesson where we shared some of the things we'd learned as we thought about him during General Conference.  The spirit was so strong and we could feel Heavenly Father's love for David so potently as we talked about the Doctrine of Christ and the Plan of Salvation.  It was a huge blessing to be able to see Bishop Jacobson working under the mantle of his calling as he talked with David.  We're feeling so much relief after this lesson that we've been trying for weeks to have.  Heavenly Father is aware of each of us in our individual struggles and He works things out perfectly for us to be in the right places at the right time.

 

Another miracle happened with Nancy, our investigator who was preparing to be baptized on the 21st, this week.  On Friday night, we got a very long text from her saying that she couldn't be baptized and she wasn't ready to make the change, and basically that she didn't want us to waste our time meeting with her anymore.  It came completely out of nowhere, and after a series of nearly "perfect" lessons with her.  We were quite shocked and asked if we could meet with her to talk more.  She agreed, and last night we met with her.  This whole experience made me realize that I need to pay more attention to peoples' needs.  Nancy was probably harboring all of those fears for a long time, despite her being very faithful and very prepared to accept the gospel, and I wasn't paying enough attention to recognize that she needed to talk more openly with us!  Leading up to the lesson, we weren't sure what we would do or say, but we spent all of General Conference prayerfully looking for things that could help us understand how to help her and how to approach this lesson.  When we went into the lesson, we felt we just needed to ask questions that would help her express herself, and then listen.  She expressed a lot of doubts and fears and confusion, but also a sincere desire to know for herself that this is what God wants for her.  The Spirit was so strong in this lesson with her, especially when a member of the ward shared about how she had come to know that this is Christ's restored church.  Nancy told us, "I just need to pray and ask Him!"  It was awesome to see her make the connection between her faith, her desire to know, and the need to seek revelation through prayer.  The Spirit was the teacher, and it felt so good to be an instrument in the Lord's hands.  I'm also so grateful for Sister Osborn and her sensitivity to the Spirit.

 

Overall, the thing that has been the biggest miracle this week is the power of revelation.  Sister Osborn and I decided that we would focus on David and Nancy during general conference and seek out the answers and inspiration that they need to be able to progress.  We also both went with our own personal questions and needs.  As I am every conference, I was amazed to see how the Spirit teaches us through the words of the Lord's servants.  This conference was especially powerful as I tried to focus on the needs of others within my stewardship, and on receiving the direction I need to magnify my calling.  Every day I realize more and more that this calling is so much bigger than I am, and that I'm so inadequate in so many ways--therefore it is impossible to do it without the guidance of the Spirit.  This weekend was an amazing blessing and I really feel that the heavens were opened in many ways for me personally, and for the people we're teaching.  I know that our Heavenly Father is aware of our individual needs and hears our individual prayers, on our own behalf and on behalf of others.

 

A week full of spiritual (and Tongan) feasts

Like Derek said about his last week, this week was jam-packed with so many things, I almost can't believe it all fit into one week.

 

Nancy is doing great!  We had a lesson with her on Monday about the 10 commandments, and all on her own she came to the conclusion that we shouldn't pray in front of a crucifix or work on the Sabbath.  She's so prepared and understands the principles behind all of the commandments so easily, and then accepts them with a lot of faith and a willing heart.  She's very solid for her baptismal date of October 21st.  She's already very committed to not working on Sundays and she's in a position where she'll be able to ensure that she has Sundays off, starting in a couple weeks.  It's such a blessing to be able to share the gospel with her and see the very sincere faith that she's showing as she accepts it.  Thank you for all of your prayers in her behalf!  I've felt a little disappionted because I haven't been able to teach Nancy very many times up to this point since I've been out of the area on exchanges for the majority of her lessons.  It wasn't planned that way, but it just happened to work out like that.  I might have even been feeling a little jealous that I couldn't be there to have spiritual experiences with her and Sis. Osborn and the members during the lessons.  But the great thing is that even if I can't be there for every lesson, we still get to be a part of each others' lives and the work I'm doing outside of the area is still the same beautiful work.  There are always different things we sometimes have to give up, even if they're good things, as part of serving, and I need to learn to appreciate all of the opportunities and blessings that I have, and not focus on the things I'm "missing out" on.

 

We also got to go to the temple this week!  It was so wonderful to go back to the temple and realize the bigger "whys" of the gospel.  Everything we do in the church leads us to the temple and the beautiful promises and blessings we receive as we make covenants there, and I think that was made more clear to me this time as we went to the temple.  It was interesting to me that even though I wasn't there with any of my family members in the temple, I felt close to each of you, and even to our family members who are on the other side of the veil, as I thought about the gospel and the plan that Heavenly Father has given us, and the covenants that literally bind us together.  There is no greater blessing than having those eternal ties.  Our bishop talked about the temple in the 5th Sunday class yesterday, and how those covenants and ordinances should change the way we see and do everything.  Thinking about those blessings and promises makes everything we do have so much more significance, even things like going to work or doing the laundry.  Even day-to-day temporal activities help us to be able to focus on acheiving our eternal spiritual goal of being together as a family forever.  The gospel is true, and the covenants we can make with Heavenly Father change EVERYTHING.  I want to understand that better in my life and be a better teacher as I talk about covenants with those we visit.  There's no greater joy than drawing closer to Heavenly Father and leaving the rest of it behind.

 

On Wednesday I got to go to the Tongan program on exchanges!  It was pretty awesome. :)  I thought people were exaggerating when they talked about how much food they give you... they weren't exaggerating.  I went to a missionary correlation meeting with the ward, and after the meeting they had a "snack."  On my plate, they put a giant chunk of pie probably 8 inches long, two chicken salad sandwiches on French bread, and 8 or 9 scones.  Then they gave me a big glass of Otai (look it up and make it!  It's soooo good!) and sent us out the door so we could eat our "snack."  My companion that day said, "oh good, they're giving us light food!"  Wow!  Another thing that was amazing and not exaggerated is the singing of the Tongan members.  WOW.  Even in the lessons we taught in members' homes, the harmonies and their beautiful voices floored me.  I almost started crying during the opening song at correlation meeting.  So awesome!  And it just comes out naturally!  Amazing!

 

We also got to watch the Relief Society broadcast on Saturday.  It was so great!  It's like a sneak-peek of General Conference.  I loved hearing the sisters talk so earnestly and sincerely about the power of the Atonement.  I realized that I need to do more to help others feel of the depth of the power of the Atonement, whether I'm teaching someone who's been a member for 30 years or someone who's talking to missionaries for the very first time.

 

Went to the Philippines and China!

 

 

This week has been super weird.  I feel like there's nothing special to report and also a million things to report.

 

In our area we're at the point where we're going to have to drop quite a few investigators.  They're just not progressing and they're not seeking to be converted to the gospel.  Sister Osborn and I have been feeling a little weighed down this past week, and we realized this weekend it's because we need to stop teaching a lot of the people that we're teaching right now.  They're all at the point where we could kind of push them or persuade them into baptism, but it wouldn't be right and we wouldn't be fulfilling our purpose.  We're seeking for conversion, like Derek said, and it has to be their choice.

 

Our shining star right now is Nancy.  She was a little discouraged last week because her family doesn't support her, but at our last meeting with her she was once again excited about the gospel and willing to keep preparing to be baptized on Oct. 14.  Her barrier is still church attendance--she was willing to make the 50 minute drive to the chapel in the middle of her work day to be able to attend, but other things got in her way.  She can make it, we know it! It will take faith and prayers and probably some sacrifice, and maybe some waiting, but she has a sincere desire and we feel very confident that she will be baptized.

 

This week I went to the Tagalog program and the Chinese program.  It's so interesing to go and "visit" different cultures.  I feel blessed to be able to get to know the sisters, but also to appreciate different cultures more.  It's amazing how we can feel instant love for people when we're trying, like Derek said, to see them as Heavenly Father sees them.  There are no barriers of culture for the Spirit or for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

We also had a fun experience with the young women this week.  They invited us to have an "open forum" about what it's like to be a missionary.  It was interesting to be there with the girls and then with their leaders, almost all of whom were returned sister missionaries.  I LOVE talking about my mission and missionary work.  I feel so blessed to be here and it's hard for me to believe there was a time when I didn't want to go on a mission or when I was reluctant about it.  It's made me appreciate everything so much more--my family, the gospel, the scriptures, the plan of salvation, the commandments, my education, the privilege of being born in the U.S., Spanish, my health, everything!  It doesn't feel like a sacrifice at all because the happiness of serving in the Lord's vineyard is the greatest blessing there is.  The gospel is true and Jesus Christ really is our Savior!  I feel it more deeply every day.

 

Fiesta Latina, baptism, and investigators!

Hola!

This week was extremely FULL.  It was really fun, really busy, really spiritual, and at times really difficult.  But I wouldn't have it any other way!  One of the things that's been a huge blessing is to know that each day as a missionary is full of the things that matter most.  At times it can be easy to forget that and focus on details that don't really matter, but this week was a good reminder of why all of this is happening--for the progression and salvation of God's children!

Last night there was a baptism in the ward for an investigator the elders were teaching and a little 8-year-old from a part-member family that Hna Osborn and I teach every week.  Both stories are very touching.  After the baptism, the convert shared about how the elders had knocked on her door at just the right moment in her life, and how their invitations for her to pray to her Heavenly Father changed everything.  She thanked them for searching for the right words to say to her to help her accept the gospel.  It's always humbling to hear someone express their feelings about how the gospel has changed their lives.  The dad who baptized his little girl also shared his testimony.  A year ago he was addicted to alcohol and receiving multiple DUIs.  He had fallen away from the church for over 20 years, and just recently came back and received the Melchizedek priesthood.  He bore the most humble testimony of the Atonement I've ever heard as he talked about how blessed he felt to be worthy again to perform his daughter's baptism.  I had to get up and lead the closing hymn at the end of the meeting and couldn't help but cry as we sang "Senor, Te necesito" ("I Need Thee Every Hour") and I thought about the power of repentance, both in this brother's life and in the life of the sister who was taught by the elders.  It was kind of embarrassing to cry in front of a congregation, but the Spirit was stronger than I was. :)

We've been extremely blessed this week with our investigators.  We're teaching a woman named Nancy that just amazes me with how readily she accepts the gospel and how prepared she is.  She accepted a baptismal date right away, was already living the word of wisdom before she even knew about it, and came to her own conclusion that working on the Sabbath is not right.  We left her a chapter in the Book of Mormon as a reading assignment and when I asked her what her experience was like, she told me she'd read it 4 times just to make sure she understood!  In the first prayer we ever heard her say, she thanked Heavenly Father for helping her to find the right religion.  Amazing!  She also came to sacrament meeting this week and loved it.  She's truly amazing and understands the gospel so quickly and readily.  It's a reminder to me that as we teach people about the gospel, we're really just reminding them of things that they already learned in the pre-mortal life.  Her only barrier right now is church attendance because she works on Sundays, but she's already working on changing it.  We're excited to see her continue to progress!

I also had an amazing experience with one of our investigators, Leslie.  We were teaching her about obedience and the Atonement.  She opened up and told us about some mistakes she'd made in her past and talked about her desire to repent.  Instantly my love for her grew dramatically.  It's so hard to watch people struggle with a lot of the pain that's entered into their lives because of their mistakes and the mistakes of others in their lives, but it's so wonderful to see them realize that there is hope through the Atonement and Gospel of Jesus Christ.  President Holland once spoke about how we need to go with people into the "highways and byways" of their lives to understand them, and then take them to the Sacred Grove and Gethsemane to help them see how the gospel can help them.  I feel like this experience was one of those in which that happened, and it strengthened my testimony of the Savior's power of deliverance.

On a more lighthearted note, this weekend we had a giant Latino cultural festival in the ward.  The sisters from all different countries shared dances and food from their countries.  It was so great and I realized how attached I've become to the Hispanic culture, even though I'm still in the U.S. :)  It was sad when after the "party" they turned on the dance music and started the REAL Hispanic party and we had to leave.  Haha. :D  I'm hoping that their rhythm will rub off on me and I'll be a better dancer when I finish the mission and am allowed to dance again.

Anyway, I hope you all had a good week and that this week will be even better.  Stay tuned for more adventures from the Chinese program and the Tagalog program in next week's letter!  I love you all!

Another week already!

Hola familia.  This mission time-warp thing is getting out of hand.... I feel like this week absolutely flew by, but at the same time, what happened at the beginning of this week seems like it was in another lifetime.  It makes my brain hurt sometimes to think about how time passes on the mission.

 

On Monday for a zone activity we went to Alcatraz!  It was pretty cool.  They have a self-guided audio tour through the jail and the grounds.  It's kind of funny--trips to Alcatraz are approved by the mission, even though it involved breaking all of the rules (riding on a boat, wearing headphones, watching Discovery Channel, etc.).  It was fun!  I'd recommend it for the family (but after I get home from my mission!).

 

Thursday morning was zone leader council for us too.  Like Elder Croft said, zone leader council is awesome.  It's always really interesting to see how the Lord blesses us with different types of inspiration as we discuss the doctrines and principles that we'll apply to our calling as leaders, and then to see how He guides us in adapting those things to different needs.  President Meredith is doing us a great favor in teaching us to sit in council like the apostles do, basing ourselves in the doctrines and principles and then applying them according to inspiration and the specific plans we make.  We discussed a lot about how we can work better with our members and encourage the missionaries to seek revelation as they do so.  Sometimes we get caught up in the to-do list and we forget that this is a revelatory work that we're doing.

 

We went on two exchanges this week.  We're trying to front-load the transfer with exchanges, so that's 2 of 12 done.  I love going on exchanges with the sisters.  I always learn a lot from them.  It's something that's really pushing me though, to offer feedback in a way that's kind and loving, but also addresses the problem directly.  I know that's an important thing to learn, but it's definitely not easy!

 

Our teaching pool is a little crazy right now.  Christian, the kid who told us he believes in aliens, was going to come to church but canceled.  We had an awesome lesson with Osvaldo, another teenager we're teaching, and were waiting for him at church, but he didn't come either.  We were also expecting Leslie, Flor's cousin, but she didn't come either.  It was disappointing to not have anyone come, but we feel like this will be an opportunity for us to be able to distinguish where we need to be focusing our teaching, and with whom we should be spending our time.

 

Sister Osborn and I both spoke in church on Sunday.  It was a good experience and I appreciated the opportunity, although it's always super odd to hear my voice speaking Spanish over the microphone.  Sister Osborn did a great job.  This was actually her first talk in sacrament meeting as a missionary, even though she's near the end of her mission!

 

This week we learned a great lesson about setting goals.  This week we'd set a goal to teach a certain number of lessons.  In this mission, and especially in this area, one of our struggles is teaching enough lessons.  There are a lot of reasons why it's difficult to teach a lot of lessons every week, but this week we decided we would do absolutely everything we could to reach the standard of excellence that Elder Perry set when he came in March.  We set the goal, prayed like crazy, worked like crazy, and last night as we were totaling our lessons, we were shocked to see that we'd somehow reached our goal.  The math almost didn't make sense, and we didn't even realize that we'd reached the goal until our district leader said something.  It taught me that I need to have more faith to work toward a goal and prayerfully invite the Lord's help as I work.  It's something I'll be applying more, for sure!