So, the verdict is... I'm getting a new companion again.... and I'm STAYING IN SUNSET WARD!! So, at the end of this transfer I will have been here in one area for 4 and a half months.. oh yeah! :)
I'm really excited that I get to stay through the holiday season.. I really love these people here and have already learned so much and can't wait for what else the Lord has in store for me here in this part of His Vineyard. I am going to miss Sister Finau a ton, but my new companion seems really nice too! Her name is Sister Schmidt, and that's pretty much all I know right now, but I'm sure I love her too and I'll tell you more next week! :)
So, this week we had District meeting as a last time as this District before transfers, so we had to naturally take some photos together. I have attached the funniest one - our awkward family photo.. don't worry, I wasn't actually sad, :). Anyway, but I am seriously so grateful for the blessing of being able to be a missionary. I have already learned so much in the last 3 months, and I can't wait to see how much more I will learn throughout the next 15. The biggest thing I've learned probably is that, this world is crazy and is becoming increasingly more wicked and a lot of times it is easy for us to lose the hope that we so desperately need in order to continue on with our heads held high. However, our greatest source of hope can and should be our Savior Jesus Christ and His infinite and perfect Atonement that was performed on behalf of all mankind. He has experienced it all before any of us ever have, and because of that, He alone knows how to bless and to help us in times where it seems like no one can. Turn to Him. Learn of Him. Strive to live how He lived, and everything will be taken care of according to our Father's will. What a beautiful blessing that knowledge is.
This week, I got to go on exchanges again and went to the same area as last time, except this week we walked everywhere instead of biking and I was on exchanges with Sister Kruitbosch who was our Sister Training Leader last transfer. She is such an amazing example to me and I seriously learned so much from her on exchanges. We went and helped one of their members clean her house in the morning, and that felt really good, and then in the afternoon 2 of their investigators dropped them (which means that they have for one reason or another, decided to stop meeting with the missionaries... it is the worst ever because they just don't know what they're saying no to!! :( ).. so that wasn't fun.. but then we went and taught some lessons to other people in their ward and it was such a powerful day! We were able to just teach simply (1 sentence for each point) and the spirit was so strong.. I love moments like that on a mission! :)
We have a new investigator named Phyllis who is awesome and is from Germany. She just lost her husband a few years ago, and has been so prepared. LOVE HER! :)
We were able to implement a lot of the things I learned on exchanges back into our area, so that has been such a blessing. We were able to go by and see this family who is inactive and the husband is a nonmember, and the spirit was so strong as we testified to them of the Comforter and His role in testifying of the Savior and our Heavenly Father.
We also got to meet with the Howard family again - a new family that we have started teaching (the one who already has the Book of Mormon and talks about the Plan of Salvation) and the spirit was so strong there as we communed one with another.
So, as you can probably tell, the work here is wonderful. We are trying to have the "Faith to Find" those whom the Lord has prepared in this area, and to really be intentional with our missions. It has been such a blessing to me to be able to reflect on just why I am here and how much this really is my Savior's mission, not mine.
One really amazing thing that happened this week was that we were teaching Nicole one of her new member lessons on the Plan of Salvation and we were talking about temple work and being able to do work for those whom we want to spend eternity with (our family, loved ones, etc) and Mike (her husband) was like, I think that a statement that might be a little bit true is that we do temple work for people that we want to give a chance to. Think about that statement for a second.. How cool is that!? When we go to the temple, we often do work for those who have passed on who we don't really know a lot about. They could have been the vilest of people, but they are given a chance at eternity and a choice to change and to accept the message of the true and everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ. We don't know anything about them, but we do their work so that they can be given a chance. That was such a powerful statement and I am so grateful for inspired members who bare their testimonies and help this work to move forward. This truly is eternal work, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. Remember to give others a chance this week, and know that you are loved!
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