Dear Dad
We get transfer calls this week. Sister Shober thinks she's out of here. I don't know about that. I'm just in denial. :]
I've almost completely filled the journal I brought out with me. If I sustain this level of journal keeping for the rest of my life my children will be able to fill a library with everything I write. Unfortunately it's mostly useless information and silly quotes.
So as far as miracles this week, I accidentally washed a ballpoint pen with all my clothes. Empty ink cartridge, only like 3 unnoticeable stains. Where did the ink go? It's a mystery.
We really did have a good week this week it just felt weird.
We taught a lesson with a guy named Alex. Unfortunately he lives in Tustin which actually isn't even in our mission. We contacted into him while I was on exchanges and gave him a card and he was like "I have some friends who are Mormon but I have different beliefs." Then he got in his car and drove away. Now, that's the kind of thing that people say to us when they want us to get out of their business and never speak to them again so I was super confused when he texted us and was like "hey when can we set up a time for you guys to teach me more of what you know?" So we taught him and this week we're passing him off to the Anaheim missionaries.
I just had a really homesick first half of the week because I had a really homesick song stuck in my head. Then I got over it and knocked on a bunch of doors and felt better. Missionary work is weird.
So awhile ago an Elder asked me about my conversion story, but I didn't have time to tell it to him. So between the time he asked about it and the time I told it to him I prayed that I would know what to say so that my conversion story could help him be a more effective missionary. Then during our zone meeting he brought up my conversion story and talked about how because of it he's been studying comp unity and being a better missionary. I was like #powerofprayer
I had an interview with President Orgill this week. It was a surreal experience. President Orgill first of all is totally full of energy and he's like the most loving person you will probably ever meet. So I go in to the interview and before I could even say anything he was talking about the kinds of things he hears about me. He started by talking about how he loves it when missionaries email him good things about other missionaries, and how he hopes that when that happens the people are also saying those things to the missionaries etc. Then he paused and probably looked into my soul and said something like "The things I hear about you from such varied sources are so uniformly positive that it amazes and delights me." Then he talked about how Sister Shober hardly writes him anything unless she's just raving about me and talking about how great I am and etc. etc., but also apparently a ton of missionaries from my district and zone tell him that I am example to them of faith and just various Christ like attributes. He said he is always excited when he has such a missionary in his mission. Then he gave me like the craziest priesthood blessing I have ever received. It was kind of long and really in depth, but the general theme of it was that if I do my best to try to understand others and serve the Lord I will leave every companion, every district, every zone, and every ward better missionaries than when I got there.
So needless to say I walked out of the interview feeling very small and like there was no way I could possibly live up to everything people say about me and to the person Heavenly Father tells me I need to be in priesthood blessings. It got me thinking about how the things that I say about myself inside my brain aren't uniformly positive and I feel like I don't have the gifts that Heavenly Father said I do through a priesthood blessing. I started wondering why my view of myself completely doesn't match the things that people say about my behind my back and the things my Heavenly Father tells me about myself. It's actually a lot more negative. So I was in the attitude of pondering who I really am when I realized that I tell people on the streets that if they read the Book of Mormon it can answer all of their questions. So I prayed and sincerely asked Heavenly Father to tell me who I really am.
The answer I got was kind of crazy. Basically He told me that I am nothing. I don't have a different testimony or better conversion story or more spiritual gifts than anyone else I serve around, but through the Holy Ghost I can be an instrument in His hands. This is kind of cool because it's the first time I've noticed the Spirit tell me something that seems like it would be hard to hear, but in reality just increased my love for Heavenly Father. A relevant scripture is Alma26:12.
So funny stuff:
"If you could serve your mission anywhere where would you go?...... FRANCIS!" -A kid
I woke up the other night at 4:00am with a stabbing pain in my leg and the next day I had a massive bruise. I guess my leg tried to cannibalize itself.
"You could probably dunk that it's only 8 feet." -Elder Center
"How many mums did you have?" -Elder Mann
"Un none" -me
What!? No one gave you any mums?" -Elder Mann
"never in my life" - me
"TEXAS IS USELESS!!" -Elder Mann
"I've been waiting for these packages since DECEMBER!" -Sister Naegle
"I've been waiting for my parents' love since birth." -Elder Burk
"I've my wife said I was just a stonecutter I would be like well you're just homeless" -Elder Chain
"I'm not sick" -Sister Shober
"She touched a cat."-Me
"Was it an almond cat?" -Elder Dayton
(Sister Shober is deathly allergic to all tree nuts and sesame.)
"Wow this journal entry is unnecessarily sassy.... and short. Oh man this journal entry is a type of me." -Me
Apparently I made it onto the zone leaders' funny quote wall with
"What's your spirit animal?" -Elder Hook
"Probably a cat. Wait like several cats." -Me
The reading assignment is this:
Acts19:13-16 Consider why the exorcists couldn't cast out the demon even in Christ's name
Don't Let Negativism Ruin your Marriage by Terry Baker
If you aren't married substitute "marriage" for something else like "friendship" or "classroom"
Covenant of Love by Aileen H Clyde
This is just a really powerful testimony.
Love Y'all
Sister Atchley
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