Sister Atchley's LDS Mission: 5/22/17

My companions are SO FAST and also REALLY TALL! I'm like a weiner dog! I have to jog to keep up all the time. They are also the hardest working people ever. This is the most awesome companionship.

This has been the longest week of my mission probably. It's such a blessing. We've accomplished so much. We were honestly shocked to find out that it had only been a week since mother's day. It feels like it's been three.

I'm just so excited about my area and everything right now. I wish I could explain everything I'm feeling. I remember when I was with Sister Baker her last transfer and she was like "I keep learning everything I've been trying to figure out my whole mission, but it's too late to apply it." I feel the EXACT SAME WAY!! I'll just be sitting there eating my breakfast or whatever and the spirit will bring to my realization the solution to problems I've had will all my companions, but I don't have those problems anymore! All of the things I've struggled with in my mission are not present now. I love my companions, I love my district, I love my zone, I love the ward, I love everything. Interestingly enough my trios have been my happiest companionships.
Even the people I thought didn't like me in Newport actually are my homies. I'm literally living D&C 58:4 For after much tribulation come the blessings.

Because of the way my life is going right now I've been able to reflect about how much I've changed since the beginning of my mission. It's crazy! I didn't know that I could be more loving or more confident or more faithful when I came on my mission. I thought I was already pretty awesome at all those things. I know now that my perspective of myself is actually really limited and that Heavenly Father sees things that I have no ability to picture. It's like 1Corinthians2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." I feel like the currant bush from the Mormon Message "The Will of God."

There have been times on my mission where I felt like my faith or my charity branches were pruned completely off. I've felt like the tiniest shrub sometimes. We were at the Mortensens' house in Laguna Hills one time and I cut down this overgrown rose bush that was like probably 7 feet tall and like 4 feet wide. I cut it down to about 1 cubic foot. There were a ton of dead parts to clear out. We went back about a month later and every part of that rose bush was alive. Furthermore it was twice as thick with stems. That's how I feel right now.

On a side note Sister Loveridge goes home two weeks after me and she's been in the ward for awhile. So when we meet members they're like "woah Sister Loveridge when you go home soon right?" then they ask how long Sister Mitchell has been out and she says 9 months. So when they turn and ask how long I've been out they aren't even phased when I say over a year. I haven't had to talk about how long I have left or about coming home or anything. They might be shocked when I go home before Sister Loveridge. Only Bishop Forrest knows the real truth.

We have found a ton of potential investigators this week. It's awesome. I don't want to tell y'all too much because I don't want you to have already heard all the stories I won't shut up about when I get home.

Here's some quotes:

"Just keep it short sweet and simple." -Sister Gage

"Hey that's me!" -me

"More like short simple and basic." -Sister Gage

"The girls can rake the leaves... well I guess the boys can too. There are no gender specific jobs here." -Lady at service.

"Oh yeah. No gender specific jobs? Well then the Sisters can dig the trench next time." -Elder Cheever

"Wow this bed is bent. Somebody was fat." -Elder LuRey

"These legs don't go to this desk." -Sister Loveridge

"We'll go get different legs." -Elder Forthman

"Can I have that too?" -me

"What kind of wings would you have?" -me

"Giraffe" -Sister Mitchell

"Giraffes have wings?" -Sister Loveridge

"What about you?" -Sister Mitchell

"butterfly." -me

"Did you say buffalo wings?!" -Sister Mitchell

"If it bounces when it barks it's not a real dog." -Elder Gunn

"Don't worry Sister Atchley, you're only 8 inches below us." -Sister Mitchell

"Are you 5' 2"?" -Sister Loveridge
"I'm five NO" -me

"I just want everyone to be best friends." -Elder Blue
"I"m already your best friend." -me
"I know Sister Atchley! but what about everyone else!?" -Elder Blue

"The animal that Elder VanOrden looks like is a potato." -Elder Center

"I would wear this suit." -Elder Hampton
"that's not a suit it's a suit coat and stretchy pants." -Elder Nattress

"Elder Hampton has the girliest sheets" -Elder Blue
"If you go to their apartment it looks like Elder Beus is companions with a sister." -Elder Cheever

"Every zone is like a unique instrument in the Lord's hand. It's like a chainsaw, you've got some moving parts, you've got a chain." -Elder Foutz
*Elder Chain dies laughing*

Here's a reading assignment:

Then Jesus Beholding Him Loved Him
By Elder S. Mark Palmer

This talk stood out to me this week. My main take away was that you can't judge people based on their performance according to your standards. You have to judge them based on how much faith they're exercising to act above their own standards.