Hello friends!
It's my last full p-day! Next Monday is transfer day. It's my last week. I can't even explain how it feels. It still doesn't feel real. I just feel like I'm going to be here on my mission for a long time still. I'm like "oh yeah we just have district meeting every week for the rest of my life. That's just how it is."
We went to the temple with President and Sister Clark this week and we had our departing interviews. It's so funny when I talk to President and Sister Clark because they act like they genuinely think that I'm so amazing and confident and driven, and that I'm going to be able to accomplish anything I want, and easily receive all the revelation I need to be successful. They're probably right, but it's funny because inside I feel like I'm a little infant with no life skills and I'm going to die when I have to be an adult. It's really motivating to know that my super successful Mission President and his wife have complete confidence in me though. They gave me a lot of dating advice. Then I was pondering for a long time, and asking follow up questions, and it payed off because I received this revelation about dating:
When I get home I'm going to clean my room, paint a lot of paintings, draw literally everything, learn to play the piano, read the entire standard works, figure out how to eat healthy and work out, get a job, and so forth. Then if somebody feels like dating me while I'm doing those things that will be a great blessing for them because I'm amazing and confident and driven.
The temple was super amazing, but I cried a lot. Next time I'm in a session and they pray for the success of the missionaries I will just be a normal human. Also President and Sister Clark were the witness couple. It was so sweet to watch them. I could literally watch them interact with each other for a hundred years because they are so amazing and kind to each other. I want to be like that too. I get super sad when I think about not seeing them around all the time when I get home.
Another thing that happened this week is that I got to go on exchanges twice because I'm the STL!!! Being the STL is different than being the regular missionary. I had a cool miracle though. Actually I had a few cool miracles.
One of our exchanges was with Hermana Eady. She came to English work for the first time her whole mission. She kept speaking in Spanish and I kept being able to understand what she was saying! I had the gift of interpretation of tongues for a minute. Hermana Eady is so amazing though because she is literally so consecrated. We talked a lot about how the culture of the Spanish Zone is a culture of obedience and that's why they are so successful. We also talked about how there are enough obedient missionaries in English to change the culture of the mission if they would just rise up. It's hard though. I didn't learn that until this transfer.
Then I went on exchanges with Sister Bullard. Sister Bullard is literally my spirit animal. She is so funny and the best ever. She's super obedient and has the desire to work super hard. Also we're literally the exact same person. So I was super excited to go on exchanges with her and I've been hyping it all transfer literally. Then the exchange was a really cool opportunity to see God's hand in my life. I've only lead out my area one time on my whole mission and it was at the very beginning. Then I've had a lot of companions that have been in the area already for a really long time when I get them. So one thing that I've become on my mission is really submissive and able to follow my companion. Sister Bullard has had a lot of companions who are really old on their missions and don't give her an opportunity to lead out. So she feels like she has all these ideas, but she doesn't know how to execute them because her companions are always leading out. So I came to her area and was perfectly prepared, over an 18 month period of time, to let her lead out her area. Then when she said things that she wanted to do but didn't know how I had personal experiences with those things. It was so amazing because everything that's ever happened to me my whole mission put me in a perfect place to minister to a Sister that I was given stewardship over!
If you do your best to always follow the spirit Heavenly Father will put you in the exact place he needs you to be to bless someone's life.
Here are some quotes:
"Your laundry room smells like kitty litter." -Sister Sanders
"And there's cat hair all over our carpet." - Sister Mitchell
"We're haunted by a phantom cat." -me
"We missed a call from the zone leaders lets call them back.... hey guys you called?" -us
"uh.. no you just called us. What can we do for you?" -Zone leaders
"No we're just calling because you called us." -us
"what do you guys need?" -Zone leaders
EVERY SINGLE TIME!!! They think they're SOOOOOOOOOO clever!
"We need trash bags" -me
"The mission is trying an experiment where you see how long you can go on one trash bag." -Elder Nattress
"Usually when they change policy they tell the sister training leaders so I think you're lying to us." -me
"I think you said that wrong. I think you meant to say sister zone lords." -Elder Nattress
"Basically Elder Blue is an interior designer." -Elder Nattress
"Are you playing bagpipes in the bathroom?" -Sister Mitchell
"Hey have you guys seen my bagpipes?" -Elder Blue
"These are my companions Sister Mockle and Sister LeFridge" -me
"I have a question... are there giants in the Book of Mormon?" -Jennifer
"Hola, somos las hermanas misionaras de la iglesia de Jesu Cristo de la noche.... wait! no!" -Sister Mitchell
"You just said the church of Jesus Christ of the night!!!" -me
"This street is called jacket in spanish." -Hermana Eady
"What the heck this street is called the little tables." -Hermana Eady
"You can experience English work. We eat frozen yogurt and french fries for dinner and do a million stop bys." -Sister Mitchell
"Do you think singing happy birthday to a former member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is the best idea?" -Sister Shelstad
"I'm like one of those walruses." -Jennifer
"Trying to get this EZ-Up in the case is like trying to get your daughter dressed for church. Come on! Put the dress on! I don't care if you don't like it! Just put your arm in the hole! It's modest you're going to wear it! Come on hurry up! We have to be at church in five minutes!" -Elder Howard
"I have mixed nuts because I'm nuts. Sister Atchley has bananas because she's bananas. Sister Mitchell has saltines because...." -Sister Loveridge
"Because she's salty." -me
"I'm afraid my friends will forget about me." -me
"What friends?" -Sister Loveridge
"Wow savage." -me
"I was trying to ask if you meant your home friends or your mission friends!!!" -Sister Loveridge
Your weekly watching assignment:
On the Lord's Errand
