Hello Wonderful Lovely Sweetheart Family and Friends,
I safely arrived in Woodland. That was heart-wrenching.... having to leave Rio Vista. Ouch. Not fun. Not something I would like to relive again, but I handled it like a champ if I do say so myself. No crying yet. Hermana Bryant just hugged me goodbye. "You done good, kid. You done good." Still don't know if she meant that about the missionary work and growing, or about not breaking down crying during transfer meeting.
Sister Carter is a sweetheart. It's definitely a different situation from what I came from. I've never lived in an apartment with just one companion... there's always been at least two other Sisters or another companionship. Sister Carter... I knew her in Santa Rosa. She's amazing. She just wants to be exactly obedient. We've set some pretty high goals for this transfer. I'm very excited to learn from her. I always love being an STL's sidekick, if you will. I get to hear all the fun plans that are coming up, etc, and I get to learn and improve everyday. So excited.
The only investigator that I've really gotten to know is Eli. He's a middle-aged man, and he's ready to be baptized! He has a date for the 26th of July, and at church yesterday we pulled our ward mission leader aside and had Eli pick out the size of jumpsuit he'd need, style of program, etc. Saturday night we had had a lesson with Eli on Priesthood and Auxiliaries and Missionary Work. When we invited him to prepare himself to receive the priesthood after he is baptized, he immediately responded "What do I need to do to prepare?" Wow. I've never met an investigator so ready to be baptized!
I also had an interesting experience with a man named Sam who hadn't been to church in years. His wife doesn't believe in God, but she is very kind, and listened in. We talked to him a bit, and then shared our testimonies and did a Harvest Blessing. I was privileged to offer the prayer. I've never felt the Spirit come whooshing in like that before. It was as swift as a wave crashing on the beach, but as light as morning sunshine. Sam is paraplegic. In the prayer I asked that he be healed if it is part of Heavenly Father's will, and if not, that Sam would feel his testimony of the resurrection flood his life and help him through his life, and that His life would stand as a testimony to his posterity of the free gift of life after death that the Savior has given us. Sam was teary-eyed after the prayer ended and his non-member caretakers were teary-eyed. The room was filled with the feeling that was there when Grandma Donna and Grandpa Dean passed away... the veil was thin and I could feel that gentle reassurance that this life is not the end.
My mission is a third over. That makes me so sad. I want to be here more than a year and a half! I don't want to go. I used to be homesick, and I guess I do still miss my family, but I just want to focus on everyday here... moment by moment. Those moments like the ones with Eli and with Sam are so precious, and I get to have them every day. I once upon a time heard someone say that work doesn't end in this life... and I was confused by that. I had thought that heaven was a place of rest! As a child, work and heaven didn't go together! But now I think I understand a little bit better what that person was trying to say. If a mission is anything like what Heavenly Father does, I want to be like Heavenly Father for sure! It's hard. But who cares? I'm so happy! It's not that I'm stress-free or task-free or worry-free. I have a lot of things on my mind, but I'm happy. Every night when I go to bed, I am worn out, and I like that. Every morning I wake up and there are 20 more people waiting for me to talk to them. I'm so happy to be here. Heavenly Father loves me so much.
A while ago I was fighting the sorrow that comes to a missionary when they realize that a lot of dropping investigators happens, etc. As a missionary, you love your investigators. Every one of them is a miracle... because that's how you found them. Everyone of them has a story... has a need for the gospel. It's hard to drop someone, but you can't take away their agency. You can't force anyone to listen to the missionaries. They have to want it. They have to respond to texts and calls, etc. When you drop an investigator, you start back at zero... contacting, the hardest part of the work. If a mission is like a garden, contacting/tracting is like weeding, especially if you are in the hot sun. It's a lot more relaxing and pleasant in the evening. You have to weed out all the ones that aren't ready yet and dig around for the miracles. This is IMPOSSIBLE without the Spirit, because unlike real gardening, where you just see the weed and pull it, missionary work is a spiritual work. You have to pay attention to which door, which street, which person.
A few months back I started to lose hope that I could find miracles. I lost the greenie-fire. I think that is what Rio Vista taught me. Pray. Get out and work. Watch for the Miracles. I am so grateful for having been able to serve in Rio Vista with the companions that I had there, but I'm excited to serve here in Woodland 2.5. I have the faith that there are souls praying, asking Heavenly Father to guide them.
Sister Carter and I are going to knock on their doors.
Heavenly Father loves us so much. I'm so grateful that I'm a part of His work and His glory. I'm His forever. I know He's going to take care of me, and lead me, and help me. I know I'm not doing this on my own. I'll never have to do this on my own.
Sincerely,
Sister Darby Miller
I safely arrived in Woodland. That was heart-wrenching.... having to leave Rio Vista. Ouch. Not fun. Not something I would like to relive again, but I handled it like a champ if I do say so myself. No crying yet. Hermana Bryant just hugged me goodbye. "You done good, kid. You done good." Still don't know if she meant that about the missionary work and growing, or about not breaking down crying during transfer meeting.
Sister Carter is a sweetheart. It's definitely a different situation from what I came from. I've never lived in an apartment with just one companion... there's always been at least two other Sisters or another companionship. Sister Carter... I knew her in Santa Rosa. She's amazing. She just wants to be exactly obedient. We've set some pretty high goals for this transfer. I'm very excited to learn from her. I always love being an STL's sidekick, if you will. I get to hear all the fun plans that are coming up, etc, and I get to learn and improve everyday. So excited.
The only investigator that I've really gotten to know is Eli. He's a middle-aged man, and he's ready to be baptized! He has a date for the 26th of July, and at church yesterday we pulled our ward mission leader aside and had Eli pick out the size of jumpsuit he'd need, style of program, etc. Saturday night we had had a lesson with Eli on Priesthood and Auxiliaries and Missionary Work. When we invited him to prepare himself to receive the priesthood after he is baptized, he immediately responded "What do I need to do to prepare?" Wow. I've never met an investigator so ready to be baptized!
I also had an interesting experience with a man named Sam who hadn't been to church in years. His wife doesn't believe in God, but she is very kind, and listened in. We talked to him a bit, and then shared our testimonies and did a Harvest Blessing. I was privileged to offer the prayer. I've never felt the Spirit come whooshing in like that before. It was as swift as a wave crashing on the beach, but as light as morning sunshine. Sam is paraplegic. In the prayer I asked that he be healed if it is part of Heavenly Father's will, and if not, that Sam would feel his testimony of the resurrection flood his life and help him through his life, and that His life would stand as a testimony to his posterity of the free gift of life after death that the Savior has given us. Sam was teary-eyed after the prayer ended and his non-member caretakers were teary-eyed. The room was filled with the feeling that was there when Grandma Donna and Grandpa Dean passed away... the veil was thin and I could feel that gentle reassurance that this life is not the end.
My mission is a third over. That makes me so sad. I want to be here more than a year and a half! I don't want to go. I used to be homesick, and I guess I do still miss my family, but I just want to focus on everyday here... moment by moment. Those moments like the ones with Eli and with Sam are so precious, and I get to have them every day. I once upon a time heard someone say that work doesn't end in this life... and I was confused by that. I had thought that heaven was a place of rest! As a child, work and heaven didn't go together! But now I think I understand a little bit better what that person was trying to say. If a mission is anything like what Heavenly Father does, I want to be like Heavenly Father for sure! It's hard. But who cares? I'm so happy! It's not that I'm stress-free or task-free or worry-free. I have a lot of things on my mind, but I'm happy. Every night when I go to bed, I am worn out, and I like that. Every morning I wake up and there are 20 more people waiting for me to talk to them. I'm so happy to be here. Heavenly Father loves me so much.
A while ago I was fighting the sorrow that comes to a missionary when they realize that a lot of dropping investigators happens, etc. As a missionary, you love your investigators. Every one of them is a miracle... because that's how you found them. Everyone of them has a story... has a need for the gospel. It's hard to drop someone, but you can't take away their agency. You can't force anyone to listen to the missionaries. They have to want it. They have to respond to texts and calls, etc. When you drop an investigator, you start back at zero... contacting, the hardest part of the work. If a mission is like a garden, contacting/tracting is like weeding, especially if you are in the hot sun. It's a lot more relaxing and pleasant in the evening. You have to weed out all the ones that aren't ready yet and dig around for the miracles. This is IMPOSSIBLE without the Spirit, because unlike real gardening, where you just see the weed and pull it, missionary work is a spiritual work. You have to pay attention to which door, which street, which person.
A few months back I started to lose hope that I could find miracles. I lost the greenie-fire. I think that is what Rio Vista taught me. Pray. Get out and work. Watch for the Miracles. I am so grateful for having been able to serve in Rio Vista with the companions that I had there, but I'm excited to serve here in Woodland 2.5. I have the faith that there are souls praying, asking Heavenly Father to guide them.
Sister Carter and I are going to knock on their doors.
Heavenly Father loves us so much. I'm so grateful that I'm a part of His work and His glory. I'm His forever. I know He's going to take care of me, and lead me, and help me. I know I'm not doing this on my own. I'll never have to do this on my own.
Sincerely,
Sister Darby Miller
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