12/8/14 Recap of the Past Week and a Half, and Creche Festival.... :)

Dear Family and Friends,

So I'm going to start of by saying that I apologize for not including much in my emails the past couple weeks. I get a little anxiety when I email. It's probably just because I know all of you love me so very much.
Instead of trying to respond to a lot of little emails--which help a lot, believe me, they do-- I am going to spend most of my emailing time writing about my experiences and what I have been thinking about and what I have been learning on this mission. So when I take forever to respond, forgive me and know that every email is received with much appreciation.

So I will start with a couple weeks ago.

Thanksgiving:
Let's just say I've never spent a holiday on a mission before. It was an interesting day. Thanksgiving started off as a really good day. We woke up very early, drove downtown, and volunteered at the Foodbank's annual Turkey Trot (5k race). I stood on the sidelines and screamed funny and encouraging things to runners dressed up as turkeys and as random other things. Pretty fun. Then we stayed and helped clean up.
We had a couple zone activities planned, and all day I just felt useless. We were supposed to have a turkey bowl with the members... a ward activity where we play football. None of the members showed up, so it was basically just the missionaries hanging out. It all went downhill from there. I didn't know what we were supposed to be doing all day, and so Sister Bear and I really struggled. We went home, did studies and organized some things. Lesson learned: Who cares what all the other missionaries are doing? Go to work! I think we would have been a lot happier if we hadn't followed with the attitude that it was a day to just hang out with people. Sister Bear and I have decided that Christmas, if we are together for it next transfer, will be a lot better. We will be with members, but we will also do missionary work as well during the "down time" of the day.
Sometimes you learn lessons the hard way. Once we went to a member's house for dinner, things got turned around. We ate with the Kelley's. It was really low-key. We just chatted and ate yummy food. It was just good to be with them. They are an older couple with a 30 year-old Down-Syndrome daughter named Katie. Then we went and played sports to end the night.

Friday Nov 28th

Not a good day. Let's just say Satan tries to sabotage weekly planning almost every week by throwing anti or life-crises at the people we love.

Saturday Nov 29

In consequence, we had a very long companionship inventory. :) You have to understand, Sister Bear and I get along so well, sometimes so well that we have a hard time helping each other improve. I learned that I need to listen better, that I need to not be so hard on myself.  After that, we had lunch, and then went and taught a super-sweet first lesson in a park to this guy named Jacob, who we had met on the street. I am one of those missionaries that talks to people out the car window. The reason? People like Jacob.  Jacob has met with missionaries before. He is 19, super buff, and super blonde. Seriously. He looks like he jumped out of the 90's. Something I have also noticed about missionaries. We don't look at people the same as the natural man. We think it's totally normal that two girls would tell a young man about Jesus Christ. Sometimes I have to take a step back and remember that to most other people, that is kind of weird. Even though it is weird, it brings miracles. He accepted a baptismal invite. It was a truly perfect first lesson. The spirit was so strong. #companioshipinventoryworks. #bringtheSpiritback
That night we went over to my favorite member's home. So I've been in Woodland so long that I know all the members, how they met, their life stories. I have lots of favorite members, but there is this one family that has me wrapped around their fingers. The Murray's. They are converts to the Church.... they had a friend who introduced them to the church. They are originally from Iowa, but they moved to California for some reason unknown to them. Dustin is their son... in his 20's. When I first got here, Dustin was huge in teaching Eli, who was baptized in July. Dustin went on a mission to Salt Lake City. He is now engaged to a girl of Chinese descent he met over the summer. Her name is Connie, and she had met with missionaries before, but when she started dating Dustin, the missionaries called her out of the blue. Funny enough, Dustin had nothing to do with it. They are going to be married next June.
Sister Murray has cancer, I believe. Brother Murray was just diagnosed.
Sister Murray manages our dinner calendar, and has kind of taken me under her wing. She is the member that drove us to the temple on my birthday. She then took us out to a hamburger joint, and gave us money to give to homeless people, and we made it a game.
So Saturday we went over to their house and shared #HeistheGift with them.

Sunday Nov 30th

Had Josh and Stephanie, investigators that the elders just passed off to us, come to church. Stephanie is very much into philosophy, and Josh loves learning about the gospel, but he will always do whatever Stephanie wants. Originally when we first met Josh, he had told us that elders might be better so that his girlfriend wouldn't get jealous, but then Stephanie met Sister Afoa and myself on the street and then she told the elders that she wanted sister missionaries, and that is how we ended up teaching them. So they come to church, and the topic? Eternal marriage, and also we had someone from the Stake come and talk about having reverence for the Sacrament. They were both great talks, but Josh and Stephanie have very complicated chastity problems, so it was different... Stephanie was respectful, but it's hard to teach her because we don't want to offend her. So yeah.
It was a great Sunday for me though! I learned a lot about the sacrament and about how to receive answers during that time. We pray when we want to communicate with God. That's why the sacrament is done in prayer form. So many more things that blew my mind. It was awesome.

Monday December 1st

We did service for Dale, more about him later.
We taught Josh and Stephanie, and it was basically a question and answer session, but it was good. I think the fact that we were willing to talk about all their concerns really help build up the trust.

Tuesday Dec 2

We picked up this super cool couple name Joseph and Kayla. Really cool. They are both Christian, but Joseph is more solid in his faith. He knows that he believes in Jesus Christ, although he says he doesn't know all the differences between all the different churches. He seems really interested. Kayla was a big more shy, but at the end, after we talked about the Atonement and the Book of Mormon, we invited them to be baptized and she immediately said yes. Joseph was a little bit more hesitant, wanting to know if we read the Bible, but after we explained, he too said yes. We will be meeting with them again tomorrow, I believe.

Wednesday Dec 3

Temple Trip. So fun. I learned that Heavenly Father has got it all figured out and all I have to do is trust him. As I sat, just looking at some flowers inside, I noticed how they were all so beautiful. That's how Heavenly Father feels about us. I looked around at all my friends, and I teared up a little. But my heart was comforted. Those moments will never return. It's hard to know that once you are transferred, you'll never go back. Things never go back to the way they were, but they always get better. There is always a plan, and we always have a choice.
That night, the Erickson's, a big homeschooling family there, had us over for dinner. I tried to keep my birthday quiet, but once they found out, they broke out a package of Oreos, stuck a candle inside and the whole "Von Trapp" family was singing to me. So fun. Love that family too. Sister Erickson is primary president, yet she does so much for us missionaries.
Opening my packages, I was filled with love. This birthday I learned that it's the people- it's always been the people that have around us-- that make it worth it. I love all the things that I received, but as I used them, it's the people behind them and the memories that are my favorite. Thank you all so much.

Thursday Dec 4

Brother Goodwin, a less-active that has come full force back into full activity since July, ran into some anti after watching a church movie on Youtube. Long story short, he felt bad because he felt like he didn't have a testimony, but as we went through the whole Restoration with him, his face lit up. When we got to the first vision part, he recited it to us, brokenly, but the Spirit was so strong, and he started to tear up.
We went to a Relief Society Dinner, and as I looked around, I felt so much better. So many people. So what if "I've only had one baptism" Someone put it perfect today in their email: "I've had zero baptisms." I know that there was a reason for me to be here in Woodland. I thought about all those members I have strengthened and loved. I thought about all the things that I have learned. I thought about all those I have worked for, prayed for, and worried for. I have not been a failure, just because I have been rejected. Christ was rejected, but He never failed.
Anyway, we walked all day long, because our mission was on a car fast. It was a really really good day. I love being out on the streets, in the fresh air, talking to random people about Jesus Christ. Now THAT'S my cup of tea. Scratch that. hot coco. That' my cup of hot coco. (Except it's still to warm here to really have that, even though I try often enough.)

Friday Dec 5

Weekly Planning Sabotage from the Adversary, again. I'd rather not get into it.
But we taught Josh! Stephanie was in Chico, partying. Josh didn't seem to happy about it. But it was a good lesson.

Saturday Dec 6th

Saw Linda and Robert baptized. (elders have been teaching them.) I'm rather close to Linda, though. (elders don't come to RS)

Sunday:

Josh came to church. Law of chastity lesson. That was awkward. It was good though. :) A good awkward. #gospelprinciples #evenwhenIgetoffmymission

Dale and Josh came to a Creche, or Nativity, Festival, put on by a lot of Christian Churches in Woodland. It was held at our Stake Center off Pioneer Ave, though. Pretty cool.

Dale is in a wheelchair, so it took a bit to get him there, but members really stepped up and helped. Thanks to the Jensen Family. So fun. Then we watched the Devotional.

And that brings us to today.

Things I learned this week:

When I give lashes on my own back, I am not repenting.
Repenting is coming unto Jesus Christ and letting Him heal you of your sins and stripes.

I need to be more accepting of myself. When I am (Ether 12:12), then I am better able to help others.


LOVE YA'LL!