Today
is the first day in my new transfer as an officially fully trained
missionary! How amazing is that?! Sister B completed my training
alongside me yesterday and it was one of the best days! Don't get me
wrong, the 12 week program is INSPIRED... but..... yeah... I'm so happy
to be done!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!! I still feel like a new-bee but it is going
well here down South. I told Sister Beech at the start of the week that I
would do AS MANY ROLE PLAYS AS SHE WANTED for my last week of training.
And optimistically too. What a treat of a trainee I am.
Okay...
so I read some of my friends' blogs/emails home (through my mom sending
them to me printed out) and I have just been so inspired at the love
and dedication so many of my friends have. It has been amazing to read
about their experiences with the Spirit and with missionary work! A
certain blog has inspired me to continue to be myself (cough cough-
Sister K) and write about what I want to, not what I think people
would like, or what is "expected" from a missionary post home. So... I
hope this one sounds a lot like me, but also lets all my readers (if I
have any) know that we are truly seeing miracles every week out here.
A
series of unexpected miracles have come in these past weeks with
pass-along cards. What is that you say? Yes, pass along cards! Sometimes
as missionaries we can have the tendencies to (negatively) think that
we are wasting our time and supplies giving out pass along cards. We can
think that people just throw them away and that they never are useful.
The miracles we have seen with week with pass-along cards give me hope
and faith that NONE of our efforts as missionaries are wasted!!! We have
received three phone messages from people who were simply given a pass
along card. They didn't even seem receptive to our message... AT ALL.
And yet they called us and wanted to meet with us again. It has been an
amazing and inspiring week here.
I drove for the first time since August the other day on exchange. I was way nervous. I drove the wrong way on a one-way street. WHOOPS. hahahaha. Yeah, it was wonderful. We were and are safe, no need to worry. It was interesting driving again. I would consider wishing junior companionship on myself for my whole mission if it meant never having to drive again. So much pressure driving a mission vehicle. Like hello, these cars are being paid for by people's tithing and offerings. Yeah. You gotta be safe. Like for real.
Anywayyyy....
exchanges were stressful and fun. I had never done an exchange where I
stayed in my area (GO D4!) and I didn't really like it as much. I like
going to other people's areas and not having to worry about planning,
driving, etc. haha. But it was a good day all in all.
Something
was kinda funny this week... A lady in the ward took us out to lunch
(yum) and we kept talking about all these food places we liked and had
tried. She was like, "Oh wow, do you eat out a lot?" And we were like
uhhhhh....... no. (debatable). In the White handbook it says we are
supposed to limit our eating out............. but yeah. Maybe that isn't
that funny... but missionary humor is a lot different than normal
people humor.... LIKE SERIOUSLY. We laugh about the most dumb stuff
here. We have to. For our sanity.
I tried asparagus for the first time. It was pretty good. Imagine that. I also had fish tacos...
So,
as the holiday season approaches, I have thought about gifts. Yes,
gifts. What gifts do I want and what do I need? (cough, cough socklets)
BUT.... on a more spiritual and serious note, I have been thinking about
spiritual gifts. For some reason it is one of my favorite things to
study and to think about. I have thought about what some of my spiritual
gifts are and what are some I would like to acquire. So... I am working
to choose one to develop by Christmas so it can be God giving me a
spiritual gift for Christmas. :)
In a talk by Elder Marvin. J. Ashton, he said, "Let
us review some of these less-conspicuous gifts: the gift of asking; the
gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice;
the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the
gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift
of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment;
the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple;
the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the
gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the
gift of receiving the Holy Ghost."
I
love that quote. Sister M (my MTC companion) keeps that quote in her
scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants account of spiritual gifts. I
really think it is important for all of us to remember that we all have
spiritual gifts, even if we do not know what they are yet.
I
think that is enough for now and I promise to put more effort into
these writings but I will end with a great scripture that I found this
week that pertains to this situation at the close of my letter.
"And only a few [stories] I have written because of my weakness in writing." Ether 12:40
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