Holla! Oh, I just love you guys. And I am in a great mood. This week is going to be the most phenominal week. I'm way excited. Let me tell you about last week...
Last Monday for P-Day we went to the mission home and helped Sister Crawford bake like 100+ muffins so she could freeze them for interviews and zone meetings and etc. Because she was staying up til what Elder Rasmussen calls "The ding of dawn" the night before they were made every time. (Speaking of Elder Rasmussen. SARAH GUNNERSON. GUESS WHOSE COUSIN ELDER RASMUSSEN IS???? Yeah. Write me. :]) So it was a good day. Then we went and saw James. He is doing well, but for the past weekend he has been MIA. No body can get in touch with him. Please keep him in your prayers. I worry about him. After that we helped out at the mission office doing laminations for Zone Meeting. It was way fun, we have the best missionaries in our mission.
Tuesday we did the usual, which included our appointment falling through. Well, I'm sure you can imagine that I really don't like it when appointments fall through. I hate not knowing what to do, because I feel like I'm not fulfilling my purpose if I'm not busy. BUT, I am learning so many awesome things on this mission. One of which is to relax. Things are not going to be perfect - ever. And if something changes that is okay. I like to have everything planned. I like to know everything that is going to happen to me. Because then I feel less scared. But that is not life and it is DEFINITELY not a mission. And I am learning how to deal with that. Did I already tell you that one of my goals is to be a "poly at heart" and by poly I mean polynesian. We have some awesome polynesian Elders and Sisters here, and at first I thought it was just a fluke that I looked up to them all. But I know it isn't. Me and Sister Cochran talk about how they are so happy and such problem solvers and so energetic, and we think it is their culture! Because they are all awesome missionaries and just roll with the punches. I love it. So it is either a part of the polynesian culture to just get it done and be happy ... or it is just the culture of all of them I have met out here. But I just want to be like them.
This is a cool thing from the week: all week we have been passing out flyers to the community that said "Please Join Your Friends and Neighbors in a Day of Fasting and Prayer for Rain Sunday October 9 2011". Because we need rain in the WORST way over here. It hasn't really rained since January. And so we passed out these flyers (in Kingwood. Mom. We HAVE to go walking in Kingwood Someday. You would LOVE the houses). and talked to a TON of people this week. Which was great. And then on Sunday, boom. Thunderstorms like you wouldn't believe. We were sitting in Relief Society and one of the members of our ward goes "Sisters Listen!" (she is so awesome, she is like 80 years old and still kicking) and it was RAINING so hard. I believe in prayer. And I believe in fasting. Oh, I have never loved fasting the way I love it now. I still hate being hungry and not eating, but I LOVE the way I feel when I fast. I am so much more spiritually sensitive.
Friday morning, I was in a bad way. I just did not want to see or be around anyone, I was irritated, the work was going slow and I just wasn't having any of it. We had Zone Meeting, and I was like "Ugh. I love Zone Meeting, but I am not in the mood right now." We went and oh. my. gosh. We have the BEST Zone Leaders in the world. It was the greatest Zone Meeting ever. Talk about an attitude adjustment. Because attitude really is everything. You can either be happy or miserable. Every day it is your choice. I am learning that because missionary work is not always fun and especially not when you don't have solid people to teach. And it is hot, and stressful and more full of disappointments than anything I've ever done in my LIFE. You are constantly putting your neck on the chopping block and 9 times out of 10 people swing the axe and take your head off (nice visual, eh?). But ... oh well! Like, seriously, Oh. Well. That doesn't change that you have to go out, that doesn't change that you have to keep going. So you might as well be happy about it. You might as well be nice and loving to people. I am so not as good at this as I want to be. But I want to be better! One of the things they did at Zone Meeting was show a video of a high school football team. And the team is talking about how the opposing team for the game that weekend is better than them, so the coach pulls one kid up and has him do this CRAZY drill where you are on your hands and feet (not you knees, but you feet. like, if you were doing yoga it would be downward dog) and you move forward that way- WITH another player on your back. Nuts. So anyway, the coach has this big kid come up and puts a blindfold on him, and asks him "Can you make it to the 30?" and he says "I can try coach". So off they go. And the coach doesn't stop him after the 30, he just keeps walking by the kids side. After a while the kid starts to ask "Am I at the 30 yet? Am I there yet?" and the coach just tells him "Don't worry about it, keep going. keep going!" and then the kid really starts to hurt. He starts telling the coach that he can't go any further and the coach says "Give me your best!" and he keeps going. Then the kid goes "it hurts!" and the coach goes "I know it hurts, keep going! Keep going! I want your best. Don't quit! Don't quit! Don't quit!" And finally, the kid just collapses and I'm pretty sure he's crying because he is so frustrated. But the coach takes off his blindfold and goes "You're in the endzone". And then he leans down and says to the kid "You are the most influencial player on this team.If you lead the others will follow." And it was just the coolest video I've seen in a long time. I LOVE sports analogies. They are so cool. That was like perfect for missionary work and what I was feeling Friday morning. So incredible. Because sometimes, like Friday morning I wrote it in my journal, it hurts. Every day hurts and I don't want to do it anymore because I just feel like I have nothing more to give. I'm empty and there's nothing else. And it hurts to try and fail and it hurts when people are mean, and it hurts when even the members fall through. Those things hurt. And then we watch this video where the kid goes "It hurts, coach!" and the coach answers "I know it hurts! Give me your best! Don't quit!" That's what I am learning here on my mission. Don't quit. Keep going. Even when you don't have anything else. Because when you've literally done all you can do, you're in the endzone.
I'm also learning a lot about mistakes. I have never been okay with making mistakes. It makes me so mad when mistakes are made. How horrible is that?? We are here and human and because of that we will make mistakes DAILY. And as long as we are trying and praying and consecrating our day to the Lord, He will make good out of any situation. He will make good out of my mistakes. I really am learning so much. And some days, let me tell you, I do not like it. I do not want to hurt and be uncomfortable and fail or any of that. Some days I just want to take a day. And relax. And stop. But that is not what I am here to do, and that is not what life is about. Life is about up and at 'em! One of our zone leaders (a poly, wouldn't you know?) always goes "Up and jumpin! Up and jumpin!" and I LOVE it. That is life. Two quotes I've always loved are "Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing." and "The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all."
So that's my life on a mission. This morning, we spent 2 hours cleaning out the house of a woman in our ward who is wayyy sick and has literally 25 cats. Half of which are full grown. 13 cats. Sick. I love you guys so much. I thank you SO much for your prayers and examples and letters. I owe my sanity to them some days haha. This is hard stuff. Some days I am blessed with an I can do it attitude. This is one of those days! I am grateful for it all. I am grateful for who I am becoming. I am grateful for the hard things, even though for me they are REALLY hard for some reason.
I really love you all though. You're the BEST. I have the best family and friends that there are. Ya'll are so rockin awesome :]
James, you asked a while ago about mission lingo. Well, I have some for you. We do say apostate, but it is more about Elders that are going to go home and "go apostate" meaning, they are just done-zo. "Cupcakin'" = wasting time, as in "Hurry up. Quit cupcakin' ". And when Elders are really serious about something they say "No jiving" I assume it means "no joking". Then there is the standard "pros' ". We don't really say ZL or DL very much. Any of those universal? Or are they just THE stuff? How is life? I would like some p90x still. Muchas gracias.
Jonny, how goes it? You are almost outta there in like 10 months! AHH! I am so excited for you. You are seriously going to be the BEST missionary in the world.
Mommy, I just love you. Thank you for the double letters this last week. I'll have you know, you were right. I did feel totally different in about 2 days. :] I'm still your daughter, freaking out all the time that I am going insane when really I'm just... normal haha. How are you doing? How is work? How is my dog? Is he getting lots of walkys now that it's cooler. Has it snowed yet??
Dad, I'm WAY excited for you to do the wedding! That will be so cool. How is everything at the new office? How is everything with the stake? You had some big things coming up, didn't you? Have any of those come to pass? I love you and I thought about you on your birthday.
SPEAKING OF BIRTHDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! James. You are THE BEST big brother I have ever heard of. AND IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (which, consequently is my half birthday. Feel free to dedicate a slice of cake to me :]) But other than that I hope you soak up the entire 24 hours of the day for YOURSELF. You are awesome, and you deserve to have an awesome birthday! Want to date my mission president's daughter? She is gorgeous and single and 23 and living in provo. :] Yes. I hope you just celebrate the beck out of your birthday. And know that I love you so much and you are the best.
Well, time is running out. Guess who gets to go to the temple this week????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! AHHHHH! I am freaking out. I am so excited. I LOVE THE TEMPLE. And I love all of you. Keep being good. I pray for you. I love you. Good night and good luck (haha, I am in SUCH a good mood today)
P.S. in other wedding news, is katherine goodell getting married soon??
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