Transfers This Week!

This week has been an interesting week. We had an exchange this week and it made me appreciate Sister Anderson so much. It also helped me to realize things that I need to change/ be better at as a missionary. There are some missionaries here who are so ‘anal’ that it is difficult to be happy. Like they feel like they have to be this perfect missionary and if they do something wrong they beat themselves up for it. I do not want to be that kind of missionary. I want to be able to grow from each experience that I have, have fun at that same time that I work, and teach people. I don’t want to be this ‘beat me upside of the head’ whenever I make a mistake missionary. I want to have fun and still get work done. Even though Sister Anderson has been sick, whenever we go out the door we work hard and we have fun doing it. I am also learning how to trust in the Lord. I have a difficult time allowing Heavenly Father to help me and this week has been full of experience in which I had to let God help me: know where to go, what to teach, and when to speak. It has been great!

With the impending transfers  on Thursday it has been helpful to see all of the things that I have learned the past three months with being with Sister Anderson. We are aware of the chances of me and her leaving each other. We have been together for two transfers and that is rare for sisters. I am realizing just how much I have learned from her. She is such a trooper with dealing with lyme disease and missionary work. I want to be that hard working. I want to be able to just ‘deal’ with a crazy headache while going out there and teaching lessons. I want to be able to quote scriptures and relate to logical thinkers. She is so wonderful.

As for investigators they are still few in number but each one that we have are well on their way to baptism! Terrance moved his date to October 6^th (he is going out of town this weekend) but he said that this is something that he wants to do. David will be getting baptized on October 20^th and he is excited. He has told us that he is supposed to be a member of this church. Rob is working a lot (he works for the Nationals, our baseball team) but has already read the children’s Book of Mormon and wants to get baptized. He just has to come to church one more time and we have to teach him the commandments. Frank is still trying to fight us with baptism but I am sure that he will be baptized in October (his wife has been a member for 30 years).

As for me, I am doing much better spiritually. I have received some very uplifting letters from people (keep them coming!) and it has just strengthened me so much. I am here for a reason. I am fully aware of the love that Heavenly Father has for me and for the people in Northern Virginia. I am so happy to be a missionary. I love you all. This Monday we went to the Pentagon and saw a lot of amazing things there. It was such a spiritual experience. It makes me grateful to be an American!

Difficult Time

This week has been a good week as a missionary. We taught 5 lessons. We even had the opportunity to go to the Temple Visitor’s Center and have the sister missionaries teach one of our investigators. It was awesome. I love that we are so close to the temple.

Mentally I am having a difficult time. I just want to be happy. It is so hard. I am trying, I promise. It’s not the missionary work that is even making me so depressed. As you know my companion has Lyme Disease because of a tick bite. Apparently, the side effects linger for a while. She is still feeling the effects. I am trying to be patient with her. She is okay with laughing and having fun but when it’s time to work she is not okay with it. She complains that her head hurts (which I believe) but she is not willing to go to the doctor to get it checked out. I don’t know what more I can do for her. I really am trying to be patient.

Don’t worry I emailed President Riggs about it. I just want to work in my area. I want to teach people. Not the same people that we have been teaching. I want to go out and work in my area. Okay. I will not complain any more. I will suck it up and get through it. I guess I am worried that I will get transferred in two weeks and the area will not have made any progress. I am worried that people are going to look at me as a failure for not baptizing. Mount Vernon is the highest baptizing area in our mission, yet we only have one progressing investigator and he does not want to get baptized (his wife has been a member for 30 years but he only wants to meet with us to make her happy).

One high note was a get together we had for my birthday: 

This Week

Sorry that you haven't received a letter in a while. Things are so crazy on Preparation Days. I hope that I can get a letter out on next week. I talked to President Riggs and he has been really helpful with me and things that are going on. I am so happy to be here on my mission. Our teaching pool is low but hopefully we can get more investigators. Things are crazy. We are tracting a lot so hopefully something good comes out of it.

My mom wrote me and talked to me about everything that is going on there. So I am not worried about them as much. Things are great though. It all will work out. I am just trying to be strong and deal with it. It is tough though, I am trying to learn/ understand why Heavenly Father called me on a mission when I cannot even help my family. All I can do is pray.

Thank you so much for the Birthday Package! That really meant a lot to me. Me and my companion love the Lower Lights CD. It is our favorite. We put it on whenever we have a bad experience or an investigator cancels. It is so groovy. And of course thanks so much for the cards and the stamps. I hope your week is going great. Can you tell people to write me? I love letters.

Anyways thank you for your love and your support. I really appreciate it so much. It is so easy to give up and call it quits but I am staying strong for you all and the other people who I know are on my side.