Difficult Week

This week has been a very interesting week. I love Aquia (Stafford, VA) and the ward. It is so beautiful here. Also the members are amazing and so sweet. Yesterday we went of “splits” I went with Sister Hawk (ward missionary) last afternoon (at 5pm to the end of the night) to see the baptism of David Velasquez. It was great to be able to go see him get baptized. It was such a wonderful experience. I also got to see Sister Anderson and see how she is doing taking over Mount Vernon. She is doing fine so that’s great. 

The past couple of days were torturous to say the least.  I called Bryce and talked to him for an hour to calm down. I just felt like whenever I got with a new companion they would totally change (Sister Olsen worried about leaving and just became so robotic, Sister Anderson got sick and just lacked motivation to do anything, and now my new companion feels like I cannot do anything so I have to be treated like I don’t exist, etc). It made me question everything: Why I’m here and does Heavenly Father even care about me. I just lost my trust in Him. It has just been so frustrating. After that I talked to President Riggs for an hour and he helped me out a lot. My companion really does love it here and wants to be here for the rest of her mission (she has two more transfers- 3 months) so I will feel awful if she is transferred out but I don’t want to stay with her and I don’t want to go either. Argh! But I know that whatever happens will be for the best. So it was great to go out for a few hours and just relax. While I was away she was with another member of the ward and she really enjoyed it as well.

Other than that life is great. I really do enjoy being a missionary. The members here are fantastic and love to feed us and invite us over to teach them or to share a spiritual thought. It is so great. Aquia is full of military so all we see are men in uniforms! But seriously it’s amazing out here. The ward is so strong.

Does anyone out there have any talks, speeches, sermons, or other words of encouragement? 

Transfers and a Difficult Week

This week has been a stressful week. On Sunday night we received the phone call saying that I would be transferred to Fredericksburg. I am now in the Aquia Ward (actually in Stafford, Virginia- not Fredericksburg). The ward is so wonderful! Everyone is super nice and friendly. The members are amazing. They constantly give us referrals and feed us like crazy. I love it. There are tons of government people here (military, department of defense contractors, FBI, doctors, nurses, etc). It is so cool. We have not gone tracting at all since I have been here because there are so many members giving us referrals. I love it so much. However, I and my companion are working a lot on unity. We are different in many ways. She is; however, a rarity here: She is a convert of nine years, older sister (28), and is from Texas! So the members and investigators love her. This means that I do not get to talk much, so I am trying to work on that with her. I am so nervous though to see her leave because I think that it would be hard to take over this area because the people love her so much.

I miss Mount Vernon so much. I miss the people that I was teaching, the area and the members. It is so hard but I am trying. I hope transferring to a new area doesn't feel like this every time. Missionary work is hard and I don’t feel like I can do this for a year. It’s not the teaching that’s hard or the finding people to teach; it’s dealing with companions. I have never been the person who needs to hang out with people. I have always enjoyed working alone and doing things by myself. I understand that I am new into the area but that doesn't mean that I don’t know how to teach the Plan of Salvation or the First Vision to people. I did teach other people before. I’m not stupid. I am worthy to have the Spirit with me so I can pray for and receive the Spirit of discernment just like anyone else.

I do not know why I am not so happy with things. It’s not that I want to go back to Mount Vernon. Like I said I love the members and the area here (it is so much better than Mount Vernon in getting referrals and people being nice) I just want to feel like I am needed.

Sorry all of the past months letters are such a downer. I really am happy to be a missionary. I do love to bear my testimony to people about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I do love telling people that they have a Father in Heaven who loves them so very much. That part is so great. 

Transfers and Baptisms

This week has been a crazy week. On Tuesday I got a phone call telling me that I would be transferred; however, Wednesday morning I got the phone call that I was staying with Sister Anderson in Mount Vernon for another 6 weeks! I am both excited and nervous. So far things are great. We are having a baptism this Saturday in between the second session of General Conference and the Priesthood session. Terence is getting baptized into the Potomac Mid-single’s Ward! He is great. He has a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ. He was raised Jewish so Christianity is totally new to him. He is such a great man. We are still working on Joseph Smith. He is so great. We also have two other baptisms coming up: David on October 21st and Rob on November 3rd - both in Potomac - and I cannot wait.

                With the upcoming General Conference my mind is full of thoughts on what I need. I am so excited! I cannot wait to see the prophet’s face and hear what guidance these wonderful men and women have for me and for my investigators. I am pumped! I have been bearing my testimony of the prophet and the priesthood; it is so nice to actually witness them for myself and get that recharge. Mentally and spiritually I am I am a bit overwhelmed with my task of bringing souls unto Christ. I recognize how much I truly am a servant of the Lord and how much people look at me as a “visual” of what the church is. I have had a few people come to me and say how great I am and that they light of Christ radiates off of me. That’s scary! I am happy that I am a missionary; there is very few ways to get in trouble, and not just a normal member walking around Detroit. It is also so great to see the investigators that I am teaching tell me how great we are and how much we are changing people’s lives.

                I am so happy to stay in my area and teach people! It is so wonderful to really see the fruits of my labor. The baptisms are great but I just love talking to people and testifying to them. It’s great, and scary, and awesome. I love it. But I am not just happy that I am baptizing people. That’s not what matters. What matters is that we are changing people’s lives! Whether they know it or not, once they have met a missionary and spoken to them for a few seconds their thoughts about members change. You cannot talk to a missionary about Heavenly Father, the Savior, the Plan of Salvation, or the Restoration of the church and not be changed! I have noticed that. When I bear my testimony of something to someone on the street I can literally see their wheel’s turn in the back of their head and even if they say they are not interested, I know that I planted a seed. Maybe they will run into a member or another missionary but they will not forget what they felt when I bore my testimony. I never knew the power of bearing one’s testimony until my mission. It is such an amazing thing. I love it.