January 28, 2014

HEY MOM!

 

Well, I'm staying here another transfer. And so is Sister Clark. So can I expect my contacts to come by the end of the week? I really want contacts :(

 

I talked to President Taylor at our Zone Interviews (which is what you saw photographed; it was good :)) and he said to just let him know what we decide about going home. I think I should try to go home as soon as I can to my release date, like a week early max. I've been pondering on it and soccer is not my priority for going home early from my mission, just school, so I think I will request to go home a week early if you think that is wise? This is really it. I am calling this my decision and I will not be changing anymore. I will tell President that I need only a week maximum, today. Sound good? :) And Vic has a year to decide where she wants to go to school, and I would have a year to decide to transfer to Dixie with them after all :P ha ha

 

It's been getting warmer which may seem nice...but it's actually really scary. Probably only one more transfer of nice weather getting nicer, because then it will start to get hotter and hotter! I'm so scared! So I love it right now and try not to think about the future weather :)

 

On Friday, Sister Clark and I went with our friends, Gary and Jasmyn, to the Gilbert Temple Open House :) He is less-active and she is investigating the Church. It was so big and beautiful! They herded people through really fast, though. The best part was that our friends liked it :) She said she wants to get baptized in the font! We had to explain to her that it is for the work of those who are dead and she was a little bummed!

 

We have a new investigator named D! He is 16 and really funny :) He came to Church a few weeks ago with his less-active friend/roommate who is probably 30 or 40. But he is already making such progress! When we first met with him, he said he believed that God is a Spirit who went into a body and called Himself Christ, so basically he believed in the Trinity. We explained the Godhead and showed him some scriptures to read. In the next lesson he said he was thinking about the Godhead and says that it makes sense and he agrees with it! He also said he had been reading and praying to know if the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and he says he believes the answer is yes because he recognizes the Spirit when he reads and prays and ponders :) Then we met with him again (3 times last week) and invited him to be baptized on February 15 and he said YES! Well, he said "sure" but that is an affirmative answer and we are excited about it :) He's amazing and I can't believe we've only known him for a week!

 

I was sick all week. I think I had a cold. I have a painful cough now, coming off it. It was rough! I didn't eat very much and we don't have a scale or else I might say that I lost some weight. But I am feeling a lot better. My body is tricking me into thinking I'm still sick, though, because the only time I wear my glasses is when I'm sick, and I happened to be sick when I ran out of contacts so now my brain thinks I'm still sick, which is giving me a headache and making me not want to eat. It's weird.

 

And, I'm not having a lot of struggles. I'm having the normal amount of struggles. I'm probably having the below average amount of struggles just because the things that get missionaries don't really get me; like homesickness, feeling burnt out, and discouragement. Everything really is fine! I think the only thing I would struggle with is having to deal with things at home, which I don't, or if someone here died (that I know). Struggling just isn't something I do ;) ha ha ha just kidding :)

 

Something that I keep learning is the peace of mind you can have for letting go of unnecessary stress and forgiving yourself for being weak. The standard I set for myself will always be really high, my whole life. But I can't let that standard be impossible to make every time. I might be able to perform at 100% a couple of times, but not every time. So when I learn to do my best but see only 80% come out, that that is okay sometimes. I don't compare myself to others, but I always compare myself to my best self. Sometimes it can tear me apart! But, if we were able to repent of every sin only once, we would all be a lot closer to perfect. But I know that perfection is EARNED, not LEARNED. I will never learn how to be a perfect missionary, but one day, after doing my very best on this earth, Heavenly Father will bless me with the gift of perfection. It's really relaxing whenever I remember that lesson and can give myself a break! I push myself way too hard sometimes, but when I can look back and say, "I did the best I could," then I don't have to be upset with my efforts, but instead I can move enthusiastically forward! I like looking at what I could have done better and improve, but the difference is that I don't always try to dwell on the negatives and the weaknesses. Instead, I look at the strengths and see where they can be even stronger! Sometimes Satan likes to trick us into thinking our strengths are actually weaknesses. But Heavenly Father likes to remind us what our strengths are when we just ask Him to show us :)

 

Another 6 weeks in Glen Lakes, then we'll see where we're at. I love you a lot and am always so happy to hear from you :) 

LOVE YOU!

 

-Kady