Week 28: Little changes add up to be BIG Miracles
2013!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We´re here.
We lived through 2012.
And loved it.
As the new year came, my dreams received it well. I love the missionary schedule, and was 100% okay to sleep through it. We had a lovely dinner with the mission president (and check out their blogpost, which has pictures from the Christmas Eve dinner). The fair that was outside our house during Christmas was still going strong on New Years Eve--even stronger than before. With some Josh Groban/piano tunes on, we sleep like little babies. But still, the BOOM of firecrackers scared us a little as we nodded off.
This week has been a turning point for me in this time of serving a mission. I have (not proud to admit) sometimes gotten caught up in the WHAT needs to be done, HOW we are going to do it, and neglected the WHY. The reason we´re here. Because we are bringing a message of our Savior to this world. That no matter HOW happy, HOW content someone is, this knowledge, this baptism covenant will change them.
We met with a member to eat with them. She is an RM from 35 years ago, and oh, she is my example. She talked about how we will NEVER get this time to serve people that before we didn´t know, to think, study, pray so MUCH for other people. After that appointment, my perspective changed. New Years Resolution: Become more spiritual. Become that missionary, (for this time, and after this time, that PERSON) that GETS it. That has these principles so engrained in me that I couldn´t separate them if I tried.
Also, I became positive this week. Before, I was so, so, so focused on ¨we need to improve, we need to improve, we need to improve, we didn´t do this well, we need to do that better, x,y,z....¨ that it became exhausting. But, after a helpful companionship inventory, I made a goal (Clara, are you proud?) to be more positive. And then, yesterday was a brilliant example. It could have been seen as one of our WORST days. Easily we could have categorized it as such.
Last night in my journal I wrote:
¨Heavenly Father guides His work, so PERFECTLY.
Today was AMAZINGLY different. BETTER.
I feel like today was close to the best day of the mission.
Why?
Because I LET it be.
We had a usual day of appointments falling through. Francis wasn´t there :(, Edwin was showering for an hour °aka excuses°, a member didn´t show up to go with us, and our night´s appointments weren´t set in stone and totally turned into contacting/scrambling to work.
But, you know what else?
Today I FELT like a missionary.
Challenged with love, invited a super-25-years-inactive family to read the Book of Mormon again. It was literally magical to read with them. Some of the F.Majia say they are Catholic, and the others say they are Evangelical, but people can change. I believe that. I hold onto that. Everything worked out exactly how it should have. Had the member been there, we wouldn´t have had appointments to go to since Edwina nd Frederick didn´t answer. So, everything was perfect. We found Daña, the sister of Hna. Marleni. I love when we can laugh in lessons. When we can be so genuine and show them the gospel is for EVERY day, that it is something BEAUTIFUL, something HAPPY.¨
I´m so happy, so happy to serve.
I love working with inactive, and we´re finding a lot through a ward directory list. Because often, they only remember a little, but they have a different spirit. And they almost always have family that wasn´t baptized, and to see them reactive and share with someone they love.... It is precious.
Yes, we bought Oreos for $1.
We´re here.
We lived through 2012.
And loved it.
As the new year came, my dreams received it well. I love the missionary schedule, and was 100% okay to sleep through it. We had a lovely dinner with the mission president (and check out their blogpost, which has pictures from the Christmas Eve dinner). The fair that was outside our house during Christmas was still going strong on New Years Eve--even stronger than before. With some Josh Groban/piano tunes on, we sleep like little babies. But still, the BOOM of firecrackers scared us a little as we nodded off.
This week has been a turning point for me in this time of serving a mission. I have (not proud to admit) sometimes gotten caught up in the WHAT needs to be done, HOW we are going to do it, and neglected the WHY. The reason we´re here. Because we are bringing a message of our Savior to this world. That no matter HOW happy, HOW content someone is, this knowledge, this baptism covenant will change them.
We met with a member to eat with them. She is an RM from 35 years ago, and oh, she is my example. She talked about how we will NEVER get this time to serve people that before we didn´t know, to think, study, pray so MUCH for other people. After that appointment, my perspective changed. New Years Resolution: Become more spiritual. Become that missionary, (for this time, and after this time, that PERSON) that GETS it. That has these principles so engrained in me that I couldn´t separate them if I tried.
Also, I became positive this week. Before, I was so, so, so focused on ¨we need to improve, we need to improve, we need to improve, we didn´t do this well, we need to do that better, x,y,z....¨ that it became exhausting. But, after a helpful companionship inventory, I made a goal (Clara, are you proud?) to be more positive. And then, yesterday was a brilliant example. It could have been seen as one of our WORST days. Easily we could have categorized it as such.
Last night in my journal I wrote:
¨Heavenly Father guides His work, so PERFECTLY.
Today was AMAZINGLY different. BETTER.
I feel like today was close to the best day of the mission.
Why?
Because I LET it be.
We had a usual day of appointments falling through. Francis wasn´t there :(, Edwin was showering for an hour °aka excuses°, a member didn´t show up to go with us, and our night´s appointments weren´t set in stone and totally turned into contacting/scrambling to work.
But, you know what else?
Today I FELT like a missionary.
Challenged with love, invited a super-25-years-inactive family to read the Book of Mormon again. It was literally magical to read with them. Some of the F.Majia say they are Catholic, and the others say they are Evangelical, but people can change. I believe that. I hold onto that. Everything worked out exactly how it should have. Had the member been there, we wouldn´t have had appointments to go to since Edwina nd Frederick didn´t answer. So, everything was perfect. We found Daña, the sister of Hna. Marleni. I love when we can laugh in lessons. When we can be so genuine and show them the gospel is for EVERY day, that it is something BEAUTIFUL, something HAPPY.¨
I´m so happy, so happy to serve.
I love working with inactive, and we´re finding a lot through a ward directory list. Because often, they only remember a little, but they have a different spirit. And they almost always have family that wasn´t baptized, and to see them reactive and share with someone they love.... It is precious.
Yes, we bought Oreos for $1.
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