Week 35: CRAZINESS of all-time craziness, tied with a whole lot of miracles
Ohhhhh, this WEEK!!!
We packed up, hugged our good-byes, packed the baggage, welcomed in another group of new missionaries, and headed to the transfer meeting. The talk was that something BIG was going to happen (the benefit of working in the office... you get to hear the little chit chat talk). We were STOKED, thinking about what it could be. Open up Gracias A Dios, the most east part of Honduras?? Changes in the office?? What would it be??
Well.... we started the transfer meeting with announcements. Changes in finance, inspiring.
then.....
MISSION SPLIT!!!!!! Mission San Pedro Sula West and Mission San Pedro Sula East. !!!!!!!!!! wha?????? In June. So when we go to the transfer meeting in May, it will be transfers for MISSIONS!!! That was a crazy announcement. It makes sense---the mission is bursting at the seams with SO many missionaries. Incredible announcement. I love being here for so many changes. Changes in missions, mission presidents, being in the field when the age change was announced. We're going to start seeing 19-year-old sisters in the April or May transfer, I don´t remember which. But it´s real. It´s happening. It´s incredible.
then, the TRANSFERS got announced. My stomach was just sick, as usual. Who will be my companion? Where will I go?? WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? Tell you what, I believe in miracles.
HERMANA TOLLIVER is my companion, and we went to JARDINES DEL VALLE, AKA The U.S. It is the richest part of the mission, hands down. Gated community. Richest. Has ALL the leaders--stake presidency members, everyone is JUST like in the U.S. Like the rich areas of the U.S., too. Gwen Rambo-style, mom. Like.... uh.... oops, my clothes have had stains for the last 6 months. That would´ve been REALLY good to know before we chopped our own hair off with safety scissors. ha ha Think it's time to start looking like a girl. :) It is just like the U.S. Oh, and the catch: EVERYONE speaks English. It´s incredible. And that may or may not jeapordize my spanish, but.... ooooooppssss!!! :) The ward hasn't had much growth. It´s a strong ward, without doubt, but it isn´t growing. So, we come with big plans, big hopes, big faith. We nicknamed it ¨Li´l Utah,¨because it´s like Bountiful. The ward is incredible, and I FEEL like a missionary, the way we are becoming a PART of the ward. I look at the progression of my housing situation from all my mission: from cold bucket showers TO normal, cold shower TO hot, normal showers. Oohhhhh, life is rich. We were shocked to find that we could even be companions yet again. Great part--we know how to work together. And we´ve been together from June 20-August 20. then from December 20-now. AKA ALMOST ALL OF OUR MISSION-exactly HALF of it. 4 months together-3 of those as companions, then 4 not.
So, with the announcement and the transfer meeting over, we wasted not a minute. There was a member that came to the change meeting. We wrote her number down for future reference, and hopped in a taxi to our area (at this point, taking a bus would be a disastrous waste of time, having no idea even WHERE our area was). We knew one landmark: a mall. So, told the taxi the mall. (oh, the catch: on Tuesday, the elders came and dropped off the new missionaries. We asked if they would have space for luggage in the morning when they came to pick up the news to take them to the transfer meeting. They said it would be better to pack our goods in the car THAT night, so we had a 10 minute planning rush. So, they took the bags to what would be our new house for us. So, when we had extra little things from packing, they got put in plastic grocery bags and hauled around the transfer meeting. Trashy, what? :) )
We got in the taxi, and while in it evaluated what WAS the plan.... called the girl that had gone to change meeting, our one contact, and got the bishop´s number. Called him, and he said we could visit him right then. Perfect. Navigated to find his work. Chatted with him. GUESS WHAT? Kay, let´s see how I can explain this story: Tuesday, when we had been in our area before transfers, we had visited a house that the woman who lives in our area of Castaños (area before transfers), but attends church in Jardines (new area). We were teaching the worker that lives there, and while we were there, a young woman of 16 years, Emma, came to visit the family. This girl lives in and attends Jardines (new area). She was SO excited to see sister missionaries, and was just so bubbly. Participated in the lesson, shared a beautiful testimony. Was a WOW kind of person. Hermana Tolliver told her we both had changes the next day, and that she, Hermana Tolliver, would likely be coming to Jardines (it´s the ward the nurse has always been in, so she kind of had heads up that she´d be coming). Emma was super excited. Woo hoo.
Fast forward.
Talking to our new bishop, and what do you believe? He said, ¨My daughter told me about you. That she had a very special lesson with you.¨ We were kinda like..... ¨huh?¨ Then... it clicked. EMMA. Was his daughter. She had talked to her dad about the lesson, that sisters would probably be coming to the ward. Before we MET our bishop, he trusted us. Respected us. Knew we worked hard. MIRACLE. Because having the trust of the bishop is CRUCIAL. And for a lesson we had in our last day in our area, everything fell right into place. Heavenly Father guides this work. There is NOT a doubt of that.
We got the number of the president of relief society and a couple other from our bishop, then went to visit the president of relief society. From her, got a list of names of memebers in relief society, who she wanted us to visit, and off we went. the members would ask us where we were going to be living, and all we had was a vague, ¨They told us the green apartments behind the mall.¨ ¨You mean you haven´t been to your house yet?¨ ¨Well... no....¨ ¨How long do you have in the area?¨ ¨We are getting close to having 3 hours.¨ It was a blessing to see the admiration on their faces. That our hard-working nature was to just get started. Housing? Yeah, we STILL are unpacking. Just living with what we need. Get home, plan, eat, sleep. Wearing ourselves out in the best of ways. :)
We packed up, hugged our good-byes, packed the baggage, welcomed in another group of new missionaries, and headed to the transfer meeting. The talk was that something BIG was going to happen (the benefit of working in the office... you get to hear the little chit chat talk). We were STOKED, thinking about what it could be. Open up Gracias A Dios, the most east part of Honduras?? Changes in the office?? What would it be??
Well.... we started the transfer meeting with announcements. Changes in finance, inspiring.
then.....
MISSION SPLIT!!!!!! Mission San Pedro Sula West and Mission San Pedro Sula East. !!!!!!!!!! wha?????? In June. So when we go to the transfer meeting in May, it will be transfers for MISSIONS!!! That was a crazy announcement. It makes sense---the mission is bursting at the seams with SO many missionaries. Incredible announcement. I love being here for so many changes. Changes in missions, mission presidents, being in the field when the age change was announced. We're going to start seeing 19-year-old sisters in the April or May transfer, I don´t remember which. But it´s real. It´s happening. It´s incredible.
then, the TRANSFERS got announced. My stomach was just sick, as usual. Who will be my companion? Where will I go?? WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? Tell you what, I believe in miracles.
HERMANA TOLLIVER is my companion, and we went to JARDINES DEL VALLE, AKA The U.S. It is the richest part of the mission, hands down. Gated community. Richest. Has ALL the leaders--stake presidency members, everyone is JUST like in the U.S. Like the rich areas of the U.S., too. Gwen Rambo-style, mom. Like.... uh.... oops, my clothes have had stains for the last 6 months. That would´ve been REALLY good to know before we chopped our own hair off with safety scissors. ha ha Think it's time to start looking like a girl. :) It is just like the U.S. Oh, and the catch: EVERYONE speaks English. It´s incredible. And that may or may not jeapordize my spanish, but.... ooooooppssss!!! :) The ward hasn't had much growth. It´s a strong ward, without doubt, but it isn´t growing. So, we come with big plans, big hopes, big faith. We nicknamed it ¨Li´l Utah,¨because it´s like Bountiful. The ward is incredible, and I FEEL like a missionary, the way we are becoming a PART of the ward. I look at the progression of my housing situation from all my mission: from cold bucket showers TO normal, cold shower TO hot, normal showers. Oohhhhh, life is rich. We were shocked to find that we could even be companions yet again. Great part--we know how to work together. And we´ve been together from June 20-August 20. then from December 20-now. AKA ALMOST ALL OF OUR MISSION-exactly HALF of it. 4 months together-3 of those as companions, then 4 not.
So, with the announcement and the transfer meeting over, we wasted not a minute. There was a member that came to the change meeting. We wrote her number down for future reference, and hopped in a taxi to our area (at this point, taking a bus would be a disastrous waste of time, having no idea even WHERE our area was). We knew one landmark: a mall. So, told the taxi the mall. (oh, the catch: on Tuesday, the elders came and dropped off the new missionaries. We asked if they would have space for luggage in the morning when they came to pick up the news to take them to the transfer meeting. They said it would be better to pack our goods in the car THAT night, so we had a 10 minute planning rush. So, they took the bags to what would be our new house for us. So, when we had extra little things from packing, they got put in plastic grocery bags and hauled around the transfer meeting. Trashy, what? :) )
We got in the taxi, and while in it evaluated what WAS the plan.... called the girl that had gone to change meeting, our one contact, and got the bishop´s number. Called him, and he said we could visit him right then. Perfect. Navigated to find his work. Chatted with him. GUESS WHAT? Kay, let´s see how I can explain this story: Tuesday, when we had been in our area before transfers, we had visited a house that the woman who lives in our area of Castaños (area before transfers), but attends church in Jardines (new area). We were teaching the worker that lives there, and while we were there, a young woman of 16 years, Emma, came to visit the family. This girl lives in and attends Jardines (new area). She was SO excited to see sister missionaries, and was just so bubbly. Participated in the lesson, shared a beautiful testimony. Was a WOW kind of person. Hermana Tolliver told her we both had changes the next day, and that she, Hermana Tolliver, would likely be coming to Jardines (it´s the ward the nurse has always been in, so she kind of had heads up that she´d be coming). Emma was super excited. Woo hoo.
Fast forward.
Talking to our new bishop, and what do you believe? He said, ¨My daughter told me about you. That she had a very special lesson with you.¨ We were kinda like..... ¨huh?¨ Then... it clicked. EMMA. Was his daughter. She had talked to her dad about the lesson, that sisters would probably be coming to the ward. Before we MET our bishop, he trusted us. Respected us. Knew we worked hard. MIRACLE. Because having the trust of the bishop is CRUCIAL. And for a lesson we had in our last day in our area, everything fell right into place. Heavenly Father guides this work. There is NOT a doubt of that.
We got the number of the president of relief society and a couple other from our bishop, then went to visit the president of relief society. From her, got a list of names of memebers in relief society, who she wanted us to visit, and off we went. the members would ask us where we were going to be living, and all we had was a vague, ¨They told us the green apartments behind the mall.¨ ¨You mean you haven´t been to your house yet?¨ ¨Well... no....¨ ¨How long do you have in the area?¨ ¨We are getting close to having 3 hours.¨ It was a blessing to see the admiration on their faces. That our hard-working nature was to just get started. Housing? Yeah, we STILL are unpacking. Just living with what we need. Get home, plan, eat, sleep. Wearing ourselves out in the best of ways. :)
We're starting with a lot of enthusiasm in this area. I was praying on Sunday that the ward would be able to FEEL my desire to work. I want to make a difference here. We are in the BEST area, with the most POTENTIAL LEADERS. I'm so over teaching and baptizing people that can't understand, can't read, don't get it. We are in this area with so much potential, and we are ready to ROCK it!
We love it here. I'm ssoooooo excited!
Breaking the rules and holding the little girl. MY little girl.. :)
Packing my bags for changes.
Oh, and I totally had some kind of allergic reaction. Attached is the joy. It was the first day I met some of the ward members, and they thought my disfigured face was just usual. Yeah, THAT was fun. As my loving companion laughed her head off at me. How supportive is THAT. That or Botox in Honduras. Thought I'd give it a shot.
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