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| Hermanas Christensen & Story |
FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!
My goodness gracious. Wow. When I sit down to write--although my head has been swirling with things to say to you all week--I can't seem to think of anything to say. My heart is fulllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll of gratitude for you! Seriously, so thank you so incredibly much for being so wonderful and amazing. I feel SUCH joy hearing from you! I agrree with bro's letter thing that you scanned in for me; my family and friends are EVERYWHERE to me. It is unreal how much I think of you all. But, I was once given some very wise counsel from a great human who told me to think on it (and all you), smile, and keep pressing forward. I'm trying. I really am.
It has been... a good week. It really has been. But it's been hard. Bro is so right about this being the most confusingly addictingly difficult work to do. It's hard, but as we press forward we see INSTANT results (and miracles! and tms!) and we want morrrrrrrrrrre of that! So we just keep going. There is no other way to describe it. I can't get enough of it, but it's so hard.
Loved ones, I need your help. I am struggling--I don't know what to do. I feel so inadequate for this work and for what I'm doing. I don't know how to do it all. I can't do it all. I feel so incredibly pressed for time--there is never enough. Everyone always says that, but, as mobat sisters, we don't get study time. THIS IS KILLING ME. Most days we'll have time for the majority of our personal study time but not comp study and certainly not language study. This is so hard for me. I don't feel like i'm progressing. And i failed to notice before that the white handbook specifically states that I can't wake up early to study... I ALWAYS have to be with my companion. Plus I'm so tired in the morning, even when she's willing to wake up early so I can study, I don't hear my alarm. Preach My Gospel outlines the need for us to not just master the language in the gospel but to master the language--that the Lord may have called us to learn this language to bring about his work at a later time of life. I have been so incredibly discouraged as of late because I'm in an English ward, giving English tours, and getting minimal amounts of study time. I'm not progressing. I'm not learning spanish. I try to speak and it's just so broken. i dont' get the chance to be swallowed up in Spanish, to be forced to learn it. Ah. I don't know what to do. Yesterday morning I was wishing so badly I could talk to you, to get some advice, some counsel, some wisdom, because I need it and I need you.
Fortunately the Lord is gracious enough to grant me little pieces of revelation--I can always continue learning Spanish.. the end of my mission isn't the deadline, right? To master the language? I just feel so bad. Bro, I almost envy you, being in Chile, being forced to learn it. But I feel like it'll all be alright. The Lord called me Spanish speaking so it'll have to all be alright. I sat down and made hardcore goals yesterday that I think will help, and I do feel better.
I always heard of miracles happening on people's missions, but I never thought it would happen to me. Yesterday, we were going through our massssssssive ward list with the elders and the phone rang: Carina was calling. Backup--my first week in the chula ward, hermana introduced me to a cutie named Carina. She's maybe 23 ish and was invited to church by her boss. Last week, hermana had this revelation that maybe Carina wasn't baptized. So on Sunday we asked ward council and everyone was unsure. Ha ha, what? So we asked the girl how she was liking church, and she said, "Oh I love it here! It's like family. I've been coming for about nine weeks now, yeah, nine weeks." She'd just been counting how long she'd been coming for?! Ha! She lovvvvvvves it here. She's all over pictures on the bulletin boards because she comes to the rs activities and considers this ward her family! Okay okay okay anyyyway, she calls yesterday, and she literally said, "Hermana Christensen, so I want to get baptized, but I know I have to do some things first; I need to meet with you, right? Can we do that?" Ummmm, no Carina. Nope, we can't do that. We dont' have time--we dont' have time! to baptize you! HAHA. family. she literally FELL FROM THE SKY. She has already been to church TRIPLE the amount of times needed for her to be baptized... and she's READY! She WANTS IT! She is a CONVERT BAPTISM! So! We're meeting with her tomorrow! Pretty unbelievable huh? Hermana was telling me a few weeks ago that stuff like this just happens... that the Lord prepares people and we find them. What if Hermana hadn't been listening and just assumed that Carina had been baptized? What if we didn't ask in ward council? I mean, how long would she have continued coming to church--waiting for someone to notice she needed to be baptized?! There are miracles happening all around us. It's unreal.
I feel real blessed. I'm trying to see the hand of the Lord in my life more. I'm trying. Earnestly and sincerely. It helps, especially when I get down about stuff like Spanish. Really, even now--just emailing you!--I feel better. It's not really of eternal significance. All I can do is all I can do. That's what the Lord expects of me. I'm going to have a good attitude and just keep pluggling along. Unreal. So blessed.
Thank you SO ETERNALLY much for going to Jean's reception! Ah! She looks SO beautiful! Saturday was a hard day, too, a little. Just knowing that I was missing that incredibly beautiful moment of my best friend's life... but--once again and like always!-- the Lord reached out in love. We were assigned to work outside the temple on saturday morning like visitors center people. There were a lot of weddings going on, and I felt like that was literally theeee closest I could be to Jenn and her pinnacle of happiness that day. i watched brides and their families taking pictures, and I just felt overwhelmed with gratitude for the temple, and that we can go there to be sealed together for time and all eternity! Ah! It's so beautiful! It reminds me of that quote I gave yall--A missionary is someone who leaves their family for a short time so others can be with theirs for eternity. that's what's going on here.
Camilla, one of our investigator's, has a baptismal date--september 4th. We've struggled with their family and getting a date, but it HAPPENED. And her less active dad will hopefully baptize her. :) and then he, his wife, and Camilla can all go to the temple and do baptisms together, and can eventually be SEALED for time and all eternity! THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!
I want you to know that the other day I was literally staring at Tijuana. Don't worry, I fought the urge to just go there. President told us on our first day they'd kidnap us and chop our fingers off if we went and ransom us. Ha.
MAKE A MORMON.ORG PROFILE ALREADY! i keep looking for it! Get on it!
Congrats Kathe! she'll be soooo great thre!
Favor--please get the reflections of christ cd out of the big paper bag in my closet and listen to it. the book is near my computer--put it out somewhere you can see if often because it's amazing!! and the new reflections of christ about him in the americas is AMAZING too. we love the cd and the book is INCREDIBLE!
ah i am so out of time. again. there is never time. kaylynn and colb, sorry no time. BUT KNOW I LOVE YOU! thank you for all you are and do! i am so grateful and so blessed and i recognize that! thank you thank you!!!
vayan con dios!
your hermana
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