Got this one out the same day! I am headed to Nashville tomorrow for
Micah's graduation! So wanted to post this before I left. Dawn
Why helloooooooooooooooooo my dearest friends and family!
Thanks SO much for the prayers! Keep praying for Chris, Art, Joyce and
for our mission to have 89 baptisms in the month of December (white and wet
[from baptism by immersion] Christmas ;))
Chris is going through some things, but he knows what he needs to do.
Art is having a hard time feeling and recognizing the Spirit. And he takes EVERYTHING very literally, so it has been an adventure teaching him.
Joyce!!! Our investigator Joyce that you all have been praying for? She is a Christmas miracle that just plopped into my life. She knows the church is true and is getting baptized December 29th. She is 18 and the cutest little Filipino girl ever. A few weeks ago before we started meeting, she was asked to draw her faith and beliefs in her art class. She knew some about the church, but was just really confused as to what she wanted to do. She said she said a prayer and started drawing. What came out was this beautiful mural thing. Her past is her questioning which path to go down, her present was a Bible, Book of Mormon, and studying type things, and for her future she drew a sun and the salt lake temple. Basically, that's when she knew she needed to take the lessons. Her lessons are always so spiritual. Who is this girl???
We took her to the visitor's center yesterday to watch the Christmas Devotional broadcast from Salt Lake and then we walked around the temple and looked at all the Christmas lights. I can't lie, when the orchestra played Joy to the World and they zoomed in on the trumpets I totes teared up. So that was a good reminder that, that still is what I want to do with my life, haha. I LOVE CHRISTMAS. Can't lie, Christmas lights are a bit distracting for us. Tthe other day we were driving on the way to an appointment and we saw the most decorated house I have ever seen. So we pulled over and got a picture. #coudln'thelpit
Uhm remember how we just got our car back from the shop? Yeah... we came back from a 20 minute door contact and our side mirror on my side was knocked off and broken. HIT AND RUN. Iit was a hugeeeeeeee street, so I don't know how they managed that one. Our mirror is now taped back on with painter's tape, but everything is distorted and I usually can only see the ground.
We went on two exchanges this week. I stayed here for both of them. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the two sisters...
"I never thought a place like this existed in America." (the sister from Fiji about our little Mexico)
"Oh yeah, this is straight up is like the movies." (about south central LA)
"Sometimes I wish I could see how missionaries act in their normal element back home. But I think you would be the exact same." Yaking that as a compliment. Don't worry everyone, I'm as nuts as ever.
Okay, this email is going to have to be much shorter, because Sister Matheson and I have been distracted for the past 15 minutes of our computer time, because of this hilarious woman named Tricia that came and sat by us. Sister Matheson started coughing and Tricia started talking about how she needs to take this specific medicine from the 99 cent store. and then she told us her life story including her jobs, her children, how her friend was legitimately crazy for having 6 kids (she doesn't know how many siblings Sister Matheson and I have), we have seen like 45 pictures of her kids, and she came over and grabbed my collar bone to teach me where to grab anyone that ever attacks me (she said she broke a 250lb man's nose at the staples center and that she is a black belt). Oh merciful, BEST EMAIL TIME EVER. Obvi, we're getting her info to teach her. Now she's crying and giving us details about her children's trials. Oh and her abusive marriage. And her dad's dementia and cancer. And physical therapy. And her son's modeling. Ahhhh 9 minutes left.
We got a referral from some sisters that work in Santa Fe Springs of a guy that said he was a young single adult and would be interested in learning more. We called him and left a message. His, ahem, wife called us back later and chewed us for her husband flirting with missionaries and how they go to a couples congregation. #singleswardproblems ahhh, Sister Perry fell to her bed and cried (it had been a long day). I think I was a bad companion, because I just sat there and laughed hysterically. It was hilarious.
It's interesting, this week I realized something. We've had a lot of rejection (people saying they read the Book of Mormon and it's not true, less actives who have been offended, seeing cards we've handed out ripped up on the ground, investigators having trials, etc.) On my mission I think I have had an abnormal amount of investigators get so close to baptism and then fall away. I told Sister Perry it was my curse, and I had to apologize, hahaha. But this week I reflected on all of those experiences and I can't help but smile. I am so grateful for all of those experiences. I have learned a lot. I have had a lot of disappointments, but recently I have been much less disappointed. Here's an excerpt from my journal:
"Sometimes I think Satan lets me think "you don't have success because you don't have enough faith." Yyes success in the sense of numbers and such is a gift, but it is not a measurement necessarily of our effort. Sure there are times when I know I could have been more effective or faithful, but for the most part, I can confidently say I have tried and given my all to the Savior and to this work. I recognize that my all is nothing compared to the Lord's all, so I'll do everything I can (and of course try to improve and try harder each day), and just trust that He's proud, He's grateful, and He'll take care of the rest." I've just had a much deeper sense of joy and happiness."
Aah, 56 seconds left! Dang it! Love you all! Make it a great week! Sorry this was all over the place! (gotta love Tricia!)
Chris is going through some things, but he knows what he needs to do.
Art is having a hard time feeling and recognizing the Spirit. And he takes EVERYTHING very literally, so it has been an adventure teaching him.
Joyce!!! Our investigator Joyce that you all have been praying for? She is a Christmas miracle that just plopped into my life. She knows the church is true and is getting baptized December 29th. She is 18 and the cutest little Filipino girl ever. A few weeks ago before we started meeting, she was asked to draw her faith and beliefs in her art class. She knew some about the church, but was just really confused as to what she wanted to do. She said she said a prayer and started drawing. What came out was this beautiful mural thing. Her past is her questioning which path to go down, her present was a Bible, Book of Mormon, and studying type things, and for her future she drew a sun and the salt lake temple. Basically, that's when she knew she needed to take the lessons. Her lessons are always so spiritual. Who is this girl???
We took her to the visitor's center yesterday to watch the Christmas Devotional broadcast from Salt Lake and then we walked around the temple and looked at all the Christmas lights. I can't lie, when the orchestra played Joy to the World and they zoomed in on the trumpets I totes teared up. So that was a good reminder that, that still is what I want to do with my life, haha. I LOVE CHRISTMAS. Can't lie, Christmas lights are a bit distracting for us. Tthe other day we were driving on the way to an appointment and we saw the most decorated house I have ever seen. So we pulled over and got a picture. #coudln'thelpit
Uhm remember how we just got our car back from the shop? Yeah... we came back from a 20 minute door contact and our side mirror on my side was knocked off and broken. HIT AND RUN. Iit was a hugeeeeeeee street, so I don't know how they managed that one. Our mirror is now taped back on with painter's tape, but everything is distorted and I usually can only see the ground.
We went on two exchanges this week. I stayed here for both of them. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the two sisters...
"I never thought a place like this existed in America." (the sister from Fiji about our little Mexico)
"Oh yeah, this is straight up is like the movies." (about south central LA)
"Sometimes I wish I could see how missionaries act in their normal element back home. But I think you would be the exact same." Yaking that as a compliment. Don't worry everyone, I'm as nuts as ever.
Okay, this email is going to have to be much shorter, because Sister Matheson and I have been distracted for the past 15 minutes of our computer time, because of this hilarious woman named Tricia that came and sat by us. Sister Matheson started coughing and Tricia started talking about how she needs to take this specific medicine from the 99 cent store. and then she told us her life story including her jobs, her children, how her friend was legitimately crazy for having 6 kids (she doesn't know how many siblings Sister Matheson and I have), we have seen like 45 pictures of her kids, and she came over and grabbed my collar bone to teach me where to grab anyone that ever attacks me (she said she broke a 250lb man's nose at the staples center and that she is a black belt). Oh merciful, BEST EMAIL TIME EVER. Obvi, we're getting her info to teach her. Now she's crying and giving us details about her children's trials. Oh and her abusive marriage. And her dad's dementia and cancer. And physical therapy. And her son's modeling. Ahhhh 9 minutes left.
We got a referral from some sisters that work in Santa Fe Springs of a guy that said he was a young single adult and would be interested in learning more. We called him and left a message. His, ahem, wife called us back later and chewed us for her husband flirting with missionaries and how they go to a couples congregation. #singleswardproblems ahhh, Sister Perry fell to her bed and cried (it had been a long day). I think I was a bad companion, because I just sat there and laughed hysterically. It was hilarious.
It's interesting, this week I realized something. We've had a lot of rejection (people saying they read the Book of Mormon and it's not true, less actives who have been offended, seeing cards we've handed out ripped up on the ground, investigators having trials, etc.) On my mission I think I have had an abnormal amount of investigators get so close to baptism and then fall away. I told Sister Perry it was my curse, and I had to apologize, hahaha. But this week I reflected on all of those experiences and I can't help but smile. I am so grateful for all of those experiences. I have learned a lot. I have had a lot of disappointments, but recently I have been much less disappointed. Here's an excerpt from my journal:
"Sometimes I think Satan lets me think "you don't have success because you don't have enough faith." Yyes success in the sense of numbers and such is a gift, but it is not a measurement necessarily of our effort. Sure there are times when I know I could have been more effective or faithful, but for the most part, I can confidently say I have tried and given my all to the Savior and to this work. I recognize that my all is nothing compared to the Lord's all, so I'll do everything I can (and of course try to improve and try harder each day), and just trust that He's proud, He's grateful, and He'll take care of the rest." I've just had a much deeper sense of joy and happiness."
Aah, 56 seconds left! Dang it! Love you all! Make it a great week! Sorry this was all over the place! (gotta love Tricia!)
Love, Sister Atkinson
No comments:
Post a Comment