Helllllllllo. So my new companion is Hermana Mulitalo, my lovely new samoan compppyyy. She is from West Valley UT and she brings out the ghetto side in me hahah. We have a lot in common but are very different at the same time. I dont think this transfer will be a breeze but I think we will have a good time and do work- so thats all that matters. Right now we are findddding all da timeee. Its good because I am training so she doesnt know any different hahaha. I guess I get to train next transfer too so that will be cool to get to do it multiple times! Tuesday she arrived, Wednesday was new missionary orientation. It really hasnt been too eventful around here, I am feeling great and enjoying missionary life. Really excited for Sam to be heading out tomorrow for the field!!!! He is gunna be sooo awesome. Hopefully he trainer is legit, and if not he will get very well acquainted with the Christlife attributes section in preach my gospel!!! haha. Welp I sent a pic of me and my trainee and the other one is from last pday where we met with some other missionaries to play soccer.. I forgot shoes but actually played pretty well! And thats my custom made shirt that Im wearing that says Arcadia mission on the front and hermana christian on the back! legggggittttt. Welp this week we have interviews with president, should be good!? Ill keep you informed!
Presidents email...
Presidente Becerra,
This was an alright week. We didnt really get to work in our area and have a normal day until Thursday because of the trainings but I feel good that my companion has met everyone we work with and can now be more of a contributor in planning etc. We found one lady while street contacting who we found out had been taught in the past, we had a lesson with her and she says she knows the church is true but she feels very tied to her church that she is currently attending. Basically she is confused, the member we took with us was really awesome and said that God had sent her missionaries in the past and now He is sending them again so she should take that as a sign. We will see what happens with her. Miguel didnt come to church because he was embarrassed because he had gone out drinking the night before and feeling hung over. I feel somewhat confused by him because he has the desire to change and says that he knows something is missing but I think he is too scared to change his life style. We were able to dedicate quite a lot of time to finding which is what we really need to do right now. I want the Lord to see that we are doing out part so that He will put some new people to teach in our path. We did street contact a cute young family that we have an appointment tonight, they said they were being taught by missionaries when they lived in LA so it will be exciting to see what happens at our appointment.
As far as Hermana Mulitalo and her adjusting to the mission all seems to be going really well. I am excited to have this opportunity to serve with her and anxious to see how we can improve our area this transfer by bringing more people into the waters of baptism. The language is a struggle but all in due time she will become more capable and enjoy the mission more and more. Thank you for all your do. -Hermana Christian.
7.25.2011
7.18.2011
Week 60
This past week flewwww by! The mission has been flying before my eyes these past two transfers. So my prediction was correct! I get to train again this transfer! So today I am with the other 2 sisters that are training then tomorrow we will get our trainees! woot woooot. Hopefully mine is cool... its a gamble! Regardless I will love her. I saw Hermana Herrera today as she is leaving, I dont know how to explain it but I get so excited and happy to see her, we were catching up and Im happy for her. We had 6 sisters leave today (well they technically leave tomorrow) so that is pretty crazy. The mission is changing a lot. President Becerra is sooo cool. He called me to say that he had received a letter from my parents, he is very involved on an individual basis with his missionaries which is really nice. He dissolved senior and junior companions... you are now use companions, I think that is cool. Because really the title doesnt mean anything because its always just the dominant personality that gets their way anyway (yes- I am speaking from personal experience! haha). So tomorrow I get my new comp then Wednesday we have new missionary orientation all day which will be fun. Then to work!
This past week we had a big dinner at Jose's house where his mom taught us to make pupusas (de el salvador). She was impressed with how round and flat I could get mine, she kept saying that I must have some latina blood in me... Ironic since European is quite the opposite of latinos. haha. Friday we finally had our fathers day ward activity, it was a luau. It was postponed cuz an hermana died and we had her funeral when the activity was scheduled. So I wore a grass skirt hahaha, (over my missionary skirt obviously) and I loved it. Sunday Jose got confirmed. He is soooo cool, we called him in the morning and he had to have his mom talk to me on the phone because he had lost his voice so she said he was sick so I was like, "oh no so he isnt coming to church!?" and she said, "oh no he is still coming!"... he is so solid, he was looking pretty sick but there he was in his suit and tie. After church bishop told him he was going to be called as a ward missionary and told him to stay for the preach my gospel class, so he stayed for the class. We joked with him that this is a church that will "put you to work," he is quickly finding out the reality of that statement. I am so happy to be here, I am feeling great. I am having divine help and I feel deeply grateful for all the blessings I have received from serving a mission. This is the best decision of my life.
This past week we had a big dinner at Jose's house where his mom taught us to make pupusas (de el salvador). She was impressed with how round and flat I could get mine, she kept saying that I must have some latina blood in me... Ironic since European is quite the opposite of latinos. haha. Friday we finally had our fathers day ward activity, it was a luau. It was postponed cuz an hermana died and we had her funeral when the activity was scheduled. So I wore a grass skirt hahaha, (over my missionary skirt obviously) and I loved it. Sunday Jose got confirmed. He is soooo cool, we called him in the morning and he had to have his mom talk to me on the phone because he had lost his voice so she said he was sick so I was like, "oh no so he isnt coming to church!?" and she said, "oh no he is still coming!"... he is so solid, he was looking pretty sick but there he was in his suit and tie. After church bishop told him he was going to be called as a ward missionary and told him to stay for the preach my gospel class, so he stayed for the class. We joked with him that this is a church that will "put you to work," he is quickly finding out the reality of that statement. I am so happy to be here, I am feeling great. I am having divine help and I feel deeply grateful for all the blessings I have received from serving a mission. This is the best decision of my life.
7.11.2011
Week 59
I wish I could fix any doubt or concern that you may have! Out of this whole weird situation I am super happy because I feel very good about ending strong and finishing to the end. Enduring to the end.. its better this way so thank you for your support and awesomeness all around! So this week has been interesting. This week Tuesday was pday but I was not feeling good so I slept the whole day basically. Feeling like you are wasting the Lord's time is so not fun which was the main reason I was considering coming home, until that awesome talk I had with President Becerra on Thursday which obviously changed my mind since I am still a missionary! haha. He is great. President Pike told me that as soon as I am not out the door when I am supposed to be that I should be going home, which was a big factor in my decision, then on Thursday when I talked to President Becerra he was so set on having me stay and it gave me renewed desire to be here. Not that I wanted to leave but I didnt want to hinder the work. He said some really complimentary things, cool thing is when he came and asked me my name when he first arrived for the welcome meeting (cuz he went around and shook everyones hands and asked their names and where they were from) and of course, my hair was in front of my name tag and I moved it and he goes, "oh sister christian! I have seen your stats, you are a hard worker!" haha, so of course the quickest way to a womans heart is with a compliment soooo I thought he was fabulous from the get go, haha. After the meeting I asked to talk to him and basically we sat down and he said, "I know about you, you are not going home, I need you here!" haha, he might have just been trying to build me up because it was obvious that I was feeling broken down, but regardless it was nice and the rest of our conversation was equally beneficial for me. So basically he didnt really give me an option haha, but yeah I am happy to be here. I feel kind of stupid about causing unnecessary concern at home, I have been very hush hush about things because I dont want to bore you with the negative details, but I guess everything happens for a reason. Next subject...the remainder of the week was great! Jose got baptized yesterday!!!!! hooraryyyy! He is a miracle, he came to church in his new suit that he bought the day before, quite a transformation! He is so cool and I just love him! on Thursday I taught Alexi how to knit hahaa, I didnt even know that I remembered how but she had the needles and said she wanted to learn and I remembered from good ol' mutual! I love having her and Oscar in the ward, they are so cool. I keep talking to them about getting sealed in December and I will deff go for that! Especially because she will have her baby in November, that will be so cool! So this coming Saturday we have transfer calls! dun dun dunnnn. Im 98% sure that I will be training again so that will be super fun! Hopefully she is cool!? Ill keep you posted! Well life is good here! I am feeling good!
Presidents Email...President Becerra, Yesterday we were able to have the baptism of Jose and it turned out great! The spirit was so strong and he actually surprised us by crying before he went into the font, he is an ex-gang member and has made a huge turn around in the short amount of time that we have been teaching him, it has been a miracle as we only started teaching him a month ago. That has been the highlight of the week and the ward was very excited because he got up and bore his testimony afterwards and you could tell he really wants to do Gods will and will be a great contribution to the ward. Other than that, the beginning of the week was rough for me but the remainder of the week we have been trying to make up for lost time. We were able to teach some great lessons but very sad to have Martin leave our area as we were planning to set him with a baptismal date at our next lesson (as he has hesitated in the past to set a date). We need to find like crazy this week. Miguel is our other investigator who was out of town therefore missed church so we need to hit the street and find new investigators, we have some good potentials and excited to see the fruits! This week I have been studying a lot in chapter one, my purpose, why it is that I am here. I feel a renewed desire for the work after having my mind previously set that I should go home. I am excited to finish strong. I have thought about the altered schedule and have decided that it will not be necessary, just like anyone else, if I do not feel well I will call Sister Becerra and ask for permission to stay in, I am thinking that I will take advantage of lunch and dinner times by taking the full hour and Im sure that will be sufficient. I am grateful for the talk I was able to have with you, I love being a missionary and grateful for every minute I have here in the mission. I hope you and your family are feeling welcome here, we are happy to have you! Thanks, Hermana Christian.
Presidents Email...President Becerra, Yesterday we were able to have the baptism of Jose and it turned out great! The spirit was so strong and he actually surprised us by crying before he went into the font, he is an ex-gang member and has made a huge turn around in the short amount of time that we have been teaching him, it has been a miracle as we only started teaching him a month ago. That has been the highlight of the week and the ward was very excited because he got up and bore his testimony afterwards and you could tell he really wants to do Gods will and will be a great contribution to the ward. Other than that, the beginning of the week was rough for me but the remainder of the week we have been trying to make up for lost time. We were able to teach some great lessons but very sad to have Martin leave our area as we were planning to set him with a baptismal date at our next lesson (as he has hesitated in the past to set a date). We need to find like crazy this week. Miguel is our other investigator who was out of town therefore missed church so we need to hit the street and find new investigators, we have some good potentials and excited to see the fruits! This week I have been studying a lot in chapter one, my purpose, why it is that I am here. I feel a renewed desire for the work after having my mind previously set that I should go home. I am excited to finish strong. I have thought about the altered schedule and have decided that it will not be necessary, just like anyone else, if I do not feel well I will call Sister Becerra and ask for permission to stay in, I am thinking that I will take advantage of lunch and dinner times by taking the full hour and Im sure that will be sufficient. I am grateful for the talk I was able to have with you, I love being a missionary and grateful for every minute I have here in the mission. I hope you and your family are feeling welcome here, we are happy to have you! Thanks, Hermana Christian.
7.05.2011
Week 58
Soooo guess what!? My life has been flipped upside down this week! First I would like to reassure you guys: I am fine! But for this whole transfer I have been feeling progressively worse regarding those migraines and just feeling whipppped out, specifically the past few weeks. I am doing good, happy, etc but the demands of my mission and my health situation have been leaving me feeling unsure about my ability to continue. Crazy right? I know, I deff did not think that would be a consideration, but I have been feeling really unsettled about the whole thing then recently I was praying really hard to know what in the world I am supposed to do and I feel very strongly that for some weird reason the answer may be to come home. I want to stay here, but I feel that coming home is the right thing to do. I am fine, its just that since being on my mission I have allowed myself no breaks, I think that the stress of my not being able to stop ever has taken its toll. I like to do things 100%, I could stay but I dont feel like right this moment I have the capacity to do everything the way I would like to. So yeah!. So last Monday I went to the doctor and it turns out I do have lupus! Which I am completely fine with, 1. because God is in control and 2. because I really dont know much about it to worry over! haha. So yesterday I talked to president and he asked if I would wait till transfers I said yes but I have pasted my email with him below so you can see what I wrote him... So yes- my life is crazy! haha. Dont call the office or anything, I will call you when its appropriate. Sooo I am super sad (like emotional breakdown sad) at the prospect of leaving the mission, I really am not "ready" to be done, but if there is one thing I have learned on my mission is the importance of trusting in God. I am very happy to know that I will get to see my lovely parents so soon and that I will have some down time to slow down my life for a little bit. So be happy and dont be sad or worried! I am not worried about any of it, I just want to sleep for 5845983 years hahaha. just kidding.So this week had some really good parts, specifically Jose is progressing so well and has his baptism this Sunday! Hopefully I will be there for it!? He needs an interview with President because he has been to jail twice and recently got off probation- we are hoping he hasnt killed anyone so that there is no hold up on his baptism. Sister Love has been heaven sent throughout this whole thing, I keep reassuring her that I have cried more this transfer than all my other transfers put together hahaha. Hopefully she believes me. No one in the mission knows what going on besides her. I guess another sister went home this week for knee problems so I guess I feel better knowing Im not a total wuss!? So I havent met our new president yet, on Thursday we meet him. We all feel weird like we dont have a mission president right now cuz Pike left and now we are in limbo haha. He seems nice from the call I had with him. He is no Pike though! President Pike is unlike any other person I have ever met, I swear that he and his wife will be translated some time soon! I feel grateful his having been able to serve in this mission, he is a shining example to me and will always be someone I hold in the highest esteem. I cant believe this chapter of my life is coming to a close so quickly, not what I expected... life is full of surprises! Well I better go, I will be in touch Email to President:This week was a good week, we were able to have Sean and Christian confirmed and the ward was really happy that they were able to become members of the church because the grandma has been praying for a long time for that to happen. We were able to teach Jose, our investigator who will be baptized on Sunday, some really awesome lessons. He has successfully completely quit smoking and told us that the smell of cigarettes now offends him and he has no desire to do it again. He is such a shining example of obedience and we are excited for him to be baptized as he has invited his whole family and is hoping that he will set the example. Miguel and Martin also came to church, they are progressing but we found out yesterday that Martin moved out of our area so we need to pass him off to Pomona elders, sad for us but good for them! The area is progressing well but we are in need of new investigators, which will be the main focus of this area for the next few weeks.In my studies I have been focusing on lesson three and really have enjoyed furthering my understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am starting to understand more and more that repentance is the continual process of becoming more and more like our Heavenly Father.
I wanted to talk to you about my current health issue. I recently found out I have lupus, I have been feeling very poorly for quite a while but this transfer has become increasingly difficult for me as I get debilitating migraines . It has got to a point where I feel like it will be better for me to swallow my pride and head home 3 months earlier than expected. This is the opposite of what I want, but I have been praying about it and feel comforted to know that this is the right decision for me at this time. You asked if I could wait 2 weeks, I will do whatever is in the best interest of the mission . I am very grateful to be a missionary, I love this gospel with all my heart and feel grateful for the time I have spent here in the mission. I am sorry this is occurring right as you arrive but I am grateful for your time and excited for you and your family in this new chapter in your lives! Take care-Hermana Christian.
I wanted to talk to you about my current health issue. I recently found out I have lupus, I have been feeling very poorly for quite a while but this transfer has become increasingly difficult for me as I get debilitating migraines . It has got to a point where I feel like it will be better for me to swallow my pride and head home 3 months earlier than expected. This is the opposite of what I want, but I have been praying about it and feel comforted to know that this is the right decision for me at this time. You asked if I could wait 2 weeks, I will do whatever is in the best interest of the mission . I am very grateful to be a missionary, I love this gospel with all my heart and feel grateful for the time I have spent here in the mission. I am sorry this is occurring right as you arrive but I am grateful for your time and excited for you and your family in this new chapter in your lives! Take care-Hermana Christian.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)