Dear Family,
It's transfer
day! We were totally shocked! I have been with each companion for two transfers
each and now Sister Elliott is breaking the cycle! She is getting transferred
to Citrus Heights; Woodside Ward to be with Sister Fonua. I will really miss
her. We have learned so much about humility from each other that we COULD NOT
have learned anywhere else. Haha. I will be getting another missionary that I
have been PRAYING to serve with. She was trained by Sister Adamson and even
went to the same single's ward as Sister Garfield back in Utah. Her name is
Sister Siemens! I am so excited to be serving with her. I think I always knew I
would. I have a feeling she will most likely be my last companion. So it should
be great!
This week was
incredible. One of the people we meet with is dating a guy in our ward. Every
time we see her I feel like I learn something new from her. She is 19 and has
been through a lot in her life that most 19 year olds haven't. Every time we
talk with her I just feel so much love for this girl. She is sarcastic and
hilarious and always keeps us on our toes. We have a lot of fun together. But
every time we have
a discussion
with her, she always says something that makes me smile. I can't quite explain
it but I feel like I understand her in a way no one else does. I'm pretty sure
she sees it too but I find that I learn a lot about myself each time we meet.
Mom, I'm sorry I'm so stubborn! I promise I will listen to you now! Haha. But
all joking aside, it has been so incredible to know this girl and to be able to
spend so much
time with
her. When we were planning what to talk about with her this past week, baptism
kept coming to mind. We would frequently push the thought away thinking
logically, that it would not be something that she would be interested in at
this point. Later that week we ate dinner with her and her boyfriend and
afterwards she said she had something to tell us. We were sharing a message
with her and Mosiah 18 just kept blaring in my mind over and over but I just
kept thinking, "No! I can't share that..." Well. I won't make that
mistake again because after we were done... she looked at us with my favorite
smirky smile and said, "So... I hope it's okay with you guys but I was
thinking a lot lately and... I want to get baptized!" My jaw dropped to
the floor and I promised myself I would never ignore a prompting like that
again. Her baptismal date is January 12th and we are so excited for her!
The subject
that has been weighing heavily on my mind lately is what it means to be
"truly sincere." There are so many activities that we participate in during our lives that if they lack a depth of sincerity they will loose all meaning.
In this life it is easy to get discouraged and for everyday tasks to seem
"mundane." But we can bring depth to any activity by the WAY we look
at people. Do we look at that grumpy man on the steet and think, "Geez
what's wrong with THAT guy?" Or do we soften our own hearts? Do we see the
deeper issue? Are we curious why he would react in such a way. I know my
thoughts are jumbled. But I think it is good to be curious about others, if we are
sincere. I always try to remember what Cyd taught me. She always gave everyone
the benefit of the doubt. As we do this, as we try to avoid justifying our
frustrations but seek to justify our unconditional love for others; we will be
filled with joy. We must always seek to lift others higher
than
ourselves! (Which, for those of you that know me well, is easier said then
done.) But that is my goal this Christmas season--to see others the way that
our Heavenly Father sees them. To never write someone off because they are mean
or rude but to love them regardless. I love the ones that are hard to love! It
is the most rewarding call in the world.
Everything
else has been super awesome! It has been great to be out here for another
Christmas season! There are so many members of the ward that I have not yet
written back and for that I deeply apologize. Will you let them all know how
much I appreciate them? I got another letter from Sister Hammond the other day
and it made me cry to think about how consistently she has reached out to me
and supported me while I'm out here. We have such incredible members in our
ward! Are the missionaries in our ward working hard? How about the High Priest
Group Leader? If he isn't, let me know and I will whip him into shape. Haha. I
love you guys and hope you have a great time setting up the tree listening to
bee-bop-Christmas music. Play it extra loud for me! I love you! Be expecting to
hear about some more crazy miracles in Auburn these next few weeks! I love your
guuuuts!
Love,
Sister Mitchell
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