4/18/16
So I did something a tad different is week. So throughout the week I wrote some notes and thoughts I had about each day thinking maybe that'll make it easier to actually email back and forth cause I won't be trying to type up this huge thing at the same time haha:)
So Monday night we had an awesome family home evening with a family in our ward. Their oldest daughter is less active --she's 17. We taught about the gospel of Christ in a Spanglish lesson in which she told us how she feels a lot of guilt when she goes to church and doesn't feel worthy to be there. We gave her a few talks to read, one of which was Latter Day Saints Keep On Trying and another from this conference, the one by elder Duncan I think. But that lesson was awesome, the Spirit was way strong and we hope she was able to learn a little bit from what we gave her.
Oh man, pday though! Emailing was awesome too:) Cafe said in a group email that they are teaching all the time and talking with so many people everyday it's crazy. I remember thinking how his numbers compared to mine are insane, but that's when I have to stop myself. Why do we compare ourselves to others? I've spent my whole life trying to be as good at turning as her, as flexible as her, as fast as her, as strong as him, or whatever. In competition we're always comparing. Then I got to the CCM and I had to change my way of thinking. I finally got over it and thought, "why does it matter if my compañera learns some words faster than me? Or if she/he is better at Spanish than me? We are all on our own journey to becoming the best servants of the Lord that we can be, and that will happen in the Lord's time for each of us." But lo and behold, here we go, first week and I start comparing what we're doing to what Cafe is doing. Mind you, he is in a completely different area and he has a car! So, Hermana Bugingo gave me a good talkin to and helped me realize how stupid it is to compare yourself to literally anyone about anything cause we are all so different!! Especially in this work. We just gotta get over ourselves and just say, "ya know what?? I am where I am and God knows I am doing my best, and my best is good enough for Him!!" We can't let "the fear of men" keep us from opening our mouths and stop us from progressing and serving Him. In honor of Elder Stoker (no he's not dead, but kinda ), we gotta just get over it! This is such an awesome learning experience for me, and I really am finding myself as I lose myself. God is so good guys.
Moving to Tuesday, we got Chinese food (since we basically live down the road from China)! They never give you forks at the restaurants here so when the lady handed me a fork and spoon with my chopsticks I was very happy haha. I need to remember to take more pictures of the foods I eat haha. Tuesday night after English class we met a senior couple from Utah who teaches institute at all the different churches in the mission. After talking with them for a bit we talked with a few members in the foyer. I talked with two members in particular and ended up having a little bit of a mini Spanish lesson, asking them some questions and just kinda talking. I'm doing a lot better than I give myself credit for at times. Yes, I know my Spanish is FAR from perfect, but I think I underestimate at times the amount with which the Spirit will help --and has helped-- me if I am willing to exercise faith in Him and His ability to do so.
We met with a lady on Wednesday from Midwood who lives in Africa. (So, basically, we live in Saudi Arabia, down the street from China, around the corner from Israel and Mexico, and next door to Africa.) No joke, man. We came on the subway and I was legit the only white person haha. We came up from the subway and my compañera was so excited! She was saying how everyone was speaking French and all these other African languages she knows (by the way, Spanish is her fifth language so...haha) and she was so happy haha! We passed all these African shops and she was just going on about how we'd have to come back. It was way cool. I swear I'm not in the United States ninety percent of the time.
Oh man, also, we got a text from our district leader today and my compañera read it and just started laughing. I have to give a workshop in district meeting next week. We will see how that goes. Tomorrow we also have zone training meeting and me and my compañera have to give a workshop there too, so we will see how that goes...I'm kinda nervous, but we prepared it today and I feel pretty good about it so far, I know the Spirit will be with us, so I think it'll be fine. :)
Also, this Tuesday we will have exchanges with the sister training leaders. They are awesome! They both leave at the end of this transfer though, so that's kind of sad. I think it's weird how I prepared mentally before the mission to get attached to the members and those I teach, my companions, and just friends, but I don't think I processed that I would be allowing myself to get attached to everyone! To all the missionaries and districts I meet. That will be interesting. Letting myself love and get attached to all these people here. I'm excited to let it happen though...opening your heart up and just letting God fill it with charity is scary, but it brings so much joy.
Everybody loves Friday's, right? Well I've got two words: ZONE. MEETING. Man I love my zone!! I seriously LOVE them. I have been trying to look at everyone as family --Elder Mari's concluding thought after his workshop at zone meeting-- and wow...it's crazy. I seriously feel like they are a part of my family even though I hardly know more than half of them. But anyway, zone meeting was AWESOME. It went for almost three hours but seriously the whole thing was necessary. There was nothing that should've been taken out, it was awesome. We had three workshops (ours was on personal conversion), a "get to know the zone" game, and lots of other awesome instruction from our zone leaders (or zone lords, as they have dubbed themselves haha!).
After football/rugby practice, me and mi compañera gave our workshop. I think it went really well. Apparently no one usually gives workshops til third transfer...well I get to give two in my first three weeks (ugh). But, I survived, so that's good! And hey, they're in English, so that's helpful. :) After the meeting we attempted to take a somewhat decent picture of us all as a zone....yeeeeah that didn't happen haha so I have two pictures (that will probably be the only ones I ever have) of my whole zone being goofballs haha. But at least they're good goofballs:)
Today while jotting down my thoughts from this week I realized I didn't add these new foods to this email, so I ate the following this week with members, they were all amazing: panukkakku, arepitas, pupusa, and TACOS. I've eaten with members a lot actually, but I haven't died yet from anything I've been fed (and hey, survived the CCM, right? )
(^^^^^this was written Saturday...I'm reading through this Monday....just wait)
We have soccer scheduled for Saturday morning again, but AFTER we commuted the 45 minute trip, we were informed that it was canceled. We walked around the park, talked, planted some seeds. Also, Saturday nights are apparently the nights to get crazy out here haha. We were walking to the bus stop after an investigator and just the music volume, the engine revving, the smoke, the bars, there were so many people! We ended up just walking --very briskly while avoiding eye contact-- home cause the bus wasn't showing up and guys had started making laps and pulling up at our curb. Needless to say, my compañera was holding the keys haha. There wasn't any real threat or potential problem, but we didn't feel the most comfortable to say the least so we headed out. We planted almost fifty seeds yesterday before then though, so that was awesome
Sunday we went to church with this same investigator (her first time at church!!) and it was AWESOME. She said she loved all of it. It was amazing. Our other investigator was there too with her family! After church we walked the first investigator and her son home. We also had dinner with a family from our ward Sunday night.......yeaaaaaah, that didn't go over too well to say the least (I think I jinxed myself). When they feed you, you eat. So they fed us, and we ate. It was really good, but it was just a little too much food. Now I don't know if there was something else in it or what, but my body wanted whatever the heck I had eaten out. Sooooo I got to wake up at 11:45, 1:45, and 3:45 in the bathroom :) that was fun. So basically I threw up six times and passed out twice. I think the food was just bad cause my compañera said she almost threw it up too haha. She's built up an immunity by now, I have not - but maybe I'll get to that point eventually haha. So I'm fine. A little goose egg on my head with a little bloody lip, an empty stomach that's scared to eat, and a baby migraine, so we're good! Nothing serious. Other than those events of last night, the week was pretty great!! We planted 163 seeds all week, so that was awesome, and I'm realizing more and more how much work my Spanish needs, but also how much the Lord has blessed me as I've been trying my best to learn it. Gift of tongues is real guys. Even though my Spanish stinks, I can give any lesson completely in Spanish totally fine and can reply to most regular conversation questions just fine (but I have a hard time sometimes understanding their stories). I want to be able to understand conversation language better, so I'm working on that (it's hard for me cause you don't really practice that at the CCM...). But God blesses us so much, we need to remember where our knowledge and wisdom, where all light, comes from (and give thanks for it). God. Why? Because He loves us so much that He gives us light, when we seek it, to bring about His work. "I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom...yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things...we will praise His name forever"!! He is so good to us, and when you allow yourself to see how much His hand is in our everyday lives, you will be full of gratitude for His mercy to us "unworthy creatures" (Mosiah 4:6-12 HOLY COW. MIC DROP. I LOVE SCRIPTURES). He really loves us so much and if we just let ourselves feel that love, it's amazing what He can do through us.
So, to wrap up I guess, this week was AWESOME. I've learned to love, learned how to properly football tackle, cleaned some parks, fed some old people (Thursday service), began to develop my immunity to bad food, took a stroll through a big park, planted some serious seeds, felt some serious Spiritual strength, been humbled, been happy, traveled to Africa, and experienced joy I didn't know was possible. This is the best thing, I am so happy. Concluding spiritual thought of the day: Alma 29:9 "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."
Love you all!! Con mucho amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley
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