i certainly felt like i was living in a strange dream-land of a mission... it was all preparing me for what was to come. isn't that how it always is?
(ok. enough for strange, vague-sounding intros...)
i'm training.
i got the call on tuesday while we were at the office. the assistant called me and asked if i'd be willing to train. i swear he said "next transfer". so i did a very thai thing. i asked the same question, three different times, three different ways.
yes. i'm willing to train.
so is that the group that is coming in?
hmmmm.
soooo. like. the group that is flying over the ocean right now?
i see.
so. like the group that is going to be at transfers tomorrow?
yes. sister ellis.
that group.
ok. yes. i'm willing to train.
and as strange and new as everything was going to get... i felt strangely at peace. except for the fact that i couldn't sleep for 3 nights. other than that life was great.
it made me think a lot about when i was trained. the things that i liked, the things...... i didn't like so much.
and then.... the day came.
other than worrying about stuffing all of our stuff in a taxi, getting lost on the way home, and getting someone that had more stuff than i did... i was perfectly calm.
my planner. is the most interesting it's ever been. because i was a gypsy for a week living out of a duffel bag, i don't have much written. then comes wednesday for the trainer's meeting... no plans. but every hour and every cranny of my page is filled with notes.
transfers also was a pretty empty day.
said lots of goodbyes. we had 11 sisters that finished their missions on thursday. that will be a space that is really hard to fill. i would say nigh impossible... but then i remember luke 1:37
that's one thing that i learned from sister brown. (my new companion)
nothing is impossible.
i've been so impressed by new missionaries. by their (and especially her) willingness to "go and do". to testify. to preach the gospel to everyone they meet. and then i remember me during training... very scared. and i'm sure that it wasn't as long as i remember it being... but it seemed like i spent an eternity being scared... not talking to people... being shy...
definitely not the way that i feel now.
so if i had to tell anything to a new missionary - no matter where they are serving, no matter what language they are speaking (or even if you simply commit right now to being a missionary for the rest of your life) to scrap the fear. don't listen to the doubts. and do what you know how to do. i realized that's why the ONE thing they teach you how to do in the MTC is to bear your testimony. because it is the most valuable asset that you have as a missionary.
say what you know.
and say it to everyone.
we had a lot of miracles this week.
4 people at church.
my companion got 4 numbers her first day contacting. by asking people if they wanted to go to church and then making a phone sign by her ear. she's amazing.
we got a phone call from the elders saying one of our investigators was at church.... she was taught by sister norrell before she moved and OH MAN! she wants baptism. she told us this cool story about how she knew that she needed to sundays off to come to church, but she can only ask for one day off... so she prayed that heavenly father would help her when she asked one of her friends if she would work for her that day. and the friend said yes!
life is just riddled with the little miracles.
and i love it so much.
i am definitely more blessed than i deserve.
No comments:
Post a Comment