Twenty-five new sisters came and I can't believe I'm not the new girl anymore! I'm in my second transfer and it all is just going by so fast. Sister Weng is still my companion and we are still teaching in Mandarin sometimes. We are still right in the Square too which I love. We still live in the same house! We have two new roommates-Sister Vargas from Spain- I met her on facebook before my mission. Remember? And Sister Lee (Mandarin-speaking) from California. We have SO much fun together. Things have really slowed down quite a bit in the last week since everyone is back to school so we have gotten a little break but starting next week we will begin preparation for General Conference and then things will get crazy again!
A of couple days ago the square was flooded with people wearing orange because of the UT and BYU game. So we gave some Texas fans a tour of Temple Square and I told them that Brian Harsin was my uncle. They just went crazy and said they need him back. They kept saying "Does Brian get to hang out in the temple?" or "What are holidays like with Brian?" It was so much fun because they were so excited.
By the way (haha), John Bytheway came and spoke to us for
transfers last Tuesday. He spoke about the three parables in Luke 15… the lost
sheep, the lost piece of silver, and the prodigal son.
Each week I choose a Christ-like attribute that I need to
work on. This past week I chose Hope. We
can't have faith if we don't hope first.
I was randomly reading in Romans and in Chapter 8, verses 24-28 it
says,
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not
hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with
patience wait for it.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind
of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the
will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
After reading these verses it really stood out to me that
Heavenly Father will help us but we must have hope for these things and not let
little things get in the way or discourage us. Going on a mission was never in
my plans; but I had a strong feeling that I needed to go and I know that I must
have Hope and Faith that everything will be ok no matter how hard it is. This
past week I have been looking back on life before my mission and I wonder why
or how I got here. Not that being here is bad but I felt like things before my
mission were fine just the way they were.
This mission is hardest thing I have ever done in my life but I am so
happy that I chose this path; even with all the struggles, just having Hope
makes it all better.
When I first got my mission call I was disappointed because
I thought this call meant I wasn't going to be a good missionary and I couldn't
actually help people but I thought completely wrong! They send tough girls to
Temple Square and I know it sounds like I’m bragging but I don't care.
Sometimes we have only 30 seconds or a minute to bear testimony to people who
stop by for a tour and then we never know what happens after that. Sometimes we
gain this strong connection with people in just an hour-long tour and we don't
know what happens next in their lives so we have to have complete trust in
Heavenly Father.
I love this mission but lately I do question why I was
called here. Then the other day, I got a
free haircut from one of the senior missionaries and she told me a cool story.
She said there was a sister missionary here about a year ago and when she
received her call to Temple Square she cried and cried because she did not want
to serve at Temple Square. I can relate
because sometimes I wonder if I am not capable of converting people and if that
is why I was sent here. But this sister
missionary told a story about an experience she had in the MTC. They were having a big MTC devotional or
something and they had one of the elders who was a convert stand up and tell
his conversion story. He talked about how he and his parents went to Temple
Square as tourists and took a tour given by two sister missionaries. They had a
good time and the sister missionaries were very sweet but he and his family
didn’t want to be referred to missionaries.
However, throughout the rest of the trip they kept saying how they felt
something different, something very special at Temple Square. So they ended up
finding local missionaries on their own and joined the church about a month
later. The two sister missionaries have no idea that the family was baptized
because of the tour! I just thought it
was really cool because it reminded me of how important it is to have Hope that
things will work out. Sister Weng and I have been giving awesome tour and not
very many refer but that is why we really have to trust that Heavenly Father
will continue to prepare them and put them in the right places.
Elder Bednar gave a talk and he said that sometimes when
you’re doing something good but have no idea what you’re doing or why- that’s
the spirit guiding you. Sometimes you don't even remember doing or saying it!
Well, yesterday we took some amazing Jewish people on a tour. It was really
good and they were really receptive and nice. We invited them to learn more and
they didn't say anything so I did something that is not typical when our
investigators show no interest. I
grabbed the Living Christ paper and a referral card and gave it to them. I didn't even realize I was doing it until
Sister Weng asked me why I did it at the end of the tour and I didn’t even
know. Then it came to me that this was
one of those experiences Elder Bednar was talking about- it was the spirit
guiding me.
Kendall, during this time you are experiencing a lot of new
things and changes but I promise everything will be ok! Read Matthew 11:28-30.
It has helped me through my hard times on my mission as I have been
experiencing new things.
Hello John Family! Sorry that I missed you! Mom, thanks so much for the CD’s, Mio drink mix, the letters, and everything! Oh, and thanks for offering to get me and Sister Weng pedicures but she doesn't believe in pedicures or manicures. True story. I painted her nails and she took it off.
Wo ai ni dou! (I love you all!)
No comments:
Post a Comment