My Lovelies,
I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Can you feel the big hug and juicy smooch I just gave ya’ll?!
At the VC this week, I concentrated hard on trying to live and fulfill my purpose as a missionary. The common misconception is that VC sisters are tour guides. Some people come in and treat us as such, including some missionaries, but we have the authority to take command in our “area”, and I have been enjoying doing just that this week. We are ALWAYS friendly, but we especially have to steer all small-talk conversations people have with us to something doctrine-based. I thought it would be impossible, but I am figuring out how to do just that, and I am already finding it quite rewarding. Time and time again I have witnessed people coming into the VC for no real reason other than to just be uplifted. I have seen how that is possible through the VC sisters truly fulfilling their purpose and never being afraid to testify, teach, and guide.
Don’t get me wrong – I still have SO much I need to work on in the VC. I struggle each and every day particularly with starting and ending movies to where each person has a testimony-building experience, but it is coming!
Alert **** It reached 108 this week. Kill me now!!! We biked a few miles in skirts on one of the 102 degree days. Super FUN!!!
Sadder news:
The sister that had been sick that lived with us just went home this morning. She had some procedures this week and there is too much internal swelling for her to stay here any longer. I will be so happy to welcome her back in a few months when she has healed though! That was a struggle to see her go through that this past month, but she is a strong woman and she will be back here asap!
The one investigator I have had since I got out here and had high hopes for just dropped out of lessons yesterday. We were expecting her at church finally and then about an hour before it started we got a voicemail from her.
Happier News:
Sister Brown and I struggled to overcome our disappointment most of the day yesterday, but the blow was softened as our new investigators came to church! (I had never had an investigator actually make it to church!) Ryan is 11½ and his mom, Lori, started meeting with us this week. We met twice and then we were able to see them at church, where they had a great time! Lori has expressed her desire to go to the temple someday and we have such high hopes for the family! Ryan is adopted, and I don’t believe Lori has ever been married. She suffers from some major vision issues and they both live with Lori’s Mom, Billy. Billy is a little slower to accept this message, but she is shockingly open to the church and its teachings! We were amazed when we first met with them – both of us feared we would be told to go away and have the door slammed in our faces, despite having made an appointment with Ryan a few days before. Instead, we were welcomed in along with their LDS neighbors. We heard from multiple families in the ward of previous attempts for the past 15 years to reach out to this family. They had rather rudely and forcefully rejected church members and missionaries in the past. – Basically the ward was abuzz and we got call after call from people who had heard and wanted to confirm the family was in fact meeting with us and would be at church.
People really do change, and Lori has let on that she has gotten over some major depression she has had and she wants to make a positive life change for her and her son now.
Really, we never even expected to get inside that home, but we did. Now we are preparing to ask them to be baptized. Never give up on anyone – the Lord has his own timing, but we must ALWAYS stay true to our callings as member or full-time missionaries. I know this will be a marvelous June!
We celebrated the birthdays for the week. There were three delicious cakes for the three birthdays this week! (I will send a picture next week) So no worries mommy – I got a cake! I love the VC J
Has the family gotten a copy of “The everyday member missionary” yet? If not, GET ONE AND READ IT!! I will also be sending my favorite talk home today in the family letter. Please, everyone read that talk (at least the 3rd and 4th missionary sections). Although it is about missionaries, it is applied to all of us. It has cried repentance unto me. Speaking of repentance – I have really come to understand repentance more fully out here in the field. We are constantly supposed to be working towards perfection and that is only possible through the atonement. Each and every day we MUST repent – it can just be as simple as recognizing a shortcoming or a little Christlike attribute you are lacking in. Give up your bad habits, and work towards the good each and every day. I promise that you will be able to feel a world of difference as you do this, and “the fourth missionary” can help guide you. You don’t have to be on a full-time mission to be able to be shaped in a Christlike manner. Work towards it each day, and I know you will feel at least a portion of the fulfillment I have been able to feel out here.
Sometimes I have thought of my bed at home, and how I would love to be in it. Then I realize that I want to be here, working 16-17 hour days and sleeping on a twin sized bed in a dark basement, because here I have a real purpose for these 18 months. What a difference it makes to know your purpose and to work towards fulfilling it each and every day! Some days it is hard to see why I am doing this, but I do know I am where God wants me to be. Although I miss the family like crazy, every single sacrifice I know is and will be worth it. This is God’s time – not mine. If we try to make our own selves we can only make dusty old junk, but if we give ourselves and our will to the Lords and we make our desires and his desires one and the same, then he can make out of us a God. Just promise me this, Family – Read that talk and apply it. Report back to me next week! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
How is everyone doing?! Fill me in on anything new!!!! Dearelders are fine for any of you that don’t have much time!
I love you all so muchhhhhh,
Sister younce
ps. next week I may not be able to send too much -- we are having zone activity on pday
pps. Zone conference on my birthday! Then temple trip on Thursday! (I finally get to go inside!!!)
ppps. I love you!
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