This week has been pretty good here! We have a new
companionship of hermanas in our ward (4 sets of missionaries total), and we
are sharing the car with them. So we get bus passes or the car, depending on
who has what on what day.
Our first day giving the new Hermanas the car, we had no
appointments and 2 hours before we had to go back to the apartment. So we
decided to go to our Ward Mission Leader's house because he wasn't at church
last week and he wanted a copy of our progress record, and his phone isn't
working. So we went! But no buses were really around, so we walked... Blocks
and blocks and blocks. Then we got to his house (what a blessing!) literally
the minute he got home from work (if we were in a car, that timing wouldn't
have been so perfect). Then it started to rain. We talked for a bit under his
porch and got things coordinated and worked out. As he started to leave, he
asked if he could let us borrow his car to drive home- the rain had picked up
and it was pouring. We told him thank you but no, and stepped out into the
rain. Before we got even to the end of the block, we were SOAKING wet! Haha and
literally the only thing Hermana Toney and I had to do was just bust out
laughing and skipping and 'singing in the rain' haha it was so fun... No one
was out, and literal rivers formed in the streets, and we just sloshed through!
We just kept laughing and laughing. It was just funny, and we didn't really
know how else to react. We walked all the way back home and enjoyed watching
the rest of the storms from our front room as we acquainted ourselves with the
records the elders gave us for the new portion of our area and made phone
calls.
Sometimes, stuff like that just happens. I'm glad Hermana
Toney can be so good-humored. We still laugh about it- it was so fun. Haha we
love finding ways to have fun with things because sometimes, that's all you can
really do!
In our Mission President's email to the missionaries every
week, he includes stories of miracles that happen throughout the mission that
missionaries tell him in their weekly emails. Last week, there was a story
about a missionary companionship who decided to try taking a member's dog out
while they were contacting to see if they could get more people to talk to
them. They said it totally worked because people totally soften up when they
see a dog, and it makes missionaries actually look like normal people (for
those of you who don't know, I AM A NORMAL PERSON!!! [Insert Hermana Toney
rolling her eyes]) and I had suddenly this genius thought.... Mom, you should
ship Schnookums out here for a couple days! :D She can hang out with me and
Hermana Toney! :D And who in this entire world could resist a cute little
fluffer-nuggest like her?? Haha dang I totally wish I could do that... :) Hehe
and she could meet all the boxers, pit bulls and Chihuahuas here :) The
Chihuahuas here totally have little-dog syndrome. It's hilarious.
So Ricardo was baptized on Saturday two weeks ago, and
confirmed on Sunday one week ago.... We know that baptism has two parts-
baptism by water and baptism by the Holy Ghost (or receiving the gift of the
Holy Ghost, or confirmation). We know that without the second part, receiving
the gift of the Holy Ghost, the baptism is not complete. And I am here to tell
you that that is totally true! There was a week in between Ricardo's baptism
and his confirmation, and in that week, nothing really seemed to change. But
after he was confirmed, he was totally different. He had that new-man, glowing,
whatever you want to call it look about him that I see in every single person
that gets baptized and confirmed. It was so cool. And that didn't happen until
AFTER he was confirmed. Until AFTER he received that second part of baptism.
His baptism wasn't complete without the confirmation, and I totally saw that.
This week was crazy with transfers and loosing part of our
area but getting part of another area. Hma Toney and I are just trying to stay
on top of it all and do the best we can! We look for miracles every day. There
are so many miracles every day. This is a work of miracles! It's amazing. But
it's been interesting and kept us on our toes :)
It's kind of funny since I've been on a mission to randomly
remember things from my childhood and from my growing up years. Nothing comes
to mind right now, but every once in a while I get humored from things that
happened or that I said or whatever...
One of the things that I've thought about lately is things
that I remember my parents telling me to do or work on, and it has really
helped me.
I end up playing piano for EVERYTHING, and often I'm called
to play stuff on the spot. One thing I remember Mom sharing a lot was a story
about a sister who was called to be the primary pianist, but she didn't know
how to play the piano. But she did her best! She never learned how to play
piano any better, but she did her best and she learned from it.... I heard that
story often while I was growing up. And it helps me a lot when I'm muddling my
way through hymns. I mess up a lot, but Hey! I'm doing my best and that's what
counts. Same with speaking Spanish and teaching adults, and putting on baptisms
and being a missionary in general. I am not particularly good at some of these
things. I don't even know Spanish! But it doesn't get to me, because I just
remember that little story and what I learned from it.... Just do the best you
can, laugh along the way, and it'll all be great. I remember that my
contribution, no matter how imperfect it may be, will always be enough :) And
it will always provide for funny stories later! So thanks, Mom, for that one :)
I remember having a lot of very funny conversations with my
Dad while I was in high school. Mostly they ended up being one-sided because I
talk a lot haha :P There were several times that I would come to my dad with
this huge complicated problem that there was no possible answer to in the
entire world and it was all twisted up and confusing and filled with 'what
if...'s and what not. My Dad would listen for a while and then just be like, "ok,
here's the deal, stop worrying about the what if's (Dad hates 'what if'
questions haha :)), stop making it complicated and twisted up, and just worry
about this one thing that you can actually control". Suddenly everything
in my life seemed so much simpler... every time. He would also always tell us
growing up that there's an answer to everything, you just have to find it. He
blamed it on his math-brain and love-of-numbers.... I don't like math very
much, but I still learned from what he said every time. It's helped me keep
focus on my mission and not worry about things that are outside of my control.
It's helped me take things one step at a time and work on what I can with a
cool head. It comes in very handy :) There are so many 'what if...'s and stuff
on the mission, especially being a visa-waiter. But hey, it's all good! I'll
worry about what I need to worry about when I need to worry about it, and I
will only worry about things that are in my control. No big, it's all good! :)
So... yeah, thanks for that :)
I think that's pretty much for this week! Just having a
blast out here, the work is going great! Hermana Toney and I are taking it
on one day at a time :) and trying to laugh along the way... we find ourselves
soooo hilarious. We love the work and we are excited for it! The church is
true, the Book of Mormon is true and I promise anyone that the faith that they
may or may not already have in Jesus Christ can only be strengthened by the
message we have and share with the world. Lots of times, people don't believe
us when we say that. But that's when I just look at them and tell them that
this is our invitation, and I know it can change their lives for the better,
because that's what's happened to me. We invite everyone everywhere to read the
Book of Mormon, listen to our message, and pray to God so that he can tell them
personally for themselves that this message is true. We can tell you until were
blue in the face that this message is true, but our invitation is for you to
find out for yourself.
I love you all, I miss you all, but I'm glad everything is
going well back home! I'm doing great out here! :)
It's game time....
Love
-Hermana Hayley Walton
No comments:
Post a Comment