It's time to brush the dust off of my Hermana tags...

Well, mission update!

Mom, it was kind of funny that you mentioned that sometimes I may feel like I'm on more of a "wild goose chase" than a mission, because that is totally true.

Especially because we got transfer calls Saturday night and President Woodbury told me it's time to brush the dust off of my Hermana tags...

Every single time something comes up, I swear that I've thought of every possible thing that could happen.

I'm pretty sure the good Lord gets a kick out of STILL finding ways to surprise me.

President Woodbury said that since the past few transfers have been so crazy with the number of new missionaries coming in, he is going to try really hard this transfer to change as little as he possibly can, because there's not going to be very many missionaries coming in (comparatively).  And the goal is to have the trainer and the trainee be together for 12 weeks.  So I figured me and Sister Graham would be together for at least another transfer! A change otherwise would've felt premature to me.

But, alas, the Lord likes to keep me on my toes... That seems to be the theme of my mission.

So here's the update: Sister Graham (6 weeks old in the mission) is going to be picking up a brand-new fresh-off-the-plane greenie tomorrow to bring back here to good ol LV 2 to train! 

Lake Villa 2 Ward Missionaries (Hayley is in Pink)

 I will be returning to spanish-speaking, and will finish training a hermana who has been out for as long as Sister Graham (6 weeks). I'm moving out to Wilmette to Chicago 5. And if my sources tell me correctly, that is where my good ol friend Elder Ray is serving! HR POWER!!!

Funny story: I'm pretty sure the greenie I'm going to finish training knows about as much spanish as I do at this point. This'll be fun.. :P haha

During the call, President Woodbury said that he was really surprised that this ended up happening this way (Sister Graham and I as well). He expected us to be together for at least another transfer! But he said that as they were doing the transfer stuff, they found a spot where they really needed another hermana, and he told me that the Spirit told him very strongly that that's where I needed to be. 

Ha I don't really know how I feel about the whole thing, I guess I'm still in shock a little bit. I'm really really sad about leaving Sister Graham- she's still mi hija! still a baby in the mission! Have I really taught her everything she needs to know? :P And we're still trying to get a hold on the area- I feel like I've just barely gotten my bearings around here, and I'm leaving. I guess the theme there is that it feels kind of pre-mature to leave, and I'm kinda bummed out about that one.  But at the same time, I am so so happy to be returning spanish-speaking. I've been wanting to serve and learn spanish, and in Midway when I would practice spanish, it occupied the part of my brain that wants to go to Brazil, so I could focus more on the work. When I got called out of spanish-speaking last transfer, I was really sad, but I'm really happy to be returning :)  I will really be relying on the Holy Ghost and the gift of tongues and my companion and the ward and everything. I'll need as much help as I can get! Hope it all comes back fast :) I'm excited but kind of nervous. 

Luckily the Lord qualifies the called, right? He helps us and He prepares a way for us to accomplish the things He asks us to when we are on His errand. 

Good to know, sometimes hard to remember.  But yeah, good stuff.

Ha but really, I'm just feeling annoyed that I have to pack up again :P Oh well. A new adventure lies ahead! :)   And luckily I will be going back to comida mexicana. Oh I've missed it. Tengo una boca de fuego!

Our District with our Christmas Animals

*****

The holiday season makes it kind of hard on missionary work- everyone is out doing other things and is busy and stressed and schedules go super crazy. So it's been kind of hard to really teach very much this week. But we had a couple really solid lessons still, which is nice :) 

*****

We had one lesson with a less active named Stefanie. She's great :) It's been a really long time since she's been to church. Sister Graham and I went over for our first lesson with her.

She opened the door and literally, nicely, kind of looked like death. Her face was pale, eyes were dark, really upset, tired, crying, smelling like a fresh cigarette, etc. 

We weren't sure she was going to let us in, but she did.

She talked to us for a couple minutes. She is kind of struggling through the holiday season for a bunch of different reasons. Most of it was that she's had a LOT of family pass away in the past couple years. And with so many of them gone in the holiday season, she was taking it kind of hard.

That was a moment where we ditched the lesson we had planned and taught something else.

Sister Graham shared 3 separate scriptures with her. We talked about finding hope and happiness through Christ. We talked about how she is of infinite worth to a loving father in heaven. We talked about how Satan tries to bind us down and make us miserable. We talked about fighting that and turning to our Savior for peace and strength.

The Spirit was so thick in that room. It was incredible. 

At the end of the lesson, there was a light in her eyes, color had returned to her face, she was definitely happier and cheery. And at one point she started trying to literally just kick us out so she could get back to the Book of Mormon and start reading it on her own.

I love when we get out of lessons and we leave people that much better than we found them. Literally, it was a night and day difference.

And the thing that did that was the Savior, the Book of Mormon, and testimony. What power!

And as a side note, halfway through that lesson, I had an image come to my mind. It was kind of like a day dream. But I saw Stefanie sometime in the near future. She was cleaned up, had a calling in the Relief Society, and was helping people in the church. She was a constant source of strength and comfort for others who were struggling. A sister came up to her and expressed that she was struggling for whatever reason. Stefanie looked at her and told her about how she remembered a time when she had been in the lowest of the low. She then shared testimony of her Savior and the Book of Mormon. 

Cool stuff. Really humbling. 

There are a lot of people who are in pits. They just are. They have crappy lives for whatever reasons. But there is hope for them, and they have an incredible amount of strength and potential. They just need the love of the gospel, and someone to support and lift them. They need someone to look past the situation or the living conditions or addictions to help them find their Savior again to help them out of the pit.

*****

I think it was Monday night when we were doing some less-active stop by's in our area. We stopped by a home with an address that had turned out to be really wrong, and the lady we found was definitely not interested in the message. Sweet. 

We went back into the car and started driving to the next place.

As I was looking at the list, a name caught my eye. I don't remember why. 

I felt like I should call the number listed. 

I don't really like making phone calls. especially since the people we've been calling have had wrong numbers or whatever.

But it kept intriguing me so I called it just to see what would happen.

The less active (Amy) answered.

I told her we were the new sister missionaries in the ward and were trying to meet with all the sisters in the RS. I asked if there was a time we could stop by.

She told me now really wasn't the time and asked if I could call back in a couple days. I couldn't really tell what was going on, and I felt weird asking. But I was under the impression that a family member had maybe died. I told her we would call back in a few days, wished her the best, and hung up.

On Friday, Sister Graham called back. 

Long story short, her daughter was in the hospital for some pretty scary stuff, and I had called in the exact moment that she was there, stressed out, waiting for results. 

She expressed to Sister Graham that she thought her home teacher had asked us to call her.

Not only did her home teacher NOT tell us, but he didn't even know about it!

Weird, right?

Yeah, it's kind of funny how the Lord knows things sometimes.

I didn't even realize at the time that I was receiving a spiritual impression to call her. But... I did. 

The Lord has a way of watching out for his children. Oftentimes, it's through another person. 

*****

I think that's kind of it for me. 

I'm kind of exhausted right now- I'm surprised how long and how well this email turned out. That's nice :) 

I dont' really have anything else to add. 

I'm so grateful for the time that I've been able to have here with Sister Graham and with the LV2 Ward. I've had the privilege of being in contact with some incredible people, and I'm so grateful for each and every one of them :) 

I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon in my life. And for the Bible. And for the prophet Joseph Smith- He truly is the prophet of this dispensation, and a man of God. 

I love this work. Even if it wears me out. :P 

I love you all- have an awesome week :) 

Sister-turned-back-Hermana Walton