What Was That Again?: In Which the Spirituality of BYU Games is Called into Question and I Venture to a Land of Crazed Football Fans

Greetings, dear readers of this group email.

Before I go any further, I have incredible news to report -

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW 80* YESTERDAY AND SATURDAY.

Saturday and Sunday - glorious days. I'd honestly forgotten what it felt like, and I was a total baby to the cold. #cominghomeinfebruary #mymotherisgoingtomockme

Before I go anywhere else, I must apologize profusely for not sending an email last week. I was a bit of a super grump, and it would not have been good for me to write. More on that later.

As for the past week - it was pretty decent.

We've been working a lot with the Jace and Layla crew to get them ready for their baptism. We have a date set for the 27th, and we're doing all we can to give them the testimonies they need so that they can be totally prepared to make those covenants. We've been (attempting) to come over and read the Book of Mormon with them every night, and that's been going pretty well. Jace has been way more involved and vocal than he's ever been, and everyone (except the teenage boys...) have been really good about their reading assignments. They didn't come to church yesterday, however, which concerns us quite a bit.

It's been really tough for me to not freak out about them - I don't like things not going according to plan. I worry about baptism if they're not ready, and I worry about pushing their date back - again. I worry that they're not all on the same page and that we'll either wait too long or not baptize some of them. So many worries, so little time. I turn into a bit of a stress case. It's been really hard to turn things over to the Lord and trust that He'll take care of it, but when I do, things are so much easier. I really have nothing to do with the conversion of these people - my job is to guide them to the Savior. What they do after that is their choice.

I still have faith, though. I really do think that they're doing well.

FAITH.

Also, Jace told Layla to text us the other night during the BYU-University of Houston game and ask if watching BYU sports counted as scripture reading time. If it weren't so sacrilegious, I would totally say yes.

We've been working with the members of the ward quite a bit. President Mortensen and the Assistants introduced this new thing called Member Commitments where we figure out where each member is in their own little missionary work world, help them to see what their next logical step is, and commit them to do it. Let me tell you - this ward? They are quality committing members. You are currently (figuratively) looking at the record setters and holders for member commitments in the Texas Houston Mission.

That is what I'm talking about.

But really, though. This ward is excellent, and I love working with them. They are going to do great things, we've just got to get them into shape.

This Saturday, something really, really, super, freaking amazing and incredible happened -

Tara was baptized.

Tara is the daughter of our recent convert, Sharolyn. Remember the paint spill on the carpet? Yeah, that was her. We started teaching her many moons ago, but then turned her over to the YSA Sisters to be taught because she just belongs there.

(One of the hardest things I've ever had to do, by the way.)

She moved up to College Station for school at A&M and was baptized in their YSA ward. Sharolyn and her husband David drove us and Elder Chandler and Elder Chatwin up there for the service, and it was incredible. We made it there in the nick of time because College Station on game day is almost as bad as Houston traffic at 8 o'clock in the morning. We made it, however, and it was wonderful.

I had the amazing opportunity to give a talk on the Holy Ghost, and I was taught so much about it by the Spirit as I put it together. One thing that really stuck out to me, especially in relation to Tara, was the idea that the Holy Ghost helps us to share the Light of Christ with others. I found an article in an Ensign that talked about a woman who felt surrounded by darkness. She had a dream that she was in the cultural hall at the church and it was totally dark - until she lit a birthday candle, and that small amount of light eliminated so much of the darkness. She then says this -

"The quantity of darkness surrounding us in the world simply does not matter. Light is eternal and is vastly more powerful than darkness. If we remain worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit, our souls can reflect light sufficient to displace any amount of darkness, and others will be drawn to that light within us."

It's been a rough couple of weeks. It's been hot, and I've been sick. We've been spending a lot more time inside than I want, and I haven't been as...there in lessons as I want to be. I really don't have that much time left and there's so much I want to do, but I'm coming to realize more and more that I am not here to do what I want. I here to do what the Lord wants, and I have to let go of what I think I need to do, or what I think I should do, or what I feel like a missionary should be. The Lord, who is infinitely smarter than I am, is making me into all He knows I can be. I just need to get out of the way.

Which is way harder than it seems.

I'm working on it.

Have a wonderful week, my people. Rejoice, for there are only 18 more days until the best holiday of the year. #generalconferenceforthewin I sure love you. Keep up the good work.

Love,

Sister Allison Liljenquist

Texas Houston Mission

(Boo-yah.)

Sweaty.