Hey, y'all. I hope this email finds you alive and well.
Maybe I should say well and thriving instead - it makes it sound more hopeful.
Eh - pick which one you'd like.
It's been a long week - I look back at last Monday and I'm
pretty darn sure that it's been about two weeks since then, but as always, the
calendar still argues with me.
Last Monday we got to go to the Woodlands mall with my
favorite Tara. It was tons of fun, and it was so good to see her again. We also
found a highly ridiculous book about Tex R. Masaur, the Dino-dillo. It's a
doozy - y'all'll have to read it when I get home. That night we tracted into a
lady who said that she believes in the Greek gods and goddesses. For reals. She
said that it "just made sense."
If that makes sense, I'm concerned for you. But that's just
me.
We had another lovely zone conference this week, the main
point of which was to install black boxes in our cars so as to keep us *cough*
the Elders *cough* from wrecking them. Did you know that the church has about
70 million dollars invested in cars? I thought it was crazy, too. Tiwi, as our
system is named, yells at us when we're not buckled, when we're going too fast,
or when we're driving recklessly because, as Brother Ott the car man said,
"With the age change we lost 30,000 years of driving experience in one
fell swoop... Oh, brother." It's cool. Sister Hudgens is a good driver, so
it's only yelled once. It was a little frightening.
I had to bear my dying testimony, and that was just about
the strangest thing I've ever done. It still isn't real, and only really cool,
experienced people bear their testimonies... I'm just a kid. I tried to
emphasize the fact that missions are learning experiences and that we do the
best with what we know and when we know better, we do better, because I knew
that little Sister Liljenquist would really have liked something along those
lines. Sister Mortensen came up to me afterward and said that she knew specific
people who needed to hear what I said, which made me really happy. I felt like
I was babbling, but the Spirit has this awesome way of turning my babbling into
inspirational things.
So, on Thursday we had what the Elders called a "finding
blitz." Essentially all of the missionaries in the district come to one
area and find in the evening, and the hope is that with all of us working
together and with all of our faith that we'll be able to boost said area's
teaching pool. Everyone came to ye Olde Oaks, and we all went a knocking.
Things were not really working out for us on the street we chose, so we decided
to leave -
And as we drove away, we saw Jeremiah, one of our recent
converts who's preparing to go to the temple. We stopped and spied a cigarette
in his hand, so I promptly confiscated it. We had a good talk with him and were
able to help him figure out how to cope with everything. What if we hadn't seen
him? Miracles are real, people.
Our other super memorable event happened on Saturday morning
when we got this text from a member -
"Would u like 2 b witness @ a noon wedding in Bishop
Lynes office & maybe teach 1st discussion after? Phone me 4
details."
We were obviously super intrigued, so we called and she told
us that the handyman that'd been working on her house all week had been living
with his girlfriend for 10 years and they were going to go to Vegas that
weekend to get married on Valentines, but he was working all weekend so it
wouldn't have worked out, so she offered the bishop but they needed witnesses
so could we come?
(The relay of information felt a lot like that last
sentence.)
We said heck yes, so we went and were the witnesses at Tom
and Margaret's wedding. Tom is a cowboy, Margaret is black, and they are the
sweetest people on the planet earth. We went out to lunch with them afterward
and had such a good time. The bishop had taken them on a tour of the chapel and
they were more interested than anyone I'd ever met before. We explained a bit
about the temple and they were all over that, and then we (half jokingly) told
them that we'd fly back in for their baptism and sealing - and Tom said,
"Now, you have to promise."
How stinking cool is that? They live in the Spring stake, so
we'll get them passed on speedy quick.
Other than that - I got to sing at the mission president
fireside last night and it was incredible. Best part? It was at the Klein
building, so all of my people were there. I had a good, long chat with
De'Merikko, who should be getting baptized soon. I love that boy! It was just a
really good night.
Life is good, people. I realized yesterday that I am not
coming home the best missionary, or the greatest scriptorian, or the boldest,
or the most loving - but I think the success in the last 18 months is that I
want to become those things. I can't become all that I want in a year and a
half, but I feel like I've developed so many more skills and tools to become
that person. That makes me feel a lot better about myself than looking at all I
didn't accomplish.
Have a lovely week, my friends. I shall see you soon!
Love,
Sista La Q Jay
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
No comments:
Post a Comment