This week was pretty standard. I honestly can't say that too much really stood out about anything that we did. We taught some more good lessons with Apollo and he is progressing well! The problem is he always seems to have something going on on Sunday. Pray that he can make it next week! We also are teaching this guy (who will remain unnamed) and he told us yesterday over the phone that he identifies as a vampire. And he wasn't even joking about that! After some research, Sister Brinkmeier and I discovered that it is indeed a thing. We also learned that he is into what he calls warrior shamanism. A cool guy to say the very least.
We have transfers in t-minus six days!! Sister Brinkmeier and I won't be staying together but I am excited to have a new companion next week. So stay tuned!
Love you and I hope you have an amazing week:)
Sister Moran
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PARENTS!!!!!!!
This email will be a little shorter because I talked to you for so long on the phone. Which was SUPER NICE!!! I feel like I haven't been able to talk to you too much the past few weeks, especially you dad, so it was nice to be able to talk without a time limit and just listen.
We honestly have some solid people that are progressing. I am worried a little bit about vampire man but he loves God still and goes to church. One problem he has is so many lifestyle changes and having to be so committed to the church if he joins. I have some ideas of what to say to him but if you have any more I would love to hear them! It is honestly a pretty normal thing for people to feel that way and say that. Apollo is just the most wholesome person that I have ever met. He is the cutest little guy and he has the biggest and most pure heart. I just want to come closer to God and I love getting to talk to him! I really hope that he can make it to church! His date will for sure have to get moved back because he was supposed to be baptized on the 27th and he hasn't even gone to church yet... awkward. We will keep working with him and keep you updated though! We have another new lady and her name is Clemekia. She is super sweet and I ended up chatting with her for 20 minutes on our first phone call. She spilled her guts to me and said that all this bad stuff is going on and she wants to get closer to God but she feels like as soon as she is trying to make the changes to do that in her life, her life just fell apart. She almost wishes she had just stayed doing the things that she was doing before because her life was more stable before. We talked about Job and about how it has never been easy following Christ. I mean, He Himself died because people didn't like Him! We introduced the Book of Mormon to her on the call (she was a Bible request btw) and talked about how it could help her. We also talked about some welfare assistance that the church could provide. Sometimes, people just come on asking for help and taking advantage, but I really felt the spirit telling me that this lady needed this and she needed to know that we cared about her situation. She was very grateful and even though she wasn't able to make it to church to meet with the Bishop and everything about her situation, she should hopefully make it next week! The Elders that she is working with are super good at communicating with us what is going on. They told us that she might have gotten into some anti material though... pray for her that her heart will be softened!!! We had eight people go to church last week which was actually a HUGE MIRACLE!!! Usually, we are lucky if we get one or two to go, but EIGHT?!?!!? We were both shooketh.
We have been working hard to teach a lot even though the queue and the square are dead. We taught 24 lessons last week out of our 20 goal!!! We upped it to 25 this week because why not! We are for sure getting split so we want to go out with a bang. It has been cool to see the Lord provide the people online and on the square for us to teach. Even if all of them don't want to stay in contact with them, I know that being able to teach them and invite them to change will make a difference. I honestly sometimes have a hard time feeling like I am doing anything of worth here at Temple Square because I take tours and maybe one in ten people want to stay in contact and then I talk to people all day on square and no one wants my number or email and no one will give me theirs, but I know that the Lord doesn't forget about these people and He is taking care of them. Studies show that it takes about seven invitations for someone to accept or to change. I am just glad to be one of those invitations. Also, one of My ZLs that is leaving the mission soon gave her departing talk in Sacrament meeting and she talked about how her grandma went on a tour when she was a young adult of temple square. She did the "tour thing" and she felt touched by what the missionaries said and what she felt but then she went home and got married and moved to Cali. Her husband (the grandpa) then got a job offer in Orem UT! They weren't sure about the move but they felt positive feelings about the "Mormons" and they didn't know much about them, but that they were good people that loved God. They ended up getting baptized when they moved over and then they moved to AZ where this sister is from. Now, their granddaughter is now one of those Temple Square missionaries that were a part of their conversion. Isn't that pretty neat? We hear a bunch of stories like that but sometimes it is hard to believe when none have happened to you. I just trust that what I am doing has worth. Even talking to members has worth even if it isn't my favorite thing to do in the world. I guess that I why God wanted me here at Christmas, to humble me and to love the members that come to Temple Square more because there are going to be A LOT.
Sister Brinkmeier and I actually had a really good week. We got along and there were no silent treatments and no long comp inventories. It was surprising for both of us I think! We were talking during inventory in our Weekly Planning and we were asking "what did we do differently this week that made us better?" and neither of us knows. Weird. Maybe it is because we can see the finish line? Because we are almost done? I think all of my prayers that I literally say on the bathroom floor in the middle of the day are finally starting to take effect. I'm glad that we stayed together for a second transfer, even though it was the longest and the hardest of my mission. I remember at the end of our first transfer, I was trying to think of what I had learned from her and I honestly hadn't learned anything. I just didn't. But this transfer did I learn a lot oh my. I think one of the biggest things has been that I need to seek to understand before I seek to be understood. I have found that as I try to listen to her and listen to the Spirit, things work out better than if I just try and get my point across and get her to listen to me. I try to always see how she feels so that way I can make a more informed decision and response. That has been a big thing that I obviously still need to work on, but I'm glad that I was able to start to develop these past few weeks. I am excited about the transfer though!! I have no idea who my companion will be and I am nervous but I know that whoever it is will be who God wants me to be with! I really think I'll be normal next transfer. I don't think I will be in leadership anymore, I think I will be a normal just regular missionary. That is what I want and what I am anticipating when the transfer board comes out anyways. I'm grateful for the time I had with Sister Brinkmeier and I am glad that we had such a good last few weeks together! I think that she will be someone that I will be friends with even after the mission and I think that a lot of that comes from the stuff we did go through that made us stronger in the end.
If I think of anything else I will email it to you but I love you both so much and I miss you both!! I have been a little homesick as of late so I am trying to work even harder so that way I don't notice it! I know that it will only get worse as the holiday's approach so it will be a good thing that the square will be so busy. I'll talk to you soon! Have a great week!
Love
Em
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