Hola todos!
This week I have really been praying for all of you back home and hoping very much that you are all doing well. This last week was an incredible week for our companionship. I was really having a bit of a struggle with the habit that my companion and I had gotten into of making fun of one another's weaknesses and really using sarcasm that was not at all productive. Well last Saturday I woke up knowing that that day was the day to really address the concern and pray for the best communication possible as well as the best outcome possible. The Lord heard my prayers and we were able to discuss the situation and in my point of view it has changed completely. I know any of you who know me know that I like to have a good laugh(understatement? I think so...) but I have realized by having companions and working around a massive amount of the same women day by day that sarcasm or joking that could ever be thought to be tearing someone down is not okay. If we lived in a world where everyone was building one another up, and where we could have more trust I think a LOT more people would listen to the message that we have to give. Well this is something that I am really learning and I know that I am supposed to be serving with Hermana Méndez because she has a bit of an issue with it too. Well we decided that we would always have one anothers back, that we would not say things that may hurt one another and that we would develop trust so that we can be better friends and better missionary companions.We have also been having more patience with eachother and trusting one another enought to give eachother the benefit of the doubt. I did not understand how important it is to start with this relationship, but it is crucial. The thing is that others can tell when we have a good relationship and it effects how much they actually trust us. Well as we started to implement these changes into our companionship I feel so much lighter, so much happier, and so much more filled with the Spirit. I love Hermana Méndez so much! It is so joyful to get to serve with her. I have been really trying to watch what I say and do and the way that I have been able to do this is by asking myself what my intentions are behind what I say or do? Am I saying things out of resentment, fear, to hurt someone because I feel hurt, out of anger, feelings of guilt or self-pity? Or am I having faith that the Lord will provide and that the actions of others are not what I am allowing shape me, but the love of God is what guides my life?
Oh my gosh, I have to tell you all this!!!! This last week investigators that we have had since Hna Dent was my companion came to church this last Sunday! They are this cootie-patootie hispanic couple with two little girls. They showed up just a few minutes late, but right before the sacrament started. While the sacrament water was being passed I heard the father who was sitting next to me lean over and say something to his little seven year old girl, Ashley. We found out the other night that he had said "Don't drink that!"(in Spanish of course) but he did not know what if it was wine or not. Also another funny moment was when we got out the hymn book to sing the closing hymn and he started to sing then stopped and leaned over like he was listening to me. Of course I felt a bit akward at this but I just kept singing along and after the prayer he said "You sing beautiful". He later told my companion that we both sing like angels, I don't think they sing as much in the other churches that he has attended. His wife is simply hilarious. When she thinks that I am not understanding something that she says in spanish she will look at me and then say a word in english and then ramble on in rapid spanish(ha ha! no comprendo!!!). I love them though because they love that I am learning Spanish(it actually made the mom, Maira, cry one time when I bore my testimony because she had never seen someone try to learn Spanish to teach her about Jesus Christ) so they don't mind when I have to pause to remember the word that I want when we are teaching them. Many of the people we teach are like this. I love the Hispanic CULTURE! Oh and Hna Méndez says she will be finding me a hispanic husband so that I can really be a part of the culture. :D But, you know, AFTER the mission of course.
Alright who of all of you knows who Elder Evans of the Seventy is? He is actually over the missionary department. Well he came and spoke to us at an all day mission tour on Tuesday. It. Was. AWESOME! I was so moved and inspired by everything that he had to say. I feel so much more rejuvinated!!!!!!!!! Oh yeah and you will get to see at this upcoming conference because he is speaking. After the mission conference I was lucky enough to get to give a presentation at the Visitors' Center for my mission president, President Keyes, his wife and Elder Evans and his wife. You know that feeling where you just feel so overwhelmed with the goodness around you and the excitement that you feel, and the love of God, and the feeling of being so blessed, mixed with a ton of exhaustion? Yeah, that was my day on Tuesday. Also Missouri has officially skipped winter and gone straight to spring(or so it has really felt). It was 80 degrees the other day and the VC air conditioner is broken and I was wearing a blazer for the mission conference that had been earlier that day. I thank goodness that I did not pass out from heat exhaustion right there in front of President and Elder Evans, although Elder Evans would have never forgotten me if I had...ha ha!
Oh and the dog picture that I am attaching is me holding one of our members dogs. That was a hilarious lunch appointment! It was with our member named Sister Gilliard. She is this full figured black woman who totally speaks like a black woman. Oh my gosh! Hna Méndez could not understand her for part of the time because she was speaking slang and ghetto and so she would just shake her head yes and say things like "really? wow..." etc. I was like wow, this is how I look sometimes when someone is speaking spanish!!!
Also yesterday I went on exchanges with Sister Minall(she is also black but very different from Sis Gilliard, although she did say that "my people"(black people) would love your figure Sister Thorne ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!) and we had such a crazy day. It seemed like EVERYTHING kept going wrong! But we did have an awesome dinner appointment and then went to see an investigator that really needed to hear Sister Minalls convert testimony so I am so thankful that we had that opportunity.
My dear family and friends, I love you all so much!!!! All of the small things that you do each day to get closer to your Savior ARE helping you be shaped into the person that you can be. You are divine. Ask Father in Heaven to help you see this, I promise that He will answer your prayers, and that another result of you seeing yourself the way that God sees you will be you seeing others the way that God sees them and treat yourself/them accordingly. In this is TRUE and LASTING joy and happiness.
Los amo muchissimo!!!!
Hermana Thorne
There is a pic of my area and one while driving out to it too
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