Hey, October
8th, 2012
Well this week has
still had its ups and downs but mostly ups and that is a typical week of the
life of a missionary. Sometimes I feel super bipolar...which can be a good
thing and bad but mostly good because it is giving me even more to work on!!!
:) Those are the best times when all your weaknesses are thrown in your face
but it also gives me even something more that I can rely on the Lord and truly
feel his power and atonement in my life. The atonement is so real and I have
never felt it more powerful than now being on a mission and truly asking the
Lord to help me overcome my own weaknesses. It is great because I know my Heavenly Father
is listening otherwise I would never make it through some days. Heavenly Father
truly hears and answers prayers through tender mercies and sometimes we think
he doesn't but it is because it is
something so small to help us through till the "big" answer comes.
There is a song that I just love a part of it says "what if these trials
in our lives are your mercies in disguise."
I just love that line and it is so true!
Conference was
AMAZING!!!! The spirit was so thick with every talk and just seemed to be even
more so with each session!! I seriously
cried when the annoucement was made for sisters to serve at 19!!!! The door has
just been opened for so many more sister missionaries! And Heaven knows we need
them. It is so great that they can choose to go before they get so involved
with school and thinking about getting married, that is just doesn't seem like
an option. My first two thoughts were
Rachel and Raini and about going on a mission. You saying that they thought about it too just
made me want to cry even more! So, I hope you (Rachel and Raini) and the other
girls in our family when the time comes, will read this and prayer fervently
about going...because I can promise you that you will NEVER do anything as hard
nor as rewarding as a mission. It prepares you for everything you will do with
the rest of your life. You might think I am biased because I am out here but I
am not...well maybe a little...but still. :) I would only encourage you to go
because you truly learn who you are to Heavenly Father and learn how much he
loves you and all of his children. You
have so much joy at the end of the night when your feet, back, brain and cheeks
hurt from smiling so much... yet you can still smile and just feel so happy
that you helped someone and served them. It isn't easy but it is so worth it. There
are hard days but there are great days that make you forget the bad. I don't
remember who it was but there was an apostle who talked about sister
missionaries and how they aren't
required to go but that we need strong mothers to raise the kids that will come
into the world at a time that is going to be hard and a mission will teach you future
Mothers everything you need so you can
be that kind of strong Mother. It went something like that. If you can find it, you
might enjoy it. Marriage is so important...but If you have a desire to go
(D&C 4:3), the Lord will always use
you and marriage will always be there when you get back. If it's right, the
Lord will tell you! I promise you that. and even if you don't get a resounding
yes and you still want to go... GO!!!! You will never regret it. I promise you
that. It is such a great joy to me to get up and put my name tag on and become
one with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and go to work. It's great! Ok..I am done ith my advice and rant or
whatever you want to call it :)
My favorite talk was
Jeffery R. Holland. I love that man. He is so bold and straightforward, yet he
does it with so much love that it only makes you want to be better! He truly is
inspiring. His talk was just so great and meant so much to me as a missionary.
I loved how every talk, no matter what it was, always went back to using the
Atonement. The Atonement isn't just a one time thing but something we have the
beautiful privilege of using over and over again to help us become the person
Heavenly Father intends us to be. 2 Nephi 31:20 pretty much rapped up
conference for me in a nutshell. It was so great to hear from the living
prophets are we are so blessed!
This week has been
good and busy. We have been meeting with a lot of less active members in the
ward that are so wonderful and so kind. There
is one lady that we had the chance to meet with that she told us she got
offended and left the church and a few years back, two missionaries knocked on
her door a while ago and she told them to go away and never return. Then we
showed up a few years later and she was so prepared by the Lord to accept our
invitation to come back and talk to her. It is amazing to see how the Lord
prepares people over time to accept the message we share. We have had quite a
few dinners this week with members and every time we go for dinner and get to
know them I always walk away amazed and
wondering, why isn't the whole city of Chatsworth
members because our ward has so many neat and inspiring people. I just love them and their kindness and their
willingness to be involved in the work and help us in any way they can. It's
funny because this ward is so use to elder's that they cook a lot of food and
then here come the sisters who don't eat near as much as the elder's. It’s
great. Last night the family we ate with told us we couldn't say the “full” word there because in their house it was a
cuss word. He is also from Hawaii and
they eat a lot but it’s so great. I know my last letter wasn't that positive so
I hope this one is because even though this week has been hard, It has been
great!
I am finally feeling
better except I think I might be getting sick again but I am doing everything I
can to not get sick because it sucks! I want to work but if I get sick I can’t, but it should be ok. Tell grandma I got her
letter and Thanks and I miss her, and I
sent her one back if she can find it :) I play the piano a lot and it is great because
I miss getting to play it all the time. Normally about once a week for our
training meetings but the Lord knows that is how I release stress so he
provides ways to play it when I least expect it and it's great. Today we went
to a place called the rock where you can see the ocean from there but it was
super foggy...or smoggy however you look at it but we will go back sometime but
it was great to be out in nature. Normally we do laundry, email, shopping,
cleaning, napping, letter writing, napping...more napping...haha I wish!!! Some Mondays are busier than a normal day in
the week. The library is about 3 blocks from our apartment so not too far but
we are at the apple store because it was closed today. Sorry to hear about
raini's car! and my car! haha I am just really glad she is ok and nothing more
was damaged or hurt but that stinks about it. I hope things work out for her. There
are a million subways here but we haven't used it yet just because we keep
getting money from older members who don't cook very much. So we still have the
gift card !! Oh I thought of something else I want for Christmas...stamps!!!!
:) That cd and stamps would be great and put the money you would normally spend
into my mission. I mean it! :) That is the most important thing and I can never
repay you for the service and help you are giving me to keep me out here. The
Lord is truly blessing our family and I can feel it from here!!! Tell grandpa I miss him lots and lots and lots
but I am surviving :) hope dad isn't too tired from spud harvest! Make sure you
get some rest and don't work too hard.!!! I love you and miss you dearly! Keep going to CHURCH,
PRAYING and READING . They spell CPR and truly are our lifeline to live
with Heavenly Father again! Much love
Sister (Me) Haws :)
No comments:
Post a Comment