Called To Serve: Getting good at ASL

I want to start by saying thank you to all of you. Thank you for all the emails, letters, packages, kind words, prayers, everything. This week was one of the worst ones I’ve had in a while (so it seems) but it seemed like I received more love from you all than ever too. It’s just a testimony to me that the Lord knows my every need. He knows when I’m struggling regardless of how I seem to be holding up.

I should’ve said this a long time ago anyways. I know plenty of missionaries who get ZERO support from anyone, but here I am every week not having enough time to get back to everyone because of all the support. I am truly blessed. I’m not really sure why I am so lucky, but I do know that I love you all. Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.

Sister Hobbs (my mission president’s wife) said something really profound a few weeks ago that I’ve really come to love this past week. She told us that she wrote in the front of her scriptures “Nephi never built a ship!” so that when times got rough and she felt like the Lord was asking/expecting too much of her, she could turn there and remember that even Nephi who had all the odds against him, all the family members making him feel stupid for even THINKING he could accomplish such a thing, built a ship even though he didn’t know how to. Nephi says in 1 Nephi 17:

50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.

51 And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?

The Lord will never give us things we can’t handle, maybe they are things we can’t handle with HIS help, but they are never things we can’t handle. The Lord trust us. He sees our potential. He sees how incredible we can be and already are.

3 things that Hesperia has an excessive amount of?? Pawn Shops, Doughnut Shops, and Liquor Stores. There is one of all these on every single street I feel like hahha. I was messing around with Sister Treadwell saying one Pday we should go to every doughnut shop and get a glazed doughnut then decide which place is the best….too bad we would enjoy that a liiiiiiiiiiitle too much…hahha.

At times I feel like I’m getting smarter, but then we will be at ASL study like we were this week and I’ll say stuff like this “HOLY COW. The United States is so small compared to the rest of the world!!!” and I realize I’m just getting dumber and dumber every day hahahahah. The elders are still giving me crap about that one. -__-

Speaking of elders….this week was rough partially because of elders. I sat back one night and thought to myself “how in the WORLD does Heavenly Father expect me to marry one of these fools some day???” But then I realized why boys in the church are expected, not required, to go on missions. They need it. Just as much, if not WAAAAAAAAY more than us sisters do lol. Missions change lives.

I went on exchanges this week with Sister Cook and had a blast! I realized how much more confident I have become as a missionary. I also was able to recognize some things I need to change as a missionary. I did a “purification fast” (so I just fasted to know what things I needed to stop/change to become a more effective and dedicated servant of the Lord) and I won’t list all the things I got (because we all know there were a ton!) but the things I’ve been working on the past two weeks are 1. Not talking about youtube videos as much. And 2. Not singing along to worldly music when I hear it in restaurants/homes/outside walking. These sounds kind of silly to most of you, but once I noticed the change should be made I noticed how much my thoughts were wrapped around those things that were taking me away from sharing the gospel as much as possible. I love being able to change. I love taking those baby steps to get closer and closer to my Savior. What are some things that YOU could change? Even if you come up with a huge list only start by working on one at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Be proud of the little progress instead of getting so frustrated at not being perfect that you give up and quit. Change is good :)

Sister Cook

Today makes for 8 months on the mission…ARE YOU SERIOUS. Time is flying by too quickly. I don’t want to go home in 10 months :( on a happier note: Woody received the priesthood yesterday! They finally have Zingers again (one of my fav snacks) AND! I Katie Toolan, held a whole conversation in sign this week without having to ask for help!!! EEEP :) I have a new obsession. Signing. And now since I think about that all the time I always mess up and write “sign” when I mean to write “sing” hahaha. Oh the problems of a 20 year old missionary :)