Oh boy. Tomorrow I hit 11 months on the mission. Is this real life? I still remember saying bye to my family at the airport, being nervous out of my mind going in to the MTC, crying in Diamond Bar wondering if I made the right decision to leave my life behind to go on a mission…and now here I am. Loving every crazy second of my life as a missionary. In tears thinking about how fast it’s gone and will continue to go. Don’t get me wrong, I love yall and I’m excited to do certain things again, but I love these people. They are just as much my family as you are. These people are the ones I wet my pillow at night worrying about, the ones that have given me an opportunity to grow faster than I ever could have back home, the ones that have shared testimonies with me that will stay in my heart for the eternities. No matter where I end up at points in my life, a part of my heart will always be here in California.
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| Crazy girls! |
GUESS WHAT TIME IT IIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSS?!?!? General Conference time, baby!!! I am so excited. This weekend is the women’s part of it and I know it’ll be good. Make sure you invite your friends/family to join in with you. Saturday night! Share with me what you learned from it next week in an email or something :) Make sure to prepare yourSELF for it so you can get as much as possible out of it. We are so blessed to hear from inspired speakers this week.
This week I was sick in bed for 2 days, so that’s always a bummer. It stinks because I was the contagious sick, therefore, I was homebound. Luckily, the Lord helped us be SUPER busy and jam packed on the days that I wasn’t in bed.
Blessings from this week:
- There is a part member family here that I’ve known even since being in Bear Valley ward and the husband NEVER talks to us, makes eye contact, anything. We went over this week and homeboy was talkin’ up a storm!!! He was super nice to us and everything. We walked out like “whhhhhhhhhaaaa?”
- Didn’t die from a black widow bite while helping someone clean out a shed….that hadn’t been touched in 30 years….
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| Holding an albino boa :) |
- While we were waiting for our elders to meet us at the park for a meeting Sister Cauble and I got to lay down on the grass and look at the pretty night sky. It sounds silly, but it was so refreshing and nice. Haven’t done that in quite some time!
- Went and visited like 3 potenial investigators and every single one of them told us we could come back (even gave us a specific day) and teach them. It was the moment we’ve been waiting for this whole transfer!! It was proof to us that Heavenly Father truly is preparing His children to hear the gospel. He’s also preparing us, the ones trying to share that with them.
- While having a lesson with some little kids 2 of their friends we’d never met sat in as well and LOVED it. They are currently in the process of asking their parents if they can learn more :)
- Being sick in bed brought a hidden miracle: it allowed Sister Cauble and I time to really open up to each other, share stories and get closer than we already were. I really enjoyed that time spent with her…minus the being sick part. Yuck. Oh, also a blessing that she didn’t get sick as well. The elders that we share the ward with did..she was the chosen one!!! It’s okay though, we prayed really hard for that haha.
- When I was on exchanges with Sister Higbee we got to do service for a family that wasn’t members. Well, even though no one WE are teaching showed up at church yesterday, the whole family we helped out was there with their member daughter! It was the coolest thing ever. They were so happy and enjoyed it. You could tell that because we made that connection/relationship with them by just helping them and making them realize missionaries aren’t just around to baptize people, but to love them and serve them as the Savior would if He were here with us, that we were able to plant a seed in their hearts. I know they will accept the gospel someday.
Speaking of which, that’s one of the neatest things for me as a missionary. I know, truly know in my heart those that will accept the gospel someday when I see them. Reason? Because we pray for eyes to see those we come into contact with as the Savior would. The Savior helps us see them for what they can become, not what they are. He helps us see the potential in all. I knows it’s Him because I darn sure couldn’t be doin’ it on my own!
- BEST PART OF THE WEEK: we (all 4 Mojave River missionaries…btw: you should know that I always pronounce it as moe-jov-aay rivaa. Gotta spice life up. Always.) helped set up for a wedding reception. That can be very very very cruel at times because then we get to thinkin’ about marriage!!! Lol But, no worries, it was a blast. It was perfect because it was actually “Hesperia Days” as well so right at 7:30 after the party got done we took chairs out to their front yard and watched beautiful fireworks. That was nice considering on 4th of July we had to be in by 6 and didn’t get to see any :p the best part came after that, however. A DANCE PARTY BEGAN AS WE WERE HELPING CLEAN UP. It allllllllll started with the throwback “My girl” which then made me think of silly Hannah Singletary and I singing that in the halls of school, at dance camp to the cafeteria ladies, just pretty much everywhere :p we ended up dancing for like 9 songs straight. Best night in a loooooooooong time haha. That’s where I am happy. On a dance floor actin’ like a complete noob!!!!
Bad part? I got home and the party got the best of me. Sister Cauble and I got REALLY hper (hence the crazy ugly random pictures) and then I felt like the night where I went into a food coma not too long ago. I just had to go lie down in all my clothes and knock out. Hahaha. Good time. Very good time. :)
All in all, pretty darn good week. I can’t wait to give it all I got this week!! Keep having a sense of humor and enjoying life. Step out of your comfort zone and be a friend to someone. Pray for missionary opportunites!!!! Love you….baby….<-----Emily Grace Jones, I did that for you. You’re welcome.
-hugs-
Sister Toolan
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