Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Hello (Week 38)

Well hello all!!
 
Sorry for the mad dash of getting your emails in...I feel like I'm someone at the byu testing center waiting for all the tests to get in on time. ha (Jenna had said P-day was Wednesday, but Tuesday afternoon she sent an email  [one post earlier than this one] saying she was online right then.  I happened to see the email and we rushed to finish writing our notes to her!) I will try to send pictures next week- my hair is doing fine. Mom- that is so exciting about you losing weight!! Keep it up...and then help me when I get home! :) Also, did you get Tom's address? I may just send a letter home and then have you get it to him. I'm so happy that he is doing well now. Dad- sorry about your ankle. I taught you well!! Although I would like to know the score of how awesome it looked when you fell. I didn't end up doing that 5k (with the med students last Saturday) cause I was helping someone move out. Ok, and ziplining and kayaking??? (on our upcoming Alaskan cruise) What the heck?! I want to do that!! No fair...want to take me when I get home?! ha 
 
Oh, so we are having six sisters come in this week of transfers, nine the next transfer, and nineteen the next one!!! Holy cow!!! This is nuts! Sister Patchett and I are staying together in White Sulphur for this transfer and we are both super excited about it. It will be interesting though because we are losing like half of our ward for the summer. We have med students that are moving out, and the rest of the med students are going home (all to Utah!!) for the summer, so it should be interesting. We are super sad about them going home though cause I just love them and they are so amazing! We are going to have our correlation meetings every week with our ward mission leader over the phone. ha! 
 
So, I don't even know where to begin. This last week though was sooooo rough for our little companionship! We are feeling much better though so that is a blessing because we really struggled last week. I'm not going to go into full detail because I don't have the time and I don't know if Sister Patchett would want me to tell you it all, but last monday she decided that she needed to go home, not because she wanted to go home but because she really felt like she needed to. She felt like the Lord really needed her to be at home to help things in her family life, but was confused because she was like why would He send me out here then? I did what I could to help her and tried to just talk it through with her and analyze it to see what she should do, but ultimately it needs to come down to her and what she is feeling. It was really hard for both of us because she was struggling with so many different feelings and the need to go home, and I was trying to help her all I could while feeling like I was again a bad trainer. Why? Because this would be the second transfer in a row that the girl I was training wanted to go home. I felt so crappy and was just questioning what I was doing wrong. These past few days I have really turned inward and tried to figure out what the heck I need to do better and to improve because I was feeling these feelings and I have been out halfway. I want to make this part of my mission even better and so I was just trying to figure out what the heck was going on and what I should change, do differently, study, pray about, anything. It just basically sucked. Sister Patchett talked to president and had a lot of little things happen that helped her to realize again that she needs to be out here. I am coming around again as well because of a lot of hard studying, praying, reflecting, and talking things out. Our ward mission leader is soooo amazing!!!!! He gave me a blessing on thursday and Sister Patchett one yesterday. We talked about it and all felt so good. He felt so happy and at peace too that he was about to cry as well (us two and his wife were crying already. haha I love his wife too!! She's amazing and just loves us so much!) He said that the blessings he gave to us were two of the most spiritual and powerful blessings that he has ever given and he knew that they came from Heavenly Father directly because he was prompted to say everything that he said. It was so neat to be a part of that last night because I was feeling so loved and known by the Lord. He knows me and knows what I am going through. And, He knows how to help me because He is the only one that has gone through exactly what I have gone through and knows all my thoughts, desires, intents, and everything. He knows me because I am His daughter. So, we both had a hard time, but after yesterday we are feeling much better and are a lot more positive about life. I know things will work out how they should and that the Lord knows what we are going through. He will bless our companionship because we are very unified and doing what we can to learn, progress, and help others. Sister Patchett is amazing and I just love serving with her. We are totally supposed to be serving with each other at this time because we have both helped each other so much already! I love it!
 
Let's see, the lady that knows the church is true has been an interesting adventure. We got a referral from herself from Hill Cumorah for a missionary visit. We called her saturday and talked to her and she wants to meet with us but she had just gotten back and was on her way to a wedding. She called sunday while we were at church and said that she would let us know when a good time is because her husband doesn't like how she wants to leave their church after 27 years, so yeah. At the end of the message though, she said quieter and rushed 'I still want to be baptized though.' It was awesome, and I loved hearing her conviction. I just really hope that we will be able to help her and her husband and teach them because I know that we can really touch them because of what we have together in our companionship. That's where we are at right now in that situation right now.
 
One thing I wanted to tell you was that we sent out our cards that we wrote for the ward and it was so fulfilling!!! We were so happy to be done with them! I think like 3 days after we sent them we got a card back from a less active just thanking us for our care and concern and for being willing to help others. It was a full card and made us soooo happy after coming home from a long, hard day. At church I don't know how many peopled just loved us even more and thought we were just amazing and were thanking us for the cards. So many people said they were going through such a rough time and when they got our card they felt so good because they knew that someone loved them and was watching out for them. We also had a couple people bear their testimonies about how that really helped them, and also just how amazing we two are and that we have such a strong spirit and that people need to invite us in more and really love us because we are so amazing!! Seeing and hearing all of that was exactly what I needed because it made me feel so good and I just wanted to start crying! I was getting frustrated in a way because I was doing so many things to try to help the ward get more excited about missionary work and to like us more, and this sunday something was different. Some people who have never fed us wanted to feed us, people were giving us hugs right and left, talking to us, and it was such a testimony builder for me. I know that the ward is changing and I really feel like the mood towards missionaries is changing. It really just takes a lot of tender loving care and helping the members in anyway so that they know that we love them and are here for them. 
 
So, even though it has been rough, we really are teaching only one person, and we are struggling in different things I know that it will be ok. We have faith that the Lord knows our situation and will bless us in the ways that we need as we keep trying! So, that's about it right now. Lots of service this week and helping people move. I am doing well though and am truly coming to know my Savior Jesus Christ even more. I am so beyond grateful for His sacrifice and love for me, for each of us to give everything to us. I love Him so much!! I love you all and hope that you are doing well!! Have a wonderful cruise and take pictures for me!!! :D
 
                                                           Love, Sister Higgins

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