Tuesday we finally got to meet with some investigators after feeling like it had been forever. There names are Tim and Chastity. Her sister joined the church about 5 years ago. Her sister got them in contact with our branch president. This was our first lesson with them and they had already been to church and to our branch Christmas party. So....taught them the Restoration, committed them to baptism etc. Some how transfers were brought up that they were in two weeks. Chastity told us that if she was going to get baptized it would need to be before either of us got transferred. We didn't have the heart to tell her that that couldn't happen. We are meeting again with them tonight! I'm excited. Teaching them the Plan of Salvation, why bad things happen to good people, etc. Stocked!
Ha Wednesday night we had dinner with our landlord and the elders. Our landlord has been housing missionaries for like 30 years and comes to church on and off. He considers himself 80% Mormon. Anyways, a very interesting dinner appointment in deed. What caught us way off guard was when Sister McDowell and I told him that we were both born in the church he said "so you were both born in the covenant?" All four of us just looked at him wondering how he knew such a term. He said I know more about the church than you know. Really funny/interesting guy.
Thursday was probably better than Christmas! So we had to wake up early to make the 2 1/2 hour drive down to Fishers. In the morning we had trainings on Christ-like attributes by the assistants and different sister training leaders. I learned a lot of things about myself that I REALLY need to work on. One is forgiveness. Forgiving myself and forgiving others. Sister Clark (one of my first companions) gave a training on virtue. She talked a lot about how in order to qualify for the Spirit we must be virtuous. She spoke of a delete key. We all know of the analogy of how our mind is like a stage, that only one thought can occupy it at a time. A delete key is a physical thing we can do when we want to delete a thought from our mind. Just like a computer has a delete key to erase words we don't want. We'll, I have to admit. Controlling what I think about is hard. Not bad stuff, just thoughts that take me away from my investigators or my missionary work. We are taught over and over again of how important it is that our minds are centered on our missions. So that's the second thing I'm working on. I've created a delete key and I'm working on it. THEN Sister Cleveland gave the most incredible training of my life. On the projector she showed a picture of Christ. It's a very unique picture. She told us how most of the pictures of Christ he isn't smiling, but in this one he is. It's by Liz Lemon Swindle and it's called Abide With Me (don't know if you that's how you spell it). Mom, if you can track down this picture I want one! Even if it's just googled and printed off on regular paper. This picture literally changed me. Sister Cleveland went on to talk about how we know from the scriptures that Christ smiled. That He smiles when I do the things that I'm supposed to do and when I do hard things. A side note, a new definition for obedience: willingness and ability to do hard things. Anyways, the entire time she was talking I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I've thought a lot about that picture since and that's why I want a copy to carry around with me everywhere. At this point I was crying, just a lot of different emotions I was feeling. Most of it being humility. Afterward a young man performed a song. He had written especially for missionaries. It's called "A Road Less Traveled", that also made me cry. Luckily, he actually created an entire CD for us. All of them are Christmas songs, expect this one. I think Sister McDowell and I have listened to it about 100 times around. Luckily you can all listen to it once I get home :)
Then we had lunch. I was afraid I was going to be a wreck for the rest of teh day. I found some of my old companions and we just caught up. I think I followed Sister Fullmer around most of the time. It
may have been the last time on the mission I see her! She's just so dang funny! Picture to follow. We played some silly Christmas games and then it took about an hour trying to get a mission and zone pictures. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to get 250+ people in a picture when most of them are 19 year old boys haha. Remember the Gasaway's!?!?!? Well Shannon finally came to church!! I was BEYOND excited when the sisters told me that.
The talent show was fun! I messed up pretty bad playing Waterfall because I was so nervous. One of the elders was even kind enough to point out where I messed up, but then he messed up when he played All of Me, so it all worked out. There's a lot of....interesting talent in our mission. Just kidding, I really did have a blast though. I should have taken pictures! Only regret. There was definitely a lot of energy in that gym. Like always, it was just really fun to catch up with other missionaries I have served around.
At the conference I got a package from Leah Ann. In it was one of the sweetest letters I have even received. She said she is pretty sure God knew it would take me to help them. That she was so grateful for the gift that I shared with them. As I read it, it just made me cry. She also included a necklace that was her mother's. That really touched me. I've already worn it a lot, as a reminder.
I got all of your packages mom haha. So remember that letter your wrote me? How you said how amazed you still are that once they made the change that I decided to go without looking back. That you knew when I called wanting to talk to you and dad it was because I wanted to serve a mission. Looking back, in the moment when I got the first impression I was supposed to go, I didn't want to, at all. Then, when the age change occurred, I didn't want to go that quickly. I wanted to wait and then Dad just told me to go. I think what happened those fourish months was that I was in denial. I have to admit, I don't think I even "wanted" to go, rather I knew that Heavenly Father had told me I needed to go. I was worried I would get homesick during this time. That all I would want to be was be home. But instead, I've had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude this last week or so. It was very strong at mission conference. I recognize that I'm in a very special place right now. That this truly is a once in a life time opportunity. I've been blessed to meet so many incredible people, missionaries, members, and non-members (now members :).
Friday was sweet! So a member had given us four referrals earlier in the week. For this one particular one she didn't have a name, only that she was a Hispanic woman. So we knocked on the door and just acted like we were tracting. This Hispanic guy answered the door. We took the approach of sharing a Christmas message and he was more than willing. Then he started asking us questions about missionary life (what we do, for how long, etc.) I had already pulled out my Christmas scripture and then mentally just said "forget it, we're going to talk about the Restoration". Spirit? Maybe. So somehow I brought up the Book of Mormon and began bearing my testimony. At one point I said that it had changed me life. He stopped me and asked how. The Sister McDowell bore testimony. So cool! ah so then he said we had sparked his curiosity. We didn't have a copy on us, so we are going back today! Little moments like that are what make a mission.
Both Sister McDowell and I spoke in sacrament yesterday. It was probably the simplest Christmas program ever. It felt weird being so close to the audience, because there isn't even a stand. While I was waiting to speak, I had another one of those "I'm so blessed to be here moments". This area has been hard, but I still wouldn't trade being here. I think Christmas Eve/Christmas will be fun. I'm praying for snow so we can have a snowball fight with the members who house we are going to! They have three teenage girls and I mentioned it yesterday at church. Oh! They raise their own pigs, so guess what???? I get REAL ham this year.
So....Merry Christmas!!! This will be one I never forget as I'm spent so much more time thinking about others rather than myself. Thanks for the Christmas ornament mom. Instead of hanging up on a tree, it sits on my desk and is a physical reminder to me of the important of working hard. It's perfect. I love each of you very very much.
Sister
Kyla Mayberry
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