Hey Hey,
It was actually sunny this weekend! Just in time for the long anticipated sisters conference. Man, it seemed like that day would never come. I needed it way bad. it was so fun! We headed over to the mission home at 5:30 and had a dinner catered from Olive Garden. Yum. Then President and Sister Weaver wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and we went for a walk down at the Sound. So gorgeous. There were so many sister missionaries swarming around that place that it looked like temple square. We took a bunch of pictures and just walked around and talked. Then back to the mission home and we just hung out and some girls dyed easter eggs. Munched on snacks and talked. 27 girls. 2 bathrooms. 1.5 hours in the morning to make it happen. Yikes. I set the alarm for 6am to beat the rush to the shower. I slept in for 2 minutes. At 6:02 there was someone already turning on the water. Literally snooze you lose. We had the most delicious breakfast! We have seriously no food in our apt and we're broke. My comp doesn't eat breakfast anyway, but I have to just scrounge around for something. The other day I ate 3 prunes and some crystal light. Breakfast of champions. So when we headed to the kitchen at the mission home and were greeted with fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, hot cinnamon rolls, eggs, cereal, bagels, muffins, juice, chocolate milk it was such a treat. We had some trainings in the morning by President and Sister Weaver. Then the AP's came over and did a training on relying on the the holy ghost and how we can receive revelation when teaching. Cool stuff.
My comp and I are okay. But I wouldn't be devastated if I got a new companion next transfer. Speaking of which, we are starting week 5 of the transfer. Holy Cow. I cannot believe how fast it has been going. As I am anticipating taking over the area, Dad, can you send me the Garmin GPS if you are not using it? The streets here are kinda confusing and our area doesn't provide a GPS like my other areas did. That would be great!
Broberg Family! Thank you for the package! My district leader suprised me with it at our district meeting this past week and it completely made my day. A box full of Trader Joe food can do that for a hungry missionary! You guys are the best!
Mom, thanks for the package that you sent me, too! Ironically, I bought three journals the day that the one you sent me arrived. I have been journaling like crazy. It really has become a passion of mine. I bought a cool journal that has this saying on the front cover, "We write to taste life twice." Yep, that's why I write. I love going back and reading about things that have happened at different stages on my mission and seen the growth I've experienced. The losses and trials. The wins and triumphs. Pretty cool. I'm building up quite the collection of journals I am filling! I really have a testimony in keeping personal records. The scriptures have highlighted this truth for me, there is much to be learned, remembered and appreciated in reading about the lives of those who have come before us. I write for me but I also write for those that will read my journals when I am not around. Plus, it's a really cathartic decompressing activity. Let's you be expressive and creative. I really reccommend it.
Man, I really got to watch what I eat out here! Members love to feed us and I need to remember that each and every time I eat something they put in front of me there will be mortal consequences. I don't want to be one of those sister missionaries that falls into the supposed "inevitable weight gain pitfall." Some sisters in our ward work out together on MWF mornings at the church. Yoga, cardio, pilates, weight training. All that good stuff. We usually can't go because it is at 9am which is during our comp study. But I suggested last night that we study earlier this morning and go to the classs and take advantage of the time that we could do it because it's PDAY. Sister Jensen hates working out. So I had to drag her to go. There were about 5 of us there. We did a bunch of squats and lunges and different high rep sets of different moves. Dang, I am out of shape. These ladies that are twice my age were showing me up. Felt good to exercise. I'm really trying to make a point of it.
We had a baptism last night. It was for a 12 yr old, Rudy, whose dad, Randy, just joined the church back in December. I actually got to go to Randy's baptism with Sis Welch cause she got special permission cause she had taught him before she got transferred out of the area. Looking at Rudy's teaching record and hearing little bits from different members of the ward, the teaching/conversion process for Rudy was arduous and was nearly a year long. He met the missionaries before his Dad even did. Sis Welch told me he was just the biggest punk kid. Always getting in trouble, getting suspended from school, causing havoc at church. Just squirrely and rascally and all that that entails. But much to my suprise, when I got to the area and we really commited him to be either be serious about the lessons or not, he really started to change. I got to watch the gospel of Jesus Christ in action as it refined and streamlined Rudy from the inside out. At the baptism people made comments like "wow, he's come so far." "night and day difference." "I never thought we'd see him get baptized." Seeing people change their lives for the better is my favorite aspect of missionary work. It is my biggest reward. He'll still be 12 years old and be around other kids that are of the world, but he won't be. He now has been baptized into His church and given the companionship of the Holy Ghost to help him continue to change and make better choices. He now has been granted access to the healing and saving power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. MIRACLE.
I feel like my perspective of my mission has changed. I am more commited than I was when I started. Even more than just a month ago. I feel more intune with my purpose and my calling. I find more joy in my service. The difference has been that now my "eye is more fully single to the glory of God." Being motivated but not enslaved to the numbers. The quotas. The pride in being successful. There is a quote by President Howard W. Hunter: "Continue to seek opportunities for service. Don't be overly concerned with status...It is important to be appreciated. But our focus should be on righteousness, not recognition; on service, not status. Visibility does not equate to value." This work is not about me.
As I above mentioned my love for journaling, one of the journals that I started this week is actually a gratitude journal. It is designed and meant to be a record of all things grateful. All things blessings. All things positive. All things good. It has little prompts on the bottoms of the pages about different things or ways to write about being grateful. It has quotes all throughout about the virtue of gratitude. It's really cool. I feel like grateful people are happy people. Happy people are happy people because they're humble. Their humble because they recognize the hand of God in their lives more often than unhappy people do. You tend to find more hope, more confidence, more charity when you appreciate what you do have versus dwelling on what you don't. But by the same token, I think grateful people are also ambitious. Being satisfied but also balancing the notion that they can be the authors of their own life stories and to go out and make themselves happy by achieving or working or growing towards whatever thing, attribute, or goal they want to reach. Gratitude = happiness.
Grateful for you guys.
Love ya.
Sis Baylon
Shout outs:
Brianne Flint Semons. Would you write me already? Sheesh. It's been 10 years.
Congrats to Jordan and Jess on your engagements! Jess you look so good in your announcement.
Shay- thanks for sending me your blog updates in the mail. How fun! Your life is so cool.
Katy Rea- are you alive? send me your email/mailing address!
Sam Anderson- IDK if you even read these posts, but if you do, I wanna hear from you!
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