Hello!
The sun has kind of peaked out this morning but it is still freezing. Figures. WA never seems to let us down in the lame weather department. But life goes on. This week was pretty awesome in terms of the work. Working hard and really putting your shoulder to the wheel brings a lot of reward. It's hard and exhausting but I feel a lot better than when I am tempted to drag my feet and not be as dilligent or obedient. "The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment." Laziness never was happiness in the WA-TAC.
Mom, that is so great that you are going to start up being fellowship for that lady the elders are teaching again! Such a miracle. A lot of baptisms in our mission come from former investigators. A lot of time they are dropped by the missionaries or drop the missionaries themselves for reasons like: missionaries getting transferred, going on vacation, illness, hectic work schedules, missionaries stopping visits when investigators are still expecting visits, etc. So while there may be people that no longer want contact with the missionaries or to continue taking the lessons, there are still a lot out there that could pick right back up again. I went through a fat pile of teaching records from formers in our area book. So many people! I went through a picked a bunch out that seemed promising and made some phone calls or dropped by some of their houses to follow up. I was hoping that one would be like the lady that the elders recontacted and that they were waiting for the missionaries to find them again. Nope. No such luck. Bummer. Side note story: There is a lady in the ward named Tina. She is from HI and is a member and at one point had her granddaughter's fiance coming to church and taking the lessons. I wanted to follow up with him and his whereabouts so I called her to get some info. When she answered the phone and said hello it made my heart jump and start at the same time. She sounded EXACTLY like Grandma Margaret. Just the sweetest, kindest voice. Her intonation and everything sounded just like her. I still can't get over how strongly I feel her here in this area.
We had our quarterly interviews with President and Sister Weaver this past week in our zones. Each companionship had an allotted time slot to have one on one interviews with them. He told me that my countenance seemed brighter and more happy than the last time we had spoken. I told him that I was really trying to turn over a new leaf with this transfer and my new area and companion. As I walked out of the interview I had a strong impression that I will be taking over the area and that at the end of the transfer I'll get a new companion. Meaning I need to learn my stuff about this place. The ward here is excellent. It was just split the week before I got here because it and the surrounding wards were very large. I seem to be assigned to serve in predominantly military areas here in the mission. With Silverdale and Bremerton both navy bases and now Steilacoom is just outside an airforce/army base. So lots of military families. Unlike Manette, they feed us almost every night. I think I have eaten more ice cream in Steilacoom than I have in my entire mission. And I have only been here 3 weeks. I had to use most of my money to buy personal items or things like stamps and such so please feel free to send me snacks in the mail. Crazy that it changed so much. Our fridge and cupboards are pretty bare. We have either really nasty or nonexistent cookware so I never really feel motivated to cook, let alone am lacking the funds to buy groceries. Our zone goes out to eat too often, a big reason why my funds were drained so quickly this month.
Our bathtub got recalked this morning. Thank goodness. So much mold and mildew all around the tub. When I got to the area, I was like "DUDE. Did you guys ever clean??" Sis Welch and I would really clean our apts every week on Pdays. That seemed to have been skipped over here with the sisters that were here before me. There was mold all around our window wells too. So much moisture outside and the heat inside makes for a fungusy combination.
I told Auntie Allison in an email that I met another missionary that served in SLC south. Her name is Sister Maiava (My-aw-vah). She is Samoan and knew my friend Sister Stone and Elder Ayoso (The Stowers out here now the Ayosos from Gardena). Last transfer when I was in Btown I got a random text from this girl that used to be in the Del Mar stake and had moved to Puyallup which is an area in our mission. She just got back from serving in SLC south and Kelsy Welch told her that I was serving in her home mission. She told me that if I needed anything to call her up. Small world.
Sister Jensen and I had our first little "tiff." I think this might have been the first tiff I ever had with any companion in the mission so far. I have had really awesome comps. Sister Jensen and I are just really different. I think what makes the difference is COMPLETELY different sense of humor. Makes for difficulty. But I could tell by the way that I handled the situation and reacted that I have really changed. I stepped up or I guess down to be the bigger person. We are good now but it was not fun. Being a communications major has helped immensely with companions but at the same time has widened the chasm sometimes when the person you are trying to communicate with effectively does not have many communication skills. But things are good. Besides, we are already halfway through the transfer. We are having another Sisters conference coming up this weekend and I am soooo excited!!
So LakeHOOD loves basketball. LOVES it. Saturdays are so fun at the stake center. So all throughout the day from morning until the afternoon and scheduled basketball games. The YM/YW have games and so do the men. Everyone comes in their families and sits up on the stage to watch. People bring food and just hang out there all day. Well, at least the Agors and the Stowers do. A lot of our investigators come to play in the basketball league so we watch basketball, teach a lesson, wait for the next game to end, teach another lesson, eat some snacks, teach more lessons. So fun. This past Saturday was the last day for games so I am sad about that so now we'll have to think of new things to do on Saturday.
(Everyone is staring at this Filipino guy singing terribly at his computer with his headphones on right now. I think he thinks that just because he can't hear us, we can't hear him. False.)
For those of you that might be looking to be unhappy or frustrated or depressed here are some ways to ensure that will happen or continue.
1. Wait for others to make you happy
2. Blame everyone else for your unhappiness
3. Use "if only" whenever you can regarding time, money, or friends
4. Compare what you have with what others have
5. Always be serious
6. Take responsibility for everything all the time
7. Try to please everybody all the time (never say "no")
8. Help others but don't let anyone help you
9. Consider your own wants unimportant. Or the only thing that's important.
10.If anyone compliments you, discount it
11. If anyone says anything, exaggerate it
12.Always stay calm and cool
13.Resist change to the death
14. Strive for absolute perfection
15. Always live in the past or in the future.
We had 9 people at church on Sunday. MIRACLE. I love seeing people at church for the first time. We had the brother of a recent convert come to church and he showed up an entire hour early to get a good seat. We ended up sitting with him in the back. The theme of sac mtg and the lessons in sunday school and RS/priesthood were on Prophets and the Priesthood. Both are topics that definitely set the church apart from any other church. Amazing how things work out for our good sometimes at church.
Well, I love you guys. Hope everyone had a great week and that this coming week will be a good one, too."In every situation the answer which leads to happiness is to press forward. When we have done all we can do, the Lord will find a way to open doors."
Love,
Sister Baylon
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