Sounds like you are all enjoying summer!! I was thinking - I haven't thought so much about how I've missed summer, and it's because it feels like spring and fall here. There is no summer -never gets hot enough! But it's good, it keeps me focused.
So transfers are coming up in about a week. I have one more full week in Gloucester, but a possibility of 7 haha, but no more. I'm not sure if I feel ready to move on. It's probably the first transfer that feels a bit different. Maybe it's because I know I have less than half my mission to go. It's already been 2 weeks since I hit 9 months. Time is so short!! There is a possibility of me only having one more area. Maybe two, but no more than that.
So this week was fun. Tuesday we had zone conference with Elder Dykes, the new area president. It was so good. I took so many notes. With last week being hard I knew there would be something that would stand out. I haven't had too much of an opportunity to look over my notes yet, but they talked about schedule. And I'm not always the best with time. Probably my biggest weakness on the mission. Oh but I have the cutest new watch!! So it's easier to keep time haha. But they talked about spending 5-10 minutes in the shower and not wasting time and promised us that our days would go so much better. It works!!
Wednesday and Thursday were picture perfect missionary days!! Got to do some service, did some finding, had dinner appointments and lunch appointments. Biked everywhere. Worked a lot with the elders. Love them to pieces. Did some tracting and some member stop bys. So busy we couldn't even go back to our flat for lunch so we packed lunch and had a picnic on a beautiful day!! Made homemade hamburgers for Gary, Sue and the Elders. They turned out pretty good. Made some homemade guacamole to go on them and that was so good. I've missed cooking. They were a little dry but I did pretty well with what I had to work with.
Did even more service on Friday and then weekly planning. We were doing good on time until we got talking about something. Can't remember but Sister Jian couldn't breathe at one point and I had to calm her down. If you thought I was hard on myself about perfection she was worse this week. In my patriarchal blessing, it talks about patience and calm being two of my gifts. I saw them in use that day. We got the elders to come give her a blessing. It was good. I got to hear what Heavenly Father thinks of me. He says I'm a loving, supportive companion. It was cool. I guess a lot comes down to how we look at things. Sister Jian says it's not about the numbers but she gets mad at how crummy they look. So many times I had to say look at how much good we have done for the zone leaders and the elders. We really have helped them with their investigators also the family from Nepal that we found. They live in another area (I think this was a test) but we set up an appointment and had the elders that serve in that area go over and now they are solid investigators!! We helped so much, because it's not just our area that was struggling. The whole zone and the whole mission was having a hard month. Zone conference really opened our eyes to that but it also helped us realize so much more.
I did a study in happiness. One day this week the zone leaders called that chatted with us after planning and Elder Shaw asked if we were happy. He knows how I've been feeling (he helped president give me the blessing). I mentioned I was working on getting there. We talked a bit about happiness and he said that if we need anything, ice cream or flowers haha, to just give them a call. But it got me thinking. And I think it was the next day I studied happiness. Searched it and went through the Old Testament and Book of Mormon and I learned so much. But I think my favourite was after I had picked out all the things that bring happiness I was able to look at how they do fit into the plan of happiness aka the plan of salvation aka God plan. Whatever you want to call it. It really does bring happiness, even in rough times.
I'm so thankful for my mission. I've been having random flashes of the McCarran airport. And it's not making me wish to go home but it's like encouraging, seeing the end goal haha in a way. It's making me appreciate my time since it feels like it's just slipping away and I'm happy with what I've done.
Oh, also pray for Andy. His fiancé called off the wedding. We aren't sure what is going on but hopefully we can get it all figured out. Andy had just passed the sacrament for the first time, good progress was happening and Satan strikes again. The same old.
Well I love you all!! I have to go do my nails and bake some cookies haha and we have a dinner appointment. But here are some pictures!!
So transfers are coming up in about a week. I have one more full week in Gloucester, but a possibility of 7 haha, but no more. I'm not sure if I feel ready to move on. It's probably the first transfer that feels a bit different. Maybe it's because I know I have less than half my mission to go. It's already been 2 weeks since I hit 9 months. Time is so short!! There is a possibility of me only having one more area. Maybe two, but no more than that.
So this week was fun. Tuesday we had zone conference with Elder Dykes, the new area president. It was so good. I took so many notes. With last week being hard I knew there would be something that would stand out. I haven't had too much of an opportunity to look over my notes yet, but they talked about schedule. And I'm not always the best with time. Probably my biggest weakness on the mission. Oh but I have the cutest new watch!! So it's easier to keep time haha. But they talked about spending 5-10 minutes in the shower and not wasting time and promised us that our days would go so much better. It works!!
Wednesday and Thursday were picture perfect missionary days!! Got to do some service, did some finding, had dinner appointments and lunch appointments. Biked everywhere. Worked a lot with the elders. Love them to pieces. Did some tracting and some member stop bys. So busy we couldn't even go back to our flat for lunch so we packed lunch and had a picnic on a beautiful day!! Made homemade hamburgers for Gary, Sue and the Elders. They turned out pretty good. Made some homemade guacamole to go on them and that was so good. I've missed cooking. They were a little dry but I did pretty well with what I had to work with.
Did even more service on Friday and then weekly planning. We were doing good on time until we got talking about something. Can't remember but Sister Jian couldn't breathe at one point and I had to calm her down. If you thought I was hard on myself about perfection she was worse this week. In my patriarchal blessing, it talks about patience and calm being two of my gifts. I saw them in use that day. We got the elders to come give her a blessing. It was good. I got to hear what Heavenly Father thinks of me. He says I'm a loving, supportive companion. It was cool. I guess a lot comes down to how we look at things. Sister Jian says it's not about the numbers but she gets mad at how crummy they look. So many times I had to say look at how much good we have done for the zone leaders and the elders. We really have helped them with their investigators also the family from Nepal that we found. They live in another area (I think this was a test) but we set up an appointment and had the elders that serve in that area go over and now they are solid investigators!! We helped so much, because it's not just our area that was struggling. The whole zone and the whole mission was having a hard month. Zone conference really opened our eyes to that but it also helped us realize so much more.
I did a study in happiness. One day this week the zone leaders called that chatted with us after planning and Elder Shaw asked if we were happy. He knows how I've been feeling (he helped president give me the blessing). I mentioned I was working on getting there. We talked a bit about happiness and he said that if we need anything, ice cream or flowers haha, to just give them a call. But it got me thinking. And I think it was the next day I studied happiness. Searched it and went through the Old Testament and Book of Mormon and I learned so much. But I think my favourite was after I had picked out all the things that bring happiness I was able to look at how they do fit into the plan of happiness aka the plan of salvation aka God plan. Whatever you want to call it. It really does bring happiness, even in rough times.
I'm so thankful for my mission. I've been having random flashes of the McCarran airport. And it's not making me wish to go home but it's like encouraging, seeing the end goal haha in a way. It's making me appreciate my time since it feels like it's just slipping away and I'm happy with what I've done.
Oh, also pray for Andy. His fiancé called off the wedding. We aren't sure what is going on but hopefully we can get it all figured out. Andy had just passed the sacrament for the first time, good progress was happening and Satan strikes again. The same old.
Well I love you all!! I have to go do my nails and bake some cookies haha and we have a dinner appointment. But here are some pictures!!