Monday, September 26, 2016
This is something that I am still working on, and Sister D is as well. I have learned that I cannot change people's personalities nor do I want to change Sister D’s. But, in missionary life, we cannot remain as we were. We are in a big stretch zone. But as President Marston says, "There is no growth in comfort zones, and no comfort in growth zones." The Lord is molding us into who he wants us to be, it can be uncomfortable, but the more we are molded the more like Him we become.
This is something that I am still working on, and Sister D is as well. I have learned that I cannot change people's personalities nor do I want to change Sister D’s. But, in missionary life, we cannot remain as we were. We are in a big stretch zone. But as President Marston says, "There is no growth in comfort zones, and no comfort in growth zones." The Lord is molding us into who he wants us to be, it can be uncomfortable, but the more we are molded the more like Him we become.
Just a thought. Let's move on to my week shall we?
Monday we just hung out at the church because it was transfer
pray so it was filled with signing journals and reminiscing in old memories.
That night Auburn 3rd put on a ward BBQ! We were a little late because we were
up in Grass Valley, but the food was delicious and we got to meet more of the
ward!
They get free food once a week at Pacos Tacos! |
Tuesday was also transfer day. So after our service we got Chic-fil-a
and headed over to the church to say hello and goodbye! Sister M and Sister V
were both there and it was so good to see them! It was a sad day though because
a few of my very good friends have honorably and successfully finished their
missions and headed home to begin their new adventure. As much as I was excited
for them, it was sad to see them go.
That night we went over to the M Family's home (our WML) because
their daughter McKenna got her mission call!! She's come to a few lessons with
Justin with us and we can tell she will do fantastic! She is going to the Chile
and she's pretty excited because she leaves 3 days after Christmas! It reminded
me of when I got my call, just about a year ago and the nervousness and
excitement that came with it! I just love missions!
Wednesday we went to a store called Women of Worth and helped fold
linens. We had a great time chatting with the other sisters and helping them
out. It's all the way in Nevada City, which is about a 45 min drive from our
house so we probably won't go very often. Afterward we went to Paco’s Tacos for
lunch! Members own it and they let the missionaries have anything they want for
free once a week! We are so blessed!
The next day we had an appointment with Sister B., who is a member
in the Auburn 3rd Ward. She is raising her two children alone and running her
own company. She is the definition of busy. She had just a little bit of time,
but we showed her the "The Will of God" video. It tells a story of a
current bush who grows and flourishes into a beautiful tree, but the gardener
comes and cuts it down. The bush seems to cry and asks "I thought you were
the gardener here, I was doing well, why did you got me down?" And the
gardener responds "You're right, I am the gardener here but I don't want
you to be a tree, I want you to be a current bush. And one day you will thank
me." The video goes on and at the end he says "Thank you for cutting
me down, for loving me enough to hurt me." The Lord knows our potential
and will help us take the steps we need to reach it, even if it means hurting
us. Tears filled Sister B’s eyes as she watched the video. We know that her
life has not been easy, but she testified of the truth of the message. She was
so grateful we came and gave her "a few moments of peace for the
day."
On Friday we were able to go to the N Family’s home and teach
their son-in-law Sergio. We taught Sergio the restoration and invited him to
read and pray about the book of Mormon. He accepted a copy and said that he
would! Unfortunately, he and his wife, the N’s daughter, live in Carmichael
which is outside our mission boundaries. So if they progress, we will have to
pass them up to other missionaries. But, we will cross that bridge when we come
to it! In the lesson he had a lot of good comments and questions. He didn't
really know about the book of Mormon or Joseph Smith which is honestly a
blessing because most people don't hear good things about them. Sister D and I
were able to share our testimonies and show them my red highlighted copy. I
definitely know that the book of Mormon is the word of God and was translated
by Joseph Smith by inspiration. I know that it really does bring us closer to
our Savior. So we hope that we can continue to meet with Sergio and help him to
come closer to Christ!
That night we went to the P. Family’s home for dinner and it was
so good!! They are from Hawaii and make the best food! They introduced us to a
drink called a POG which is pineapple orange guava and it is heavenly!! They
are such a fun Family!!We were able to talk to them about following the
promptings of the spirit and they were shared several experiences with us about
the importance of heat in the warnings of the Spirit brings to us. We were also
very blessed because they sent us home with groceries that night! We are so
blessed in this area to have so many memories will take care of their
missionaries!!
Saturday was a great day! We were able to meet with Laura in the
morning it was a less active member in the Auburn third Ward. I'm not sure if I
talked about her before but she showed us around her studio in our backyard and
all the fun crafts she's been working on! She has baby heads everywhere ha ha
it's kind of her thing right now! We talked about loving everyone as God's
children and not judging them because it's not our place. She's just she's such
a fun lady!
That evening was women's conference!! We went over to the M's
home with some other sisters and watched conference together. People brought
snacks, salads, fruit and desserts to eat while we watched! It was so yummy!
And conference was just too good. I especially loved President Uchtdorf’s talk
called "Fourth Floor Last Door". It really made me think about my
diligence as a missionary. Am I willing to climb all the stairs and knock all
those doors just to find the one? I would like to yes to that question!! It is
soooo worth it!!
Sunday was an interesting day.
We went to go find a referral from a brother in the Auburn 3rd
Ward. We have tried before but no one's ever been home but today we actually
got to talk to people. The first door was a nice lady who was Christian and not
interested. The second door was a Seventh-day Adventist who also wasn't
interested. The next-door didn't answer so we left a note at the last door we
knocked on we asked if “Troy” was
there and he said, "Troy doesn't come around these parts anymore, if he
does I'll shoot him!", so we got quite the variety of responses from that
four door apartment complex.
This week was great!! A great start to the transfer!!
Love y'all!
Sister Emily Gore