Because we didn't get P-day yesterday President Morby is letting us have it today!!! But normally it will be on Mondays.
I am here in Oregon! I have been assigned to a town called Aloha. Sister Kerr is my trainer and we have one ward that we are over. Sister Kerr and I live in an apartment. In this ward, Aloha 2nd ward, there are two sets of missionaries assigned to it. Elder Allred and Elder Freshour are also in our ward, so we will work with them. There are 500 members in the ward and about 400 are inactive. So lots of work to be done! But we also have a lot of investigators and we have a few lessons set up already for this week. Tonight we are going to meet some of the former investigators in the area book and see what happens there. I am so scared haha-I haven't taught real investigators yet. But it is exciting.
Last night we went to dinner at the members house who the Elders in our ward live with, the Reids. They are such lovely people! Sister Reid sent Sister Kerr and I home with a lot of food and necessities to get through the night. It was so nice of her!
Sister Kerr and I are living in a brand new apartment since this is the first time they are having two sets of missionaries in this ward. We also have a brand new car! After dinner last night we went to see our Bishop who coincidentally is Bishop Brown. Sister Brown from SAT Mission who served in our ward-it's her dad. So random! She was there and I saw her and she said Sister Meyers lives nearby and is married so I will probably see her too! That was a fun surprise.
Sister Kerr is so sweet. She looks a lot like Meagan which is so fun! When we were getting ready for the day this morning she just reminded me so much of Meag and it was funny. She is really sweet. It is scary to be with the same person for 24 hours a day for 3 months, just because that is not an easy thing to do! But we are having lots of fun so far and love the area and are really excited for the investigators the elders left us with.
Yesterday morning we got up at 2:30 because we had to be to the travel office at 3:30. We had said goodbye to the Elders in our district the night before because none of them would be there in the morning except for Elder Cashmore who is going to the New York Rochester Mission. However, we didn't get to ride on the same bus as Elder Cashmore because we were going to separate places but he came and found all of us on the bus to give us pass-along cards and give us all one last handshake goodbye. We took the Frontrunner (train) to the airport and our flight left at 8:30. It was a really short flight. When we landed all the missionaries were super excited and I was too actually, but in a much more quiet way. haha It just felt so right to be in Oregon. I am where the Lord wants me to be, and that overtook my heart as I looked out the window of the airplane. Sister Magnusson and I are fast walkers so we were the first ones to get to President and Sister Morby, who were waiting for us. They are so sweet, I love them already so much.
Oregon is BEAUTIFUL. I can tell why everyone is always saying that. It is SO green and just so breathtaking. The leaves are all different colors for fall and there are trees everywhere. It was cloudy and foggy yesterday but today it is sunny, but either way Oregon is beautiful.
After meeting President and Sister Morby, we got our luggage and went to the temple and took pictures. The temple is SO GORGEOUS! It is one of the prettiest temples I have ever seen. Like so so so pretty. It is amazing. Then we went to a stake center next to the temple and did some orientation stuff and had lunch. Then we went in the RS room and there were missionaries sitting in there and we all sat down and President Morby called our names one by one and who our companion was. When I walked in to the room at first and sat down I looked over at the sisters and Sister Kerr was sitting there with a huge smile on her face and I just knew that she was going to be my companion. When President called all of our names each companionship hugged each other and sat down together. Sister Kerr gave me a big hug and I felt better just having her next to me. Companions really are a huge blessing. But it is also one of the hardest things!!! haha After all the companionships were called we went to the chapel and got our areas assigned and then got our apartment keys and phones and area book and everything. Then we went to our apartment, dropped our stuff off, then went to dinner at the Reids. It was such a long day.
Sunday was our very last day in the MTC. Relief Society was amazing. The musical number was so beautiful and I closed my eyes and cried as a thought about my district and how much I would miss the MTC. I thought of everything that had happened there. At my interview with President McMullin he pointed to the light streaming through the window next to us and he said, "See that light? That's you. That is how I am going to remember you." My district had so much fun just being together all day on Sunday and enjoying our last day together. Before the fireside began that night all the missionaries sang "We'll bring the world his truth" and it was so powerful. That was family I would have to say bye to and probably might never see again. Then we went to the film together, "Becoming a Missionary" by Elder Bednar. After the film my district went back to our classroom where we stood in a circle in the middle of prayer together. We all knelt down and the Spirit was so strong in the room. Afterwards Elder Cash said that there was a reason we were all on our missions at that time and entered the day we did and one of those reasons was so that we could all be in that district together. My feelings exactly. Then we all gave a ton of good-bye handshakes. My district made my MTC experience amazing. But the Lord made my MTC experience life-changing.
I am so grateful to be here on a mission at this time. I am supposed to be here right now. I feel so beyond blessed to have had such a special time at the MTC. I had countless spiritual experiences there that I could never repay Heavenly Father for letting me have. The Lord lives. He lives. He has set a straight and narrow path for us to be happy, so that we don't have to be left lost and confused. Straight and narrow is the way, and what a blessing that is. What a blessing it is to have commandments from God that are the means of telling us exactly what we need to do to have joy. I pray that I can use this time of my life that I have dedicated to the Lord in a manner that will please Him. I pray that I can be the means of bringing some soul to repentance- to pure, peaceful joy. I feel so blessed to have the gospel in my life. Life is so hard, but it is worth it. As we follow the Lords will for us, He blesses us beyond measure. I look forward to the day that I can forever live with Him and be surrounded by my family for eternity. I miss you all so much.
Write me letters please!!!
14924 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Beaverton, Oregon 97007
I love you all. Thank you for your support and prayers.
No comments:
Post a Comment