Monday, July 7, 2014
Holy moly!
Soo good to hear from you this week, Mom! Just as much as you love the details
from me, I loved the details from you :)
I am super
excited about the temple being close to home. I feel like that will be a huge blessing. I bet the heat there is a little better than
here. We are around 90* each day, and
only down to 75 at like 9pm. But the
humidity is terrible. Ha-ha. Sister Montgomery likes to run, so the past 2
weeks we have been running to the park by our pad and then when we get to the
park I walk around the courts and she runs around the courts so we can be in
sight and sound. I made a comment that it's so humid that it’s like breathing
water. Ha-ha! It feels pretty nasty.
Okay. So ready for this? Transfer calls. This is quite the story. But you have to have
background to understand it all I guess. So there are 8 different Sister Training Leaders,
right? Of those, 2 are leaving to go home. Sister May and Sister Hale :( So
that leaves their companions in the areas.
So let me
'draw' a diagram since I am terrible with words. Plainview: May [going home] and Jorgensen [2
transfers left] Lynbrook: Lewis [1 more] and Cienfuegos [3 or 4 left, I think] Queens:
Hale [1 more] and Mckee [2 more] Brooklyn: Montgomery [1 more] and Freeze [3 more]. So-- if we
are going purely by logic we were thinking it would be that Sister Jorgensen
and Sister Mckee would get new companions and everything would be solved. But,
we found out midweek that Sister Jorgensen got a trainer call and was going to
be going back into the Spanish program. It was nuts. So, the only logical thing
would be to have me go back to Plainview because I am the only who knows
anything about the area. I was SO sure I was going back. Like, I had completely
convinced myself I was that...... I packed a whole bag before even getting the
transfer call. Just at night during our free time before bed on Friday I packed
a lot of things. Ha-ha! The story gets
better. Saturday came, and at 10:15 we
have the normal conference call from our zone leaders and I’M NOT getting
transferred! Hahaha! Sister Montgomery
is! First off, she is going to train a
new STL, and most likely get transferred to Plainview, and knows nothing about
the area. Things are just hysterical. We were in such disbelief about everything, we
couldn’t do anything but just laugh. So that is my lesson that I learned. don’t
think you know what the Lord wants for you.
Sister Montgomery
is one of my best friends. I asked her if she wants to be one of my brides
maids at my wedding and she said, "Yes! Wanna be mine?!" Haha. I am
thankful that we have been able to become friends. She has a great work ethic. She said I can
ride her horses and come to her farm when I go to Idaho :) she is great!
So, we will
see tomorrow at transfer meeting what is to come.
This
transfer has taught me a lot of things. I feel like I know how to do the basics
of the calling, so this next transfer I am committed to magnify my calling as a
missionary and as a STL. We have started doing more things to be able to be
more involved with the Sisters. We write 2 companionships of sisters a card each
Monday, and just lift their spirits-- help them know particularly what they are
doing well. There are a lot of new missionaries
here in Brooklyn, and they are doing well. Just really proud of how they are
adjusting and throwing themselves into the work. I have learned the importance
of everyone being involved in a council. How important it is that everyone
speaks up, and has their voice heard so that the needs of everyone can be met.
The funny
thing is, the other things that I feel like I have been learning this transfer
are things that I have learned over and over again. I can't seem to get past
the importance of reading, and praying, and church attendance. I thought I
would learn more hefty things the further along I got. But I haven't. Haha.
In response
to your comment about being an oldie now in the mission, it’s true. Did I ever
tell you about the time the new sister missionary asked me how long I had been
on my mission, and when I told her,herr jaw dropped and she said, "You're
so old." Haha! That was around the halfway mark in my mission, and it was
the first time I recognized I wasn’t a new missionary any more. I got a good
laugh.
I made a
vision/goals/plans for the upcoming transfer. I just want the last transfers of
my mission to continue with the same work ethic. I want no momentum to stop, so
what better way than to make plans.
The fourth
of July was actually not that great of a day. It’s hard to do missionary work
on holidays, so it gets frustrating. We got invited to a BBQ at a member’s
house.
We had some
GREAT exchanges this week and last week :) we were able to do Sister wide
mission exchanges and when that happened the STLs exchange under the direction
of Sister Calderwood, with each other. The
exchange is just one evening and then we study together and then go to Sister Calderwood’s
to have a meeting. So we further planned the Sister’s Conference. I was asked
to conduct the Sisters Conference. So this week I need to get people to pray
and arrange some musical numbers. It’s going to be a great meeting. The theme
is from President Uchtdorf’s talk "Forget
Me Not" and people are giving workshops on each of the sub headings.
Leaders
meetings are going to become more of a priority for me this transfer. We always go, but I want to really be able to
be more involved with the needs of the sisters and things. It’s hard because your
whole life as a younger leader in high school and YW’s, things are pretty laid
out for what is expected and I never saw a lot of wiggle room. But here there
is so much you can do, or not do-- if you want, that you have to take on the initiative,
which allows for a lot of growth. I don’t
know if that made sense...
We had a
neat experience with one of Returning LA’s-- she really is back to stay and
loves to read her scriptures. I am so
thankful that our Relief Society president asked us to go over there when we
first came to Bensonhurst. She has
embraced the gospel again and it was just at the time that she needed it. There
is nothing more fulfilling than to know that you are helping one of your
siblings understand again the importance of the gospel. :)
I am so
thankful for this mission :)
I love you
all!
Endure
well.
Read
scriptures.
Pray.
Sing.
Practice
the piano.
Honor your
father and mother.
Keep the
commandments.
Be smart.
Be safe.
--Sister Freeze
