January 25, 2010

Hi everybody!  The sun is shining the church is true, and I’m being transferred to another area!  (Actually the only sunshine's in the soul right now, but it's all good. I like rain. :-) ) Anyway, like I was saying this week is transfers.  I'm being transferred to Atwater 2nd ward.  That's up north a little ways I think.  I hear it's a bilingual ward and my new companion is an English sister so I’ll probably have to be the one talking in Spanish more.  I'm sure I’ll learn a lot.   I can't tell if I feel like it's been forever or super short.  We've been very busy.  I've learned a lot.  I'm doing better with stress.  I don't think it's because there's less stress but I’m handling it better.  I like that one quote that says something like if you keep working at a task it becomes easier, not because the task itself is easier but your ability to do it has increased.  I know that's true.  If exercise wasn't hard you wouldn't get any benefit from it.  Have you ever heard the phrase: "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving's not your thing"?  Well missionary work is not skydiving. It's mountain climbing.  Sister Gonzalez, the mission president's wife, told me this week that missionary work is 95% HARD and 5% incredibly wonderful.  You just need to hold out for that 5%.
We gave talks in church yesterday.  We had to give talks in Spanish in the MTC but if you made a mistake there, no one knew except one member of the branch presidency. You feel more pressure here.  The members are starting to trust us I think.  And they all seemed sorry that I’m leaving.  All the sisters were giving me hugs on Sunday saying they hope I get to come back to that area sometime.  I would like to.  I like this area.
So we visited the magic house again last night.  We found all three of the investigators that we met there all at home and taught them a really good lesson.  They were asking really good questions and we've scheduled a church tour for them today.  I'm excited.
Hey, if anyone wants a short chapter that explains the church pretty well, go to Moroni 6.  I liked it.
I really do not know everything and I am far from perfect.  Sometimes it hits me that hey, I’m a missionary!  It's still strange to think about sometimes.
I'm not sure if it's Hispanic culture or just the people we've met with this week, but they sure liked to TALK!  We would keep trying to wrap up a lesson so we could be on time to the next one and they just kept going.  I even had to pull one of those "OH! Look at the time! We really need to go."  It worked probably because it was serious.  :-)
My companion and I have an inside joke.  There's this street downtown that's called Stanislaus.  We say "poor Stan! Why can't someone find him?" (Stanislaus sounds like “Stan-is-lost”)  There are lots of "Stans" in the world that we are out to find.
  I love teaching and feeling the Spirit.  I love it when we find someone who will listen and really wants to know more.  These are God's children and my brothers and sisters and I'm here to help them find the joy that the gospel's brought to my life.  Because if I did not have the gospel I, like Stan, would be lost.  Because I do have the gospel, I know who I am and I know where I'm going.  My life has a purpose.  I have a reason to hope.  How can you not share something that wonderful?   I know that God lives and loves us. I know that our loving Heavenly Father will not give us challenges we cannot overcome.  We can become who He wants us to become if we learn to trust in Him. I know if we do our best then everything will be ok.  It's hard to get some of our investigators to see that.  Many of them work on Sundays because that's the only job they can find.  But I know if they just take that step of faith, then Heavenly Father will bless them.  He wouldn't give us commandments if they weren't supposed to be followed.
 I hope everyone's happy and doing well. Send me pictures if you can. I'm sure I’m not the only one having adventures. Keep your chin up even when it's raining/foggy/whatever.  There's lots of joy in the world if you just choose to see it. I hope each and every one of you knows you're priceless. Please keep praying for me and all the other missionaries out there.  We all need it!
                   Till next week,
                        Hermana Evans