| 6/21/10 | |
Hi family! How are you all doing? I'm glad you liked the card, Dad and I hope you had a great birthday! I LOVE all the pictures. EVERYBODY'S GETTING SO BIG!!!!! The sound didn't work on the video with Michael playing cello but I still loved it. It looks like he's got very good form when he plays. Thank you so much for your letters too Dad and James. The chocolate was gone in less than 24 hours. It was very timely. The funny pictures were great too. That reminded me of one dinner appointment we had this week. The sister had a magnet that said "thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator." Another one that read "Whoever dies with the most kitchen gadgets WINS!" Clark, I appreciated your e-mail last week. That's a good scripture! I wrote it out on an index card and put it where I can see it every day. We still go jogging every morning, even on preparation day. My companion is pretty laid back about a lot of things but not jogging. We're having fun. She broke out her game of boggle and we've been playing that. She's really good.
Hi everybody! Well, the work and the miracles go forward. Brother Clark still wants to be baptized. He opens up more every lesson. He studies and has questions for us when we come. He even said the closing prayer in the last lesson! We just asked him if he'd like to say it and he said ok. It was a short prayer but I could have started jumping up and down. It was one of those times that I'm sad I can't hug everybody. One lesson with the Clark family makes up for everything else that might happen in the week.
We've been doing more service lately. We helped an inactive member pull weeds in her backyard on Saturday. She is so nice and friendly. She's been going through some hard times and she really appreciated someone to talk to. We were able to answer some questions she had about the church too. It was a really good experience.
You really meet a lot of different types of people on the mission. There was a Hispanic lady who we met out in her yard. She immediately invited us in. She was calling us "princesas" and "angelitas" and thanking us for doing the work of the Lord. Then there are people that don't like us no matter what we say. There are also people who firmly disagree with us but are still friendly. When people do not accept our message I really like it when they are friendly like that. There are people we have talked to who are very not interested but we can still exchange greetings when we pass by.
We had zone conference last week. Our mission president talked a little about sacrifice. I read in the Bible dictionary this week that sacrifice is giving up something we value for something of greater worth. So it's basically putting the Lord's will above our own which isn't really sacrificing because you end up with the thing of greater worth to you. It might not be what you value at the time but it is what is right. Anyway, at zone conference, President talked about making a goal, something to sacrifice or work on. He used the acronym "SPADE"
Select a righteous desire
Pray unceasingly
Act as if everything depended on you
Doubt not and
Expect trials.
The last one, expect trials, is DEFINITELY true. I'm working on lightening up a little and not taking myself too seriously which I tend to do sometimes. This has NOT been an easy week for lightening up. But you just have to go back to the "Doubt not" and move on.
Every zone conference, they always talk about exactly what I've been praying about and what I need to hear. It's amazing. President Gonzalez is a really funny and inspirational speaker. Sister Gonzalez is very nice and caring but also very professional. She has everybody who has been eating their 5-a-day fruits and veggies stand up at every zone conference. This time the only missionaries that were sitting down were our district leaders, ironically. At the beginning of President's talk he said he was going to give us a "pearl of wisdom" especially for the Elders. This was it: A happy wife is a happy life. Applied to a mission, he said: A happy mission president's wife is a happy missionary life. Both President and Sister Gonzalez are wonderful.
To everyone learning or thinking about learning piano, I'd highly recommend it. I don't play the piano that well but I can play well enough to play the hymns and that's been a huge help. I've been asked to play for district meeting and zone conference and even sacrament meeting. It is a skill that comes in handy.
Just a thought from hymn 114:
"And when the tempest rages high
I feel no arm around me thrust
but every storm goes rolling by
when I repose in Him my trust.
It matters not what may befall
what threat'ning hand hangs over me
He is my refuge through it all
my refuge from mine enemy.
Come unto him all ye depressed
ye erring souls whose eyes are dim
ye weary ones who long for rest
come unto Him, come unto Him."
If I could just share the gospel in song, I'm sure it would be enough. The hymns have power. When I feel the Spirit the strongest, I feel like singing. Whenever I'm in the temple I feel like there is music all around even thought you can't audibly hear it.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! Keep going onward! When it's a bad day, just put one foot in front of the other until the storm rolls by like they all do. You're never alone!
Hermana Evans
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