But really, I am excited to be with a brand-new missionary. At the beginning of a mission, missionaries have a lot of fire. Hopefully we'll get to set this area on fire!
This week was very good though. Sister Reed and I have been keeping busy. A cool experience: on Thursday, we generally try to spend time in a town called Marshall. We started the day by visiting a member's home. They're a couple with their own online business. Well, they had a friend over. I had met their friend once before when the member had a birthday party. On Thursday though the friend said, "So, how can I have missionaries come and visit me?" I don't know how much he knows about what we do, but we talked to the members and we're going to start teaching him in their home! Apparently they've already talked about religion with him before and he's interested in our church.
We had some very good lessons with investigators as well. Two of them who have been meeting with us for a while definitely opened up a lot. It's amazing to be a missionary. It is amazing how much inspiration comes. People talk to us about things, and intellectually I think, "Why are you asking us? We're a couple of 20 somethings who don't know much at all! Why are you telling us your life story?!?!" But then I open my mouth, or my companion opens her mouth, and something completely inspired comes out and touches the other person's life. And I know that it's nothing that I could have thought of on my own to say.
This bird stayed freakishly still for the whole time that we walked to a door, knocked on it three times, and took a bunch of pictures. I think it was because there was a lot of rain, and the poor bird looked rather miserable.
We are also teaching the son of a less active member. She's mostly less active due to her health (she has a lot of health issues); she definitely has a very strong testimony. Her son is 18, and going through a lot... and he has a lot of questions about religion. We taught the plan of salvation to him this week, and had one of the young men from the branch who is preparing for a mission come with us. It went quite well! I think that a big thing that is helping us teach him is that we have made it clear that we are there to answer HIS questions, not to preach to him. That opens a lot of hearts and increases people's trust, to know that we don't have a hidden agenda to baptize X number of people.
We did a lot of service this week... Carrying/moving/cleaning :) The service at the food pantry here is great, the people are very nice who work there.
I forget most of the rest of the week, because of the big transfer news! The weird thing was that I wasn't even anticipating too much from this transfer call... Usually, I am wondering and thinking quite a bit before the call on Saturday nights, but not this week! It snuck up on me.
This week in my personal study, I got to read some of my favorite scriptures. It's in 3 Nephi, chapter 22, and it is the Savior quoting from Isaiah:
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.
9 For this, the waters of Noah unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee.
10 For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
Of course, being from Isaiah, there are a lot of layers of meaning/interpretation. But I love these scriptures as they apply to me on a personal basis. There are times when we can all feel as though we are abandoned, or forgotten. "Many of us, in moments of personal anguish, feel that God is far from us. The pavilion that seems to intercept divine aid does not cover God but occasionally covers us. God is never hidden, yet sometimes we are, covered by a pavilion of motivations that draw us away from God and make Him seem distant and inaccessible." (President Eyring, "Where Is the Pavilion?")
God is always there for us! He will always care for us and help us to return to Him. His work and glory are to help each of us, on an individual basis, to live with Him, and He will always be there for us.
Love you all!
Sister Barret
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