December 23, 2013

Can you believe how quickly time has gone by?!! I still can't believe that I will be Skype-ing with you all in just a few days!!!!  Life here has been going pretty good.  We picked up two new investigators this week which was awesome.  We have reach as of last night 217 of our 500 new investigator goal as a mission.  We have two more weeks to try and reach this goal.  We are going to be pushing hard to try and find at least 4 more these next few weeks.  This week the Lord has shown us a little miracle as I see it.  Since I have been in this area we haven't really received any referrals.  This week we received 6 which was just amazing.  Maybe it is because that it is Christmas time that people are more willing to let us see their friends and neighbors.  We have contacted most of them, not much success but one person said we could come back and wasn't home when she gave us a time.  I am not giving up hope yet though because we still have a couple more we have to contact.  Can I just tell you though how much more people are receptive to us when we use their neighbors names or their friends.  They seem more friendly and are more willing to talk to us.  Tracting(I got it right this time hahaha I can't telling you how many emails I got about me saying tracking instead of tracting) Anyway it is so not the most effective way to find people but I am continually doing it and showing the Lord my willingness to do so.  I am constantly building up the member trust which has been going well.  Since we are just over two wards we are going more to the activities for Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women' and Men.  Last week the Bishop in the Summerset ward in ward council told me how grateful he was for me serving in his ward.  He says he has seen me make great strides with the members and that I have a great influence on the youth that I might not ever be able to see the fruits of it.  He says that he feels that I am truly apart of their ward.  They really meant a lot to me because I know working with members is where the real success is at.  I continually look for the small miracles everyday.  Although I may never see baptisms while I am here, (I am not giving up hope) I know that I have been successful with less actives and active members as well.  I seriously love the people here, I feel as if they are my home ward.  I know that it will be a hard day when I leave, I hope that the Lord keeps me in this area for another transfer.  But I will have to rely and trust in him that He will do what is best for me.

   Training two new missionaries is going well, they both are great(shot out to Sister Pecjak's family).  My new companion's name is Sister Moncada, she is the 3rd of 5 children and her family is a convert to the church for 4 years now.  Her English is really good, just trying to help her gain her confidence a little more with speaking to people. Sometimes her and sister Pecjak will talk in Spanish for a few minutes and I can pick out a few words here and there but that is it.  High School Spanish is worthless.  I am grateful though that I am English speaking, I wouldn't want it any other way and the Lord knew what I could handle.  I found out this week that apparently people have be reading my blog hahaha A sister who came into the mission this last transfer told me how she stocked my blog before she came up.  Such a small world.  I am tired and drained all the time though and I don't like the responsibility of feeling like the success of the area rides on my shoulders.  Times are difficult at times, but I have learned that this is how I am going to learn and grow the most of my mission.  I hope that Megan will train next transfer, she will learn so much and grow so much more as a missionary.  As much as I love training, I do not want to be doing it the rest of my mission, but obviously I will do whatever the Lord needs me to do.  I have been reading talks on how to become more of a consecrated missionary.  I just need to sacrifice everything on the alter, fear and all.  I am trying to more fully align my will with the Lord's will.

   We had our Mission Christmas party this week and it was really good.  Half the mission got together one day and the other the next.  We watched Ephraims' Rescue, it you have not seen it yet I highly recommend it!!! I cried so much during that movie it was so good, I feel like I am so spiritually sensitive to everything.  Anytime I watch Mormon messages or heart warming video clips I start tearing up, I think I got that from Dad.  Anyways you all should watch that movie.  We had a talent show and since I heard that Megan did a rap I thought I would do one with my companion.  It isn't the greatest but people loved it.  Even the mission President and the couple missionaries came up to me after wards to complimented me on it.  It was a ton of fun, I will have to do a better one next year though, maybe that one that you sent me Nathan.  Overall it was really good and we had an awesome dinner as well and then a really good spiritual devotional.  

   Funny story for the week is that they lost our dinner list for this week so I have no clue who is feeding us when.  People signed up but I do not know who.  Don't worry about me though because we have been invited ouver to a ton of places for Christmas Eve and Christmas and have plenty of options.  The members here really look out for me and I love the friendships and bonds that I have built with these wonderful people here.  Jensa or Elise if you haven't done so thus far invite the Missionaries over to stop by and to visit on Christmas or Christmas eve.  It is always nice for us missionaries to have options to stop by at places.  They might not even come, but I think that would be awesome. Even if the house is full, they might not even come and eat.  I just think of how well I am taken care of here in this area and just hope that my family takes care of the missionaries in theirs.  Give the missionaries referrals, pray about your friends and neighbors you never know who is ready to accept the gospel.  Oh and Elise I saw the two missionaries that ate at your home and they said they were grateful that they had soup.  Elder Birk and Henderson are super awesome.  Ask Elder Henderson to use a German accent next time.  He lived there for a year and when he goes on exchanges he talks in a German accent, apparently he has more success getting into peoples homes that way hahaha Oh and by the way next time you see Elder Birk tell him Happy Belated Birthday, it was his bday when he went to your house, but he didn't want people to know.

      Thank you everyone for the packages that you sent me, I have been thinking things over and I think I am going to open them on Christmas eve, as lame as that sounds.  But I figured that if I am already sacrificing a year and a half on my mission I can sacrifice not opening any presents on Christmas.  I know this sounds cheesy but I really want to try and just focus on the Savior even more this holiday season.  As for talking with you on Christmas, I was thinking of doing it 2 pm Boise time since Megan was going to do it 3 pm Boise time.  I thought you were going to send me your Skype information so I will just have to call your cell phone mom to get that info on Christmas.  We have forty five minutes to talk, but I want to try and save 5 of that for Megan at the end.  I am so excited to see you all and talk to all of you!!!! I love you so much and I hope that you all remember to keep Christ in Christmas.  Sorry there are no pictures this week, I lost my camera case and SD card reader at the mission party.  Oh well I will find it or get a new one.  

   Share the gospel with at least one person by Christmas!!!! Don't forget that today is Joseph Smiths Birthday! I love you all!!!!

There would be no Christmas without the Atonement.  There would be no significance in Bethlehem without Calvary.  May we always have Christ in our heart each and everyday, not just on the day that we celebrate his birth.

Love

Sister Metcalf

P.S. Don't forget 2pm on Christmas, I will call you around then to get whose ever sign on information to talk to