Malo e lele
(try to say that one, it is a mouth full when you try to say it correctly)
Sorry I wasn't able to email yesterday, with it being Martin Luther King Day the only place that was open was the Family History Center and it was flooded with missionaries. I got on for a little bit and then me and my companion decided that it would be best for us to just come back today to email. Don't worry mom it was approved for missionaries to email today. So it looks like I am back on the bike again and training. It has been going really good so far. My companion's name is Sister Lomu, she is from Tonga. It is funny because the one of the Senior couples that works in the office predicted to me that she would be my companion and that is what happened. She is so awesome, it is crazy how similar we are. She is the 5th of 6 kids, she has two brothers and 3 sisters. She is 23 and was the town librarian in her town. Her parents are divorced and are both less active, same with the rest of her family. Years ago her dad got offended by someone in the church and is a strong headed person, even though the person apologized he didn't want to go back or for his children to. She didn't go to church form 2001 till 2012 when she finally told her mom that she needed to go back to church because she felt like there was a part of her missing. When it came to high school she wanted to go to the church school but her dad wanted her to go to the government school because it was better and she tested into that school. I learn something new about her family everyday and I grow a deeper appreciation for her. She is such an amazing example to her family as well as to me. She makes my hard times in life see so little. She pushes me to want to be a better person. I feel like the Lord couldn't have put me with a better companion at this point in my mission. I know she is going to be a great missionary and I feel so lucky to be able to train her. The only complaint is, and she warned me about this, is that her feet smell. She doesn't like to wear socks with her shoes, mom if you thought my feet were bad this is a whole other level. I went out and bought a plug in air freshener. So any valentines ideas is some refills for fabreeze notables air freshener. But seriously she is awesome and I love her.
This week was a pretty good week for us. So we met with Max on Friday, he is such a good kid and knows so much. We taught him part of the commandments, the easier ones to teach. This week we are teaching him the law of chastity, I have talked to several missionaries about how to teach this to a 9 year old. I am pretty sure I have figured in out. Anyways after we met with him this last week, his mom talked to us afterwards saying how she is wanting to wait until her husband is able to baptize him which she said might not be until August. I was a little sad to hear this but understood. WE talked to the bishop and he says to give him sometime to talk to the mom about allowing someone else baptize him because it sounds like the dad won't be able to for a while. So right now we are thinking March 1st. This week has been a pretty good week with us, we have been visiting with a lot of less actives, a lot not interested, some saying we could come back and a few that are so close to coming back to church. It has been an adjustment going down to one ward, but I feel like it really is for the best. We can better focus on the part member families and the less actives as well as build even stronger relationships with the members. We actually picked up 3 new investigators last week which was just a miracle within itself. The Lord hears prayers, I just wanted my companion to have a good first week and help her enjoy the mission life. Sadly one of the investigators that we picked up we have already taught twice and we both don't really see it going anywhere. She believes that all churches are good, everyone has similarities and differences. When we taught her the restoration we talked about prophets and the priesthood power and she knows that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of our church but there are also Popes and whatever else for other churches. She doesn't think that the Great apostasy happened with the whole priesthood thing and we tried to explain to her about the priesthood being taken off the earth. She believes that it is possible that Joesph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ, but when we asked her to pray to know if this event truly did happen she straight up told us that she has no desire to really to .We will continue to visit her. I'm not giving up hope on her, but I don't see her progressing to baptism in the next month which is fine, she will get there she just needs love and time.
With us being down to one ward I have been able to visit with members more and more and build a stronger relationship than I already have with them. We have a couple potential investigators that the members have talked to us about as well as we have met a couple of them. I feel like the work is beginning to pick up in this area. I still need to continue to keep digging a little deeper and working a little harder each and everyday. I believe it that the less actives and the part member families are where the gold mine is at. One of the part member families we visit are the Trow-bridges. The husband isn't a member, they are the ones that had the grandchildren blessed a few weeks ago. He has signed up to feed us a couple of times this month already. He has always been so willing to feed us and I tried to get him to come to church by saying that if he really wanted to feed us that he had to come to church to do that to sign up. I was hoping that would get him, he ended up making a few phone calls that same day to find out who he needed to call. He is such a giving guy and is always willing to help others, especially the missionaries, he even talks about wanting to house them. I can just see him dressed in white being baptized. I know that he knows that it is true and I have been praying to know how I can help him, it is all in the Lords timing. I have grown a deep love for these people in the Boise West area. I really don't know if I want to leave, this is such a good area and the members are always so loving and willing to help out in anyway that they can. I have loved getting to know the youth and children in this ward, they are all so cute and tell me how the pray for me each and everyday with their family. It is going to be difficult to leave them all, it feels like I am apart of their ward. It was hard to give up my other ward and to say "goodbye" in a sense to some of the members, I had grown close with some of them. I think it was harder because I had built up all this potential work in the area and then had to hand it over to other missionaries. That is just the way of life, but I know that as long as I helped those along to just take one step closer to Christ that I was successful and I know that I was.
I can not believe that I am already one third of the way done with my mission. It is just blowing by so quickly!!! I just want to cry when I think of how much so little time I have left out here, I am trying to give it my all each and everyday. I don't want to waste any effort or anytime out here. If I am sacrificing a year and a half of my life to the Lord than "I am all in". Just like what we all said before Megan and I left for the MTC. Megan and I remind each other of that all the time when we write each other. I hope you all have that same determination as well with your missionary work, that you are all in. Because in a sense when you entered the waters of baptism you promised the Lord that you would be all in. Don't let your testimonies waver, if you feel like that is beginning to happen work on it. It takes time and effort, read your scriptures, pray, go to church. The Lord is just waiting to bless your life, he has promised you that so hold him to it. Life isn't perfect, but I have learned from my companion that I have now that I wouldn't give up my trials in life for hers. She encourages me to be a better person and not get down about the little things.
Know that I love you all oh so much!!!! I hope that all is well with all of you! Thank you all for the sacrifices you have made for me to serve a mission, I hope that you are all treating your missionaries well. Open your mouths and just invite your friends over for dinner, you don't need to invite them to take the lessons, but have the meet the missionaries and see that they are normal people. Do your visiting teaching and home teaching. That was the focus on our ward conference on Sunday as well as becoming a Christlike friend and starting that within the home. I pray for you all and I ask the Lord to forward my blessings to all of you, I hope that you are receiving them all.
Love
Sister Metcalf
P.S. I might be biking in the summer, I told president that I would be willing to do it. A lot of elders were excited to hear my willingness and are already offering to take my car. hahaha I kind of want that experience of biking, so stay tuned for that.
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