So! This is like...my second week. CRAZY. I'm just starting to get a taste of what missionary life is like, and it both scares and excited me. P-day is nice to sort of order things and wrap my head around everything that is happening. One thing is for sure; with the increase in scripture study and the increase of testifying, I've grown a lot in my testimony since coming out. The Book of Mormon is such a balm to my soul, and such a director, and prayer is essential in relieving my mind of the anxieties and frustrations that occasionally crop up as part of the work. There's nothing like honestly accounting with your Heavenly Father, feeling like there's someone who loves and knows you so perfectly, and can direct you in the right paths as you're honest about what you're doing and what you want. That is a great comfort to me.
A couple stories from the week:
1) Taught our first lesson this week! It was with Evan, this 21 year old from China who is so excellent. He has a Christian background, but was interested when we told him that the Book of Mormon provides evidence that Christ is the Savior of the entire earth, and that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I was nervous about it being my first lesson with a real person (you can't mess up that badly at the MTC, but the real world is a different matter...), but we prayed about it and prepared ourselves the best we could, and the lesson went wonderfully. We had another investigator (his friend Tim) who's about to be baptized, and his friend Josh sit in as well, with Jessie, a rock solid member from our ward there too as back up. The Spirit was definitely present, Evan took the commitment to read and pray that the Book of Mormon was true, and I felt very blessed that it went so smoothly and that I felt guided in what to say.
2) We had a miracle day this week, on Wednesday when we decided to drive out about an hour into Snohomish county to contact some less actives. Some of you have heard, I'm positioned in a YSA ward (really different experience from a family ward so I'm told), and since we're lacking a little in people to teach, a lot of what we do is contacting the Less Actives in the area. We have a list of (literally) 833 names to contact, so there's a lot to do. And a lot of the time we don't reach people or no one answers, and then it's frustrating because we don't have a conclusion on this person and can't invite them out to church. ANYWAY, there were all these members of the ward who lived forever away and apparently hadn't been talked to for ever...so we decided to take the whole day (and a lot of miles) to go and see them. Because of the expense of going out, it was going to be unfortunate if no one was home to see us...but no joke, everyone's door that we knocked on opened up, many invited us in, and everyone knew what was going on with the names we were trying to contact. Not to mention that the drive up was stunning (STUNNING) and that it felt so great to be out in nature after a good amount of time in the suburbs. We were so blessed that day, were able to invite a lot of members back to church and find some who were really interested in coming. We'll be doing our best to get them a ride down to the Stake Center so they'll be able to feel the peace of being at church.
3) We've got a place! Sorry about the confusion with letters last week; they WILL get to me, so please send whatever you have the time to write. The address is in my first blog post, but here it is again:
Sister Bronwen Emma Hale
Washington Everett Mission
PO Box 13390
Mill Creek, WA 98082
And just a note: We're going to the Seattle Temple next week (yeah!!) so I'll be emailing on TUESDAY instead of Monday. Hope that's alright. ;)
Okay. And I'm going to end with a spiritual thought so I can get something specific to my poor parents.
I've thought a lot about Alma 30:44 this past week, and here it is:
"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote their is a God; yea, even the earth, and all the planets which move in their regular form to witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
And earlier he talks to Korihor in vs 40-41 and says,
"And now, what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only.
But behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true."
This is incredible to me. A lot of the opposition to a belief in God lies in a supposed lack of evidence. An 'argument from ignorance'. Am I right in that logical fallacy? That's just the thing: it is a fallacy to say 'I can't see him, therefore he doesn't exist.' All things denote there is a God. This planet, the creations, our existence are all evidence. Even further, the scriptures, which are rich with God's dealings with man, which can form as a pattern for our own dealings with this, evidence this truth. This truth is further evidenced in the lives of those who are close to God, their manner, the goodness that they've found and live--the fruits of their faith. And the evidence against God? "Your word only." Doubt and fear. But nothing sure.
Alright dear ones, I've gotta go. I love you all a bunch though (Mom, please post this and forward this on to the family), and look forward to hearing from you all this week or next.
LOVE
Sister Hale
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