7-14-14

Hey y'all!

Whew! Crazy good week. Funny how it's a burden to write all you sometimes because I just want to hear how you're doing...and would rather pour over your emails for the 2 hours of time that I have...but I have at least a hope that you want to hear how I'm doing also, so...I'll be selfless and let you know how I'm doin. :)

UPDATE:

These last couple weeks have been really good. WHEWWWw...let's see. Well, first exciting piece of news, we put Brittany on date this week...FOR JULY 31ST (which she will totally make as long as she make it to church the next two weeks...which she will, because she is awesome and the most prepared investigator I have seen on my mission thus far), and she's doing really well. Reading the Book of Mormon whenever she has the chance (already at 1 Nephi 20 after our seeing her...4 times), reading mormon.org so that she knows all the lessons before we teach her...it's cray. She came to church this week for the first time, and really enjoyed it. My only fear is overwhelming her...so I will try not to do that. BUT SHE IS GREAT. And I am so grateful that the Lord saw fit to let us work with her.

ALSO, REALLY AWESOME MIRACLE BELOW! But I will let the profile speak for itself. :)

But first, update: I'm also loving working with Sister Van Leuven. She's white (for you adherents of the color code out there), but a darn strong and stubborn white, who also has a commitment to having good diligent fun, and 'not running faster than we have strength'. I think with my trainees I had fun and worked hard, but I was also super 'in-charge' and I think a little frantic about our work ethic sometimes (not a lot of kindness to ourselves about little infractions--2 minutes late out the door from lunch, that sort of thing)...and not that we're slacking now, but Sister Van Leuven is helping me to understand what stress is needful, and what stress is self imposed and not necessary. And making that distinction is really great. AND I'M REALLY GRATEFUL BECAUSE I'M MUCH HAPPIER (and trying to be more chill). Anyways, moving on to Miracle (see below)

PROFILE:

Name: Heather Rivero

Age: 26

Accessory of Choice: Her 'So it goes' tattoo on the inside of her forearm

Maladies: Bipolar, MS and Fibromyalgia. Rough.

Past Religious History: Went to the LDS church till she was 16, had some good experiences in it, but fell away around then and has been a hard-core atheist for the last 10 years.

Reasons why she hasn't been at church: They are probably many, but one at least (that she told us the first time we met her) is that she's liberal (especially about gay rights) and doesn't think her views would mesh if she was an active church member.

Her experience at church this week: First of all, SHE CAME for the first time in 10 years (!), second of all...she had a really good experience taking the sacrament. She'd been reading and praying all week, and wasn't sure whether or not she was going to take it...but then, after thinking about it, she DID and felt really right about it, and now she's committed to really coming back. WOO! AHH!

Changes she's already making: Reading and praying every day. Awesome. ALSO she asked us for help getting her house cleaned up (her illnesses make it hard) so that she can have a better space in which to feel the spirit.

REASON THAT IT'S SO AWESOME! ...:D Sister Missionaries have been going over for a while, but when we invited her to take the lessons, she accepted! Also, in response to her 'I'm a liberal concern,' I told her I was dating one (a liberal that is), and that it was definitely possible to reconcile things. And that's one thing that has helped her open up to us! Which is so great! Bahhh...

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

This is going to be quick because my time is running short. BUT...! Just...agency. It's a blessing and a curse, and something that I've definitely come to better understand on my mission. It actually is a huge relief of stress to endow someone with their agency, and say 'you know, I can share these things with you, and tell you that they've changed my life and that they can change yours also...but ultimately it's you're the only one who can make the choice to act on these things, and I can't force you (though I can invite you to make changes, and follow up on your progress)." So! Seriously though, to see someone's agency at work is miraculous. I'm so pleased to have witnessed (and be witnessing) real conversion in both Heather and Brittany, to know that it is possible, and our job as missionaries is really just to make our invitations as realistic and manageable (and appealing) as possible, so that they can make a correct choice. I darn well hope that this will help me be a good (and more worry-free) parent. But you know, that has yet to be seen. :)

PICTURE:

Oh. Did I mention that we had a cake war this week? Yep. Literally, flinging cake at each other for dessert (we have a very yellow less active we're working with named CJ. His idea.). It was really fun.

Also, the best part is when I stole the opposition's ammunition. See me as a sneaky sneak!

Love you all so much! Don't be afraid to write!

Sister Hale