My Heart Belongs to Texas

Mi Familia,

Good week. It's been raining quite a bit lately, which is good because it's been really humid. The air is finally just braking and letting it all go. Oh, yep...there's the thunder, just now. :) Thank goodness. Heat is one thing but humidity can be just downright uncomfortable. 

Our mission has some very specific goals for this transfer since a ginormous group of missionaries will be going home this transfer and the next. President has scattered all us old people all over, even creating some split zone leaderships where the zone leaders are in two separate companionships, so we can "spread our music" before we're all gone. It's pretty smart, actually. 

Anyway, as a mission we're focusing hard on 3 things in exchanges, district meetings, zone meetings, and other trainings. We're focusing on effective and meaningful nightly planning, effective and meaningful morning studies like Preach my Gospel outlines, and on teaching short & powerful lessons, especially the Restoration. When the Mission Department visited our mission they taught us how to teach the Restoration with the pamphlet in less than 10 minutes, asking them what they see in the pictures and teaching according to their answers. It's POWERFUL. I used to think teaching simply meant making sure they understood every little detail. But simplicity means focusing on short, clear declarations of pure doctrine, cutting out the fluff so the Spirit can testify. It has made such a difference in our teaching. We've had a lot more opportunities to teach people we meet on the street right there and we can see very quickly if they're interested or not. Usually they're not. But that's ok because the sooner we figure that out, the sooner we can move on to find those who truly are ready to receive us.

So all this rain and thunder outside is reminding me of a couple weeks ago after I was so sad to be transferred. We were driving home and it started just down-pouring. We were both in kind of a bad mood and, even though we both would always talk about how much we loved the rain and wanted a Texas thunderstorm, we just weren't in the mood for it at the moment. We ran out of the car to get the mail and I was annoyed to be running through the rain. But then I thought, "Wait a minute, I love the rain!" and suddenly I realized how cool it was to be out there stuck in the rainstorm. Such is life, such is the mission. You love it when you're not stuck in it, when you're looking back on it or looking forward to it. But the trick is to learn how to love it when you're in it. It's the storms that make life meaningful and interesting. It's the storms that make it a challenge, that make it fun. 

Anyway, the mission is good. Exciting and monotonous, heartbreaking and overflowingly happy, frustrating and miraculously smooth, way too slow and way too fast. And all good.

Love you all! Have a fantastic week and find the good in the bad.

Hermana Lund

Stereotypical Texas

Mi Familia,

 

I'm in Pleasanton! It's a middle-of-nowhere, 300-square-mile area south of San Antonio. I'm with Hermana Regan, who was in my MTC district! We cover an English ward and a Spanish branch. It's the first time I haven't shared a ward with other missionaries. We are literally the only missionaries for everyone within the enormous bounderies of our ward and branch. It's fun!

 

This area is completely different from any other area I've ever been in. Right now we're actually living 30 miles out of our area so we drive a TON. In a truck! So fun. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful it is. There are quaint little towns like Lytle, Von Ormy, Pleasanton, and Poteet, and there's lots of country. There are horses, donkeys, goats, and cows (lots of longhorns, even) everywhere. It's the stereotypical Texas area, the area I always wanted to serve in but didn't think I ever would. It's great!

 

 The people are great; the English speakers aren't necessarily hicks--more like bumpkins, as Hermana Regan calls them. I LOVE all of them will all my heart already. The Spanish branch is tiny. There were maybe 20 of us in sacrament meeting. There were 6 of us in Relief Society, including us missionaries. I have already been appointed piano player for everything, and one of the leaders of the primary/nursery pulled me out towards the end of Relief Society to play some music in there. There were 2 leaders, 3 kids, and a baby. We along with the leaders, one of the girls, and the baby all gathered around the piano to sing songs while the other girl cried and clung to the dress of one of the leaders and the little boy threw a little fit on the other side of the room. Haha, it was so different and fun. I've excited to get to know everyone in the branch really well.

 

And Mari's in this ward!! She's living with her mom right now and I saw her yesterday in church! It was her first time coming to this ward. It was so good to see her again. I'm so lucky!

 

This area requires a different kind of work. It's hard to visit and find people because everythings so spread out. And if you find someone but they don't have connections to members it's hard to get them to go to church because it's a good 50 miles away for some of them. We're trying to get to know all the members and work through them by stopping by for quick 20-minute lessons and helping them do their own missionary work and to learn about their family & friends, and in the meantime we knock whatever doors we can when we get to an area that actually has more than one house every 20 acres. But even most of those are gated and have very scary dogs and NO TRESPASSING signs that must be taken seriously. These people are private folk and it makes it a little difficult. But I have no doubt it can be done. I can see that there's a ton of potential here. My goal for this area is to never get discouraged and to just keep working hard. There isn't enough time for anything else; I'm leaving soon!

 

And we have been working really hard. It feels so good. I don't know exactly what happened, but Lake Austin was the area where I finally became the missionary I always wanted to be. It took about 15 months of non-stop effort and prayers, but I feel like I'm there. Obviously I have plenty of ways that I can improve, but my mindset is where I want it to be. I have no fear of talking to anyone. I WANT to talk to everyone. I have faith in God's promises and know we'll see miracles. I know that I have the constant companionship of the Spirit, and I know I have power and authority to do what I'm doing. And I recognize the miracles that happen every day. The mission is fantastic and I'm so happy to be here. 

 

I love you all! Have a fantastic week.

 

Hermana Lund

Never Feel Comfortable

Mi Familia!

It was so good to talk to you yesterday! It felt totally normal. I'm afraid that when I come home it will just felt like I've woken up from a crazy, crazy dream. :)

I'm being transferred. I can't believe it! I did NOT see that one coming. Sister Egbert is staying for her 5th transfer here! This will mean that, best case scenario, I'll have three 2-transfer areas right at the end. 

I am SO sad to leave Lake Austin. By far my favorite area. I love these people so much more than they will ever know! I wish I could stay here and gain stronger relationships with them. But I guess there's more to missionary work that making friends. 

It's ok, though. I know and Heavenly Father knows that my greatest, purest desire is to serve Him in any way that He wants.I know He knows that I will do ANYTHING He wants, no matter what it is. I mean it with all my heart! So, I guess I'm leaving. 

You better believe I'll be giving it all I have in this new area. I want to squeeze all the juice I still have out of me these last two transfers. I'm leaving it all on the court. I'm excited!

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Hermana Lund

Seeing All the Colors

Mi Familia!

I have seriously been feeling guilty lately. It feels like P-day is every day; I'm taking too many breaks! Time is just flying too fast. Plus, we had MLC on Thursday and tomorrow we're having our first ever sisters' conference almost all day in San Antonio. We get to go to a temple session with President and Sister Slaughter! I feel way too spoiled. I think it will definitely be an adjustment going home. I'm going to have to find a lot of people to visit and to give Book of Mormons to if I'm going to feel of any use at all.

MLC this week was incredible. Two representatives from the church mission department came and spoke to us. They gave our mission a lot of praise and opened our minds to better ways of doing missionary work. Basically they told us to get back to the basics. It's ridiculous--as missionaries we are taught and trained in the beginning how to plan, work, and study in a very simple and thorough way. But somewhere along the way we decide that we have a better way of doing things and start doing it that way. But they showed us how the simple ways we were taught are really the best ways. And since most of us are pretty seasoned missionaries, we were able to see how much more effective it really is to do things the way we were taught in the first place, since we have months of experience of doing it "our way" to contrast it to. 

Also, Sister Slaughter shared an experience about when she was younger. She's almost completely color blind, and when she was learning ROYGBIV in school she was surprised to learn that the rainbow had 7 colors. She had always thought that it had only 2: blue and yellow. But her mom assured her that, yes, there really were 7 colors. And she just had to take it and believe it. She says she remembers taking her test at school and spelling out "red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet," just taking in full faith what her mom and teacher had taught her. 

That's what it often is like for us. We don't see all the colors and we have to trust those who do. She compared it to the apostles who wrote Preach My Gospel. They know and see far more than we do, and the source from which they got that knowledge knows even more than that. But it applies to everything. Is it really necessary to read from the Book of Mormon every day? To have Family Home Evening every week? To actively share the gospel with those around us? To pray always? To go to church and be faithful in our callings? To stay away from coffee and tea, to keep our thoughts and words pure, to stay away from television or music that doesn't uplift, to dress modestly, to have food storage, to listen to Conference, to do Family History, to pay a full tithe? Is it really important? Yep, it is. Why? Because prophets and apostles counsel us to do it. Because God said to do it. Sometimes we don't get much more of a reason than that. But we have faith in God and trust His judgement. And we do it His way.

I have prayed so many time on my mission for things I didn't end up getting. I still have progress to make, but now I'm much better at accepting God's will because I've seen how His judgement has always been better than mine. I don't worry about transfers anymore because I know that He knows what I want more than I know what I want. Sometimes it takes some serious self-talk to convince myself that I trust God's judgement, and I have to remember the simple truths I know for sure: God loves me, He wants me to be happy, He always answers prayers, and He always keeps His promises. 

Missions are hard and, I'll admit it, I think about going home at least a little bit every day. But I've gotten to the point in my mission (15 months tomorrow!) where I can really look back and see the hand of the Lord. I have felt more pure joy on my mission that at any other time of my life. It's not something you feel all the time, but it comes up often enough for you to fall on your knees and just thank Heavenly Father for everything, good and bad. I've received so much more than I've given, and I know that that will become more apparent as time goes on.

We doubt not the Lord nor His goodness; We've proved Him in days that are past. :)

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Hermana Lund