June 16, 2012
Hi Family!
Holy cow, can you believe that week one of my FOURTH transfer is already done??!! I still just can't even believe it. This week has been SO great!! It is so much fun to be an Office Assistant!! I have really, really enjoyed it. Part of the reason I love it so much is because of my companion, Sister Richardson. She is absolutely WONDERFUL!! I love her so much. I swear I love each companion more and more!
We had an interesting experience today... we gave a "tour" (which was basically a question-answer session) of the South Visitor’s Center to a couple from Maryland. They had a LOT of questions, really good questions actually. They, of course, asked us about Mitt Romney and how we feel about him. (Every-other person that comes on the square asks about him now.) I told him how I felt about him without trying to sound too biased, and then the most interesting thing happened. . . Hank said, "I feel so much more comfortable about him being the President of our nation from being here. I know now that he will turn to God rather than man to run this country." So awesome, right?! If we're not converting people, at least we're helping them see the light a little easier. Hank and his wife truly were great, great people. They were so friendly and really sincerely wanted to know about our church and our beliefs. Unfortunately, we invited them in the end, but they didn't acknowledge the invite... we're actually not sure if Hank even understood us correctly lol. It was sad. We talked about it afterward and realized that we should have invited them again. It would have been better to know if they really didn't want to learn more than to walk away wondering about it!
I've learned that missionary work is like that. There are so many times where we make mistakes and afterward wish SO badly we could do it over again! I definitely learned the principle of repentance since being on my mission, making mistakes and trying my best to fix them and do better the next time. It's really hard though. I've realized how weak I am as a missionary. Like dad said in his email to me this week, "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble..." What's even harder about this concept, though, is still having that faith and confidence that I AM a good missionary, that I am making progress and getting better at this. I know if I have that faith that I am and can continue to improve, I will! Brad's letter was really great to me this week on that subject. It really is so true! If you have the faith in yourself that you are great, and that the Lord and Heavenly Father love you, you'll become great! I see missionaries here on Temple Square that don't quite have that knowledge, and sometimes I feel so bad for them. They don't seem to progress as much as other missionaries.
That's actually how my trainer was, Sister Wilson. She had very little faith in herself. She had more faith in the Lord though, and when she exercised it, she did GREAT things!! But that's partly why I had to be her companion-- I had to help her realize how great she is, and how to have better faith. I always learn so much from my companions. I love how intricate Heavenly Father's plan is for us!
So my friend called Rachel again today, and the voicemail was a man's voice... she's thinking it is not her phone number again. Is her phone number possibly on face book that someone could look up for me? That would be so wonderful! If not, no worries. I'll try and contact her again when I get back home.
Speaking of which.... in 3 days is my "one year left" mark!!! Can you believe that??!! I'll be a third of the way done with my mission!! (I knew mom would like this, ha)
It was so sad... yesterday we were able to do the MTC tour at Welfare Square and there was a lady there that was living in her car. She said she hadn't eaten in 3 days, and someone referred her to Welfare Square to get help. The poor woman had just gotten out of jail, and was trying to find a place to sleep in her car with her 3 kids (which she's not allowed to do). It was honestly one of the saddest things I had ever seen in my life. She told us pretty much her life's story, how she has lived in darkness most of her life. She was baptized when she was 8 but has completely gone off the deep end. She was a single mom at the age of 14, later got addicted to drugs and lost her kids to her husband when she was put in jail, and so many other things. It was honestly one of the saddest things I have ever heard in my life. My heart ached so badly for her. She also said that she had started going to our church in jail, and that she felt the spirit and recognized it. She said it is the only feeling that is close to how she felt when she had her kids. So true, huh?! We testified of Jesus Christ to her, how he is the only one that knows how she feels, We also had to tell her (sadly) that the only way we could help her was to call our security guards (all members of the church) to help her, because the ceiling slightly collapsed in the Bishop's storehouse at Welfare Square so she couldn't get help. Another sad thing though is that she was breaking the law by having her car there. She wouldn't be able to get help at Welfare Square anyway--they want to help people who are following the laws of the land and want to work for what they earn. Anyway, we got security to come and help her out, and she asked for a blessing too. This woman just needs so much help in her life. What I realized afterward was that she needs LIGHT in her life. She has allowed darkness to come into her life and take over everything, rather than finding and holding firmly to that light of the gospel. It was a good reminder to me, and also a HUGE eye-opener. I'm so grateful to be here on my mission to see a glimpse of what people go through in the world. Pretty crazy stuff.
Well, on a happier note, we got to do another tour at Welfare Square, and guess who I met there?!!! (you'll never guess.) I met Emily's aunt, Jennifer Hansen!!! Marianne Egan's sister, ha ha!! Can you believe that?!! It was SUCH a crazy thing!! She was volunteering in the dairy that day on Welfare Square, and Sister Richardson and I just happened to get called in that day to cover from 9-3. It was SO much fun to meet her! She seems like a wonderful woman. What a small world though. Crazy!
Also . . . Look at our mission's blog, slctemplesquaremission.blogspot.com to see the new pictures. :) I did that update!!! ha ha! Yep, we get to update the blog as the Office Assistants! So fun. :)
Here's an AMAZING video you should all watch. After that experience Sister Richardson and I had with that lady at Welfare Square, I realized how grateful we all should be for the wonderful lives we have. This video is another example of that!
Well family, this week was amazing and I miss you all so much, but love you a ton! Can't wait to hear about how Upstage shows went this weekend! :) And, of course, congratulations to Kiana and Tyler! Can't wait to see pics from their wedding :) . . . and I want videos from Upstage's show!
Love you all! Thanks for you emails and support. You have no idea how much it means to me.
Love,
Nat (Sister Savage)
PS. Jeff and Brad, congrats on doing so well on your exams!! My brothers are so amazing and smart and great! :) Really though, I'm so proud of you both! Trials always make us stronger, right? :)
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