This week has just flown by. It feels like just three days ago, I was sitting here writing out the last email, and yet somehow it's been longer. It's hard to believe I've been out for over two months! Which isn't very long, but it feels like quite the landmark.
We have had an awesome week. We met with a lot of people that we've been trying to meet with, mostly less active members, and a few investigators. We met with one twice this week! Her name is Crystal, and she is pretty amazing. She has such a strong faith in Christ, and is willing to go wherever he leads her. She has been meeting with missionaries for a while, but she seems to be really prepared and in a good place in her life to truly accept the gospel. We also met this awesome guy named Brian (featured in the pictures that I will actually remember to attach this week...) that does custom cars. Originally, he wasn't interested at all, but we just talked to him and showed interest in his life and what he was doing (because it was way cool) and he really opened up. He's had experiences with other people being more pushy that really made him not want to listen, but since we were there for him as a person, he invited us to come back and tell him more! The Spirit definitely touched his heart. And it is always good to not be pushy! We can't force anyone to accept the gospel, we can only invite and show them the fruits that it brings.
We went on exchanges this week, which was super exciting! The sister trainer leaders used to be over this area, so Sister Singleton (who came here with me) was really excited. Bailey, one of our investigators, just had her baby on the first and so we dropped by and Sister Singleton got to meet him! We had an awesome day. We were able to meet with a lot of people and really to work hard, and meet one or two people that we've been trying to get in with! The Mountain View ward is amazing.
We also started doing Meals on Wheels this week! It's something Sister Forsyth did in her old areas that she loved. We're going to go every week! It's a lot of fun. The people are great, and it reminds me a lot of my job at BYU, so I feel right at home! And we get to help people, which is the best part.
We had a cool meeting on Sunday night! There is a baptism temple trip in December for all the recent converts and returning members in the ward, and we thought it would be great to start them preparing now. So we're having a few meetings in between now and December! Last night was the "orientation." A member of the bishopric went over the recommend interview questions and we talked about each of them. We went over the nuts and bolts of the process- what door they'll walk in, what they'll wear, what it might look like, etc. Those of us who have gone to the temple before bore our testimonies, and they got to ask us questions. It was really a,axing how the Spirit was there, and I really could envision all of them going to the temple, not only to do baptisms but to someday receive their endowments! They are amazing people and I'm so excited for them.
Yesterday we had a cool experience. We were leaving the house after our "lunch" time (we took a short nap) and we were wondering who to visit. Well a name just sort of came to me, and it felt rig, even though we hadn't talked about visiting that person today. She's so,some we've been trying to see, but she hasn't been home yet. Anyway, she lives maybe two blocks from us so it wasn't a big deal to drop by. And she was there! She was actually just leaving to pick up her kids, but she said we could come back. So she left and we walked across the street to talk to some neighbors who were outside! Well, they know some members of our ward already because their kids went to school together. Anyway, we have a return appointment in two weeks with them! (What makes that even greater is that a week or two ago, we were knocking some doors on that street and we skipped that house because they had a pretty straightforward "no soliciting, we've found religion, or refrigerator works" sort of sign on their porch) Anyway, so we said goodbye, and Lo and behold, the person we'd originally come to visit was already home again! So we wet to talk to her! We had a great conversation with her- she has met missionaries before and has Mormons as in-laws (who regularly send her missionaries) and she seemed excited to come to church and ward activities! We can't meet with her until November because of crazy life stuff going on. And as we were talking, some members of our ward were out walking their dog and saw us, so we introduced them! It was a really cool afternoon!
There were a few other little cool things that happened this week:
- we met a sister in our ward who served a mission in Anaheim CA! It was the year after they stopped allowing the missionaries to visit Disneyland
- as we were walking outside one day, a little boy ran up to Sister Forsyth and gave her a little flower and said "here you go, you're beautiful." It was so cute!
- Sister Forsyth also made up a song! Which she now regrets because I keep singing it. It's like "You Are My Sunshine" except the lyrics start with "We know you're home, we know you're home! Won't you please come and answer the door?" Who says missionary work isn't fun?
- we have had Mexican food three or four times this week. We had Costa Vida on Monday, Muchas Gracias on Wednesday, and Taco Bell on Thursday. And we have leftovers!
As far as the spiritual side of things goes, I had a cool experience this morning that I want to share. So I've been kind of tense lately, and worried about who knows what. Anyway, I prayed last night and asked "what lack I yet?" like they said in General Conference. The answer I got was "patience." I thought that was funny, because I'm not really impatient, at least with people, usually! But I followed the prompting and turned to the "patience" section in Preach My Gospel chapter 6 this morning. It was exactly what I needed. The section is really short, so I'll copy and paste it:
"Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do God’s will and accept His timing. When you are patient, you hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith--you must wait for the Lord’s promised blessings to be fulfilled.
You need patience in your everyday experiences and relationships, especially with your companion. You must be patient with all people, yourself included, as you work to overcome faults and weaknesses."
The part about not becoming anxious really hit home, because that's what I've been is anxious! And the part about accepting God's timing, and facing hard things calmly and hopefully. Below it was a reference to Alma 26 which has been one of my favorite chapters as a missionary. In it, I found some scriptures that hit me like a ton of bricks, in a spiritual sense. The first, verse 27, has become my "ponderizing" scripture of the week. It says:
"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."
Now, for those of you that don't know the Book of Mormon like the back of your hand, Ammon was one of the greatest missionaries. He converted an entire nation to the Gospel. He is the one speaking in this verse- meaning, he faced hard times and anxiety, and homesickness, and he almost gave up! But he didn't. And the last sentence, "bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success" felt like it was spoken directly to me. As I finished the chapter, I read verse 36, which says:
"Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land."
Ammon endured so much during his mission, and he was gone much longer than 18 months. Yet this is how he felt at the end of that time. Sometimes I feel like a wanderer in a strange land- this is a new place, with a new culture! And yet God is mindful of me. He is mindful enough to tell me what I can do to be better, to feel better. And that is part of what I fasted and prayed for yesterday.
The moral of this story is that things get hard! Sometimes we lose that small voice in the pace of everyday, or in worrying about what is to come. But Hod is mindful of us, enough to tell us what we can do to improve, and enough to bring me peace this morning. He knows you and what you need. Even in hard times, we must be patient and rely on His timing- and that is my goal for this week!
I love you all! Stay safe, and stay close to your Father in Heaven!
Sister Jacobs
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