This week we had the goal to set three batsman dates. We haven't set
any in over a month. We started the week with a fast and then fasted
midweek as well. Thursday night I felt like we needed to visit the
Lopez family. The entire family are members except for Carolina but
they had been inactive for a long time before we started visiting them
The mother, Yasmin, wasn't available but Braulio (17 years old) let us
in and we talked with him and his eleven-year-old sister, Carolina.
The last time we had seen them was about a week ago. That night, too,
had been with only Carolina and Braulio. We had left with them during
the previous visit the commitment to read the introduction of the Book
of Mormon, and since they hadn't yet, we read it with them. During the
course of the lesson, Braulio expressed to us his question and doubts
about the nature of God, His existence, the Book of Mormon, and the
idea of a modern prophet.
As we read the the introduction to the Book of Mormon one word stuck
out to me: testimony.
I felt like I should ask Braulio what a testimony is. I thought it a
dumb question--of course he knows what a testimony is, he's been going
to church for a while--but I followed the prompting and asked. Turns
out, he didn't feel like he had a testimony because he had never had
any powerful spiritual experiences and so felt like he didn't know
that anything was true.
What followed was a powerful spiritual experience for me as I bore
testimony to him of the Book of Mormon and how a testimony can be even
just a desire to believe.
Thursday night too he had many questions and so I decided to focus on
what had always brought me the answer and what I was confident could
bring him his answers once he understood it better: the atonement.
To help them lien it to themselves we put Braulio in the place of the
Savior and asked him what he would do to help and protect his sister,
and how Carolina would feel if he died for her.
The spirit was strong en and I thought of something Sam (our recent 9
year old convert) said in a recent lesson. I'd asked him what the
bread and water in the sacrament represent. "Love!" he said. My first
instinct was to correct him. But really, he was absolutely right. And
at is what I tried to express to Braulio and Carolina. Braulio it
turns out hadn't understood mercy, but he did then.
And when we asked Carolina if she would be baptized next month she
said yes! And Braulio gave the closing prayer, a simple, sincere
prayer expressing his desires to know more.
We also met with Oscar, our downstairs neighbor who we have talked
with a couple times before. He told us when we shared Joseph Smith's
vision of Christ and God that he heard a voice telling him to listen.
He reads the Book of Mormon and believes it but won't pray and won't
come to church. We talked with him about what is holding him back and
I was able to resolve a lot of his concerns through my own experience
and what I had studied that very morning. He said he was worried that
once he got baptized he wouldn't be able to love worthy of the Holy
Ghost and the expectations that would be set for him. I told him I had
the same concern as a missionary and I asked him, what was the last
gift you received. He told us and I asked him why that person had
given it to him. The answer:because she loved him. The Holy Ghost is a
gift, I told him. It's true that we must be living worthy of it to
have its constant companionship, but, I told him, "It's not like we
are given all these commandments that we have to love perfectly to
have the holy ghost, rather we have the holy host to help us live the
commandments.
Halfway through the lesson I felt very strongly that we needed to
commit him to live the Word of Wisdom (no drugs or alchohol). I read
to him the promises God promises us if we live it (found inD&C 89). He
said they sounded familiar and he committed to stop smoking. (So far,
he has t smoked since). He also accepted a baptismal date for next
month. (He also to,s us the past three times we knocked on his door he
had been thinking about or praying about our message and we had come
as his answer).
The third date was set with an 11 year old boy, Elihu, whose ,other,
after hearing our dinner message, decided she wanted him baptized, and
she herself began to attend church again.
We got I late at night and only had a few minutes to teach and had no
idea what we should teach him. After the opening prayer I felt like I
should ask him what he knew about God and we talked for a while about
God and how he is our loving Heavenly Father and how to pray to him.
We talked then about baptism and the Holy Ghost. At the end of he
lesson he exclaimed, "I get it now! God will always be my father and I
will always be his son, so he will always love me. And I know now what
the spirit feels like." It was a beautiful moment, especially because
we found out after the lesson that their dad had left them some time
ago. He is excited to be baptized in three weeks.
We also had two others who are cited to read e Book of Mormon and said
that if they feel that it is true after reading and praying they want
to be baptized.
The lord answered our fast and prayers and the Spirit guided us this
entire week. It was one big miracle!
Sorry for the novel. One last bit of news: tomorrow is transfers. I am
going to a nearby area where my last trainer, Hna Beatty went. She is
going home and I am taking her place. My new companion is Hna Hoffman.
I am thrilled! I've already been on a couple exchanges with her and
she is so sweet, fun, and hard working. I will still be in the same
zone and will get to see my late companion, Hna Sands, often. Which is
a good thing. We've come to be good friends. And what's more, I will
be close enough to attend the baptisms of Oscar, Carolina, and Elihu!
Saying goodbye to our ward was hard--I love these people!
Hermana Anderson
#allforHim
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Mission Letter 5 "Las Cucarachas"
This week was pretty slow. We had meetings on Wed and Thu, weekly
planning on Fri, service all Sat afternoon, and then Saturday night
and all day Sunday I was throwing up.
Saturday we went to help a ward member move apartments and it was
infested with cock roaches. We were spraying Raid like crazy and then
I, being the least fearful of the cucarachas, was down in the cabinets
sweeping them out and cleaning and finding all the pockets of them. We
think inhaling the Raid so much is what got me sick.
We had a whole six lessons. (Compared to the 20 we had two weeks ago).
But, we had a LOT of referrals from ward members, and it was amazing
how many calls we had from ward members as soon as they found out I
was sick--we are so loved here.
And my companion was so good to me, and such a good sport to be stuck
in the apartment all day.
Twice at dinner after we shared a message we had some one ask us to
come teach a friend or member of their family. It feels so good to
have their trust and to know that they were able to feel the spirit
through us.
A scripture we have been sharing recently for our dinner message is 2
Nephi 9:21-22. Wherever it says "all men" we substitute the name of
the person we are sharing the message with.
21 And he (Jesus) cometh into the world that he may save (your name)
if (he or she) will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth
the pains of (your name) . . .
22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon (your
name), that (he or she) might stand before him at the great and
judgment day.
I love that scripture and I love personalizing it. That's something.
I've been working on lately: personalizing the atonement. And so every
night I write down what significance the atonement had for me that
day. It's been really neat and I encourage all to give it a try.
Con amor,
Hermana Anderson
planning on Fri, service all Sat afternoon, and then Saturday night
and all day Sunday I was throwing up.
Saturday we went to help a ward member move apartments and it was
infested with cock roaches. We were spraying Raid like crazy and then
I, being the least fearful of the cucarachas, was down in the cabinets
sweeping them out and cleaning and finding all the pockets of them. We
think inhaling the Raid so much is what got me sick.
We had a whole six lessons. (Compared to the 20 we had two weeks ago).
But, we had a LOT of referrals from ward members, and it was amazing
how many calls we had from ward members as soon as they found out I
was sick--we are so loved here.
And my companion was so good to me, and such a good sport to be stuck
in the apartment all day.
Twice at dinner after we shared a message we had some one ask us to
come teach a friend or member of their family. It feels so good to
have their trust and to know that they were able to feel the spirit
through us.
A scripture we have been sharing recently for our dinner message is 2
Nephi 9:21-22. Wherever it says "all men" we substitute the name of
the person we are sharing the message with.
21 And he (Jesus) cometh into the world that he may save (your name)
if (he or she) will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth
the pains of (your name) . . .
22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon (your
name), that (he or she) might stand before him at the great and
judgment day.
I love that scripture and I love personalizing it. That's something.
I've been working on lately: personalizing the atonement. And so every
night I write down what significance the atonement had for me that
day. It's been really neat and I encourage all to give it a try.
Con amor,
Hermana Anderson
Mission Letter 4 "We Need to Change Our Message"
Transfer news:
My trainer, Hermana Beatty, got moved to another area in our zone and
I got to take over our area with my new trainer, Hermana Sands.
Fortunately Hna Beatty is only a phone call away and will remain my
Sister Training Leader.
I decided at the beginning of the transfer I wanted to work on
humility and patience. Well, the Lord answers prayers, so be careful
what you pray for.
We got lost a lot, and we had to drop a lot of investigators who
wouldn't keep appoint,mets or weren't progressing, and today we had to
drop another one who I really liked.
I'll be completely honest, getting a new companion was harder than I
thought it would be. It's a lot of change and adjusting. She is super
sweet, but since she knows nothing about the area the first week felt
like it was all on me. And it's hard to feel the spirit when you're
stressed. Then on top of that we had to finalize the plans for Sam and
Sophia's baptism on Saturday.
It was such a sweet service. Sam and Sophia gave the opening and
closing prayers and Sam kept telling me how happy he felt.
The service was well attended and it was heart warming to see the
support that came out for them, especially considering that since Sam
and Sophia understand English better the service was in English, and
yet there were some members there who spoke only Spanish.
And, since Hna Beatty is still in the zone, she got to come for the baptism!
After the baptism I was still feeling a little overwhelmed so I asked
the district leader for a blessing. In it, God promised that I would
be guided by the Spirit in all I did. Later that day, we were trying
to decide whether to go to dinner with a member who had sign d up to
feed us a while ago but who wasn't answering her phone to confirm. I
felt like we should go, so we did. The member wasn't home, but her
hired help welcomed us in and whipped together some food. She wasn't a
member of the church and we shared a short message from the Book of
Mormon. I left, though, frustrated. She had talked a LOT and I hadn't
been able to understand very much. I felt bad that she had to whip up
a dinner last minute and that the member wasn't home. And our message
had been rushed so that we could get to our next appointment. And on
top of that my comapnion later told me she had felt like we shouldn't
go. Why had the spirit told me to go?
Really, I'm not sure. I began to doubt the promise in my blessing.
The next day at dinner we ate with four elders and a member family. My
companion and I had been asked to give the dinner message and we were
planning to share a message about testimonies and missionary work,
when, right after dinner, I felt like we should talk about the
atonement instead. I admit, I was tentative to say anything to my
companion. At last I told her, "We need to change our message. I'm on
it." I wasn't really sure what to talk about or how to begin, but I
know the spirit lead me because afterwards the mother of the family
thanked me for sharing just what she needed.
Sometimes it feels like the work is going nowhere and God is just
playing with the dials seeing how hard he can make it before you
break, but I know he guides this work. I know transfers are inspired.
And this coming week my companion and I set high goals and we plan to
work for them with Doctrine and Covenants 123:17 as our motto.
Con amor,
Hermana Anderson
#allforHim
My trainer, Hermana Beatty, got moved to another area in our zone and
I got to take over our area with my new trainer, Hermana Sands.
Fortunately Hna Beatty is only a phone call away and will remain my
Sister Training Leader.
I decided at the beginning of the transfer I wanted to work on
humility and patience. Well, the Lord answers prayers, so be careful
what you pray for.
We got lost a lot, and we had to drop a lot of investigators who
wouldn't keep appoint,mets or weren't progressing, and today we had to
drop another one who I really liked.
I'll be completely honest, getting a new companion was harder than I
thought it would be. It's a lot of change and adjusting. She is super
sweet, but since she knows nothing about the area the first week felt
like it was all on me. And it's hard to feel the spirit when you're
stressed. Then on top of that we had to finalize the plans for Sam and
Sophia's baptism on Saturday.
It was such a sweet service. Sam and Sophia gave the opening and
closing prayers and Sam kept telling me how happy he felt.
The service was well attended and it was heart warming to see the
support that came out for them, especially considering that since Sam
and Sophia understand English better the service was in English, and
yet there were some members there who spoke only Spanish.
And, since Hna Beatty is still in the zone, she got to come for the baptism!
After the baptism I was still feeling a little overwhelmed so I asked
the district leader for a blessing. In it, God promised that I would
be guided by the Spirit in all I did. Later that day, we were trying
to decide whether to go to dinner with a member who had sign d up to
feed us a while ago but who wasn't answering her phone to confirm. I
felt like we should go, so we did. The member wasn't home, but her
hired help welcomed us in and whipped together some food. She wasn't a
member of the church and we shared a short message from the Book of
Mormon. I left, though, frustrated. She had talked a LOT and I hadn't
been able to understand very much. I felt bad that she had to whip up
a dinner last minute and that the member wasn't home. And our message
had been rushed so that we could get to our next appointment. And on
top of that my comapnion later told me she had felt like we shouldn't
go. Why had the spirit told me to go?
Really, I'm not sure. I began to doubt the promise in my blessing.
The next day at dinner we ate with four elders and a member family. My
companion and I had been asked to give the dinner message and we were
planning to share a message about testimonies and missionary work,
when, right after dinner, I felt like we should talk about the
atonement instead. I admit, I was tentative to say anything to my
companion. At last I told her, "We need to change our message. I'm on
it." I wasn't really sure what to talk about or how to begin, but I
know the spirit lead me because afterwards the mother of the family
thanked me for sharing just what she needed.
Sometimes it feels like the work is going nowhere and God is just
playing with the dials seeing how hard he can make it before you
break, but I know he guides this work. I know transfers are inspired.
And this coming week my companion and I set high goals and we plan to
work for them with Doctrine and Covenants 123:17 as our motto.
Con amor,
Hermana Anderson
#allforHim
Mission Letter 3 "Become as a Little Child"
This week was one of miracles. On Wednesday I decided to fast that we would find more investigators and that I would find ways to focus better on the work. That morning in our companionship study I was thinking about things that I could improve and my morning prayers came to mind. Often times I feel like I say them before any part of me is really awake and so I neglect to really focus on what I am praying for, on our investigators, and on my communication with my Heavenly Father. I decided that this week I would wake up fifteen minutes before when we planned to get up and read my scriptures before our morning prayers. And what a difference it has made! My prayers are more focused and spiritual, and since I start the day reading in Spanish, it gets my brain in a Spanish mode for the rest of the day :).
The other blessing of my fast came in the form of Oscar, Lupe, and Raugelio. We were on our way out of our apartment to go teach a referral and Oscar s out walking his dog. We stopped to talk to him and shared with him that God is our loving heavenly Father, that He wants us to pray to Him, that he has always given us prophets to guide us, and that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. He said he would read the introduction and that we could come back to talk to him on Saturday. On Saturday we went back and shared with him the message of the restoration--that God has restored his power and authority and the fulness of the Gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith. Afterward, we asked him what he thought, and he said that a year ago he would have ha no interest, but in that time his mom had passed away, he had been homeless, he had been angry at God, and had begun to see the ways that God speaks to Him. He said that normally when someone comes to talk to him about God he slams the door, but he had felt that we had something special, and he told us that when we had shared with him Joseph Smith's experience he had heard a voice that said to him, "Listen."
After talking with Oscar we found Lupe and Raugelio. They asked what missionaries were and what we did and how we payed for it and where our families were. They were full of questions. And so we told them that we were from different parts of the US, where our families still are, that we worked before our mission to pay for it, and that we considered it a priviledge to leave our families for eighteen months so that others could be with theirs for eternity. Lupe lit up at the truth that families can be together forever and is eager for us to return and teach her.
We have also been working for acouple weeks now with Yasmin and her children:Carolina, Ricardo, and Teresa. Yasmin hadn't been to church in a long time. Her husband is in jail, her mother is in the hospital with cancer and other issues, and Carolina was severely injured a couple months ago and just had her last surgery. Carolina now wants to be baptized as soon as she is healed enough from her surgery, Yasmin attends church regurlarly, and Teresa and Ricardo have just begun attending as well. There is literally a new light in their countenances and you can feel the change in their home. There is so much more peace and joy. it is beautiful to see what the light and knowledge of the gospel can do for individuals and families.
Sam and Sophia are getting baptized this Saturday and they are so excited for it and excited to bring their friend, Marcos. i love their faith and humility. last week we taught them about tithing by using chocolate chips. We taught them that tithing is the opportunity to give back to the Lord and show our grattitude to him, and that all he asks is ten percent. We gave Sam ten chocolate chips and told him that one would be given back to the Lord. "Just one?" he asked. "That's it! He doesn't get very much . . ." Then when we told him what tithing is used for: to build temples and help others, he exclaimed, "I want to give Him all of it so He can build the temple!" It is no wonder Christ said that we must become as a little child to inherit the kingdom of God :)
Well, my novel is about finished. Sorry it's so long. This week has been incredible (and I get to use a computer instead of my ipad so it's a lot easier to type :)
This week I am getting a new companion. My companion hermana beatty will be in a nearby area, still in our zone, so I'll still see her :) I'm excited to meet my new companion tomorrow.
Love Hermana Anderson
#AllforHim
Mission Letter 2 "Storms and Tender Mercies"
This week we moved apartments and we had to completely shut down our old one and move everything out, so between that and weekly planning, we did comparatively little of what most people think of when they think of missionary work,which was a little hard actually. I was so ready to get out of our apartment and teach!
We did though get to teach Sam and Sophia, the cute little nine-year-old twins preparing for baptism on the 13th of August. I love teaching them because they are so eager to learn and to share what they learn. Sam has really taken to reading the Book of Mormon and his love for it is inspiring. While we were at their house teaching them Sam's friend, Marcos, came over. We told Marcos we were reviewing the hand signs we had taught them last time for the Ten Commandments and he said, "Oh yeah, Sam showed me those." He and Sam read the Book of Mormon together during our lesson and after the lesson Sam asked if he could read more. He turned to a random spot and began reading, and Marcos read with him. Turns out, they were reading about exactly what we had just taught them. Marcos wants to come to church and have us teach him, but he has to check with his mom, so we are praying for the OK :)
We went to a relief society activity (relief society is an organization in the church for women 18 years and older) and I am finally getting to know the women in the ward and I love them so much! We taught gospel principles this Sunday and I was honestly a little nervous but my Spanish held out and it was a great lesson.
Monday I was on exchanges in another area speaking English with Sister Tanner and we saw one miracle after another. Their area had been pretty stagnant and on Thursday they had hit some really rough patches, so our miracles were really tender mercies for Sister Tanner. We had decided to go see someone they hadn't been able to get in with in a long time. She lives in a gated community, but we decided to give it a try. The gate was locked but I had a feeling to try the back. There was another gate, also closed. Let's try it, sister Tanner said. The gates work so that as soon as they close they should have locked, but it was closed and unlocked. We were able to answer a lot of questions of the woman we met with and she wanted us to come back. That night we got in with a woman who said she wanted to be baptized, and as we drove home I got to see the most AMAZING lightning I have ever seen. It was incredible. We saw a double rainbow and then it poured rain all night and the lyrics from the song Blessing go came to mind: "what if our blessings come through raindrops . . . What if the storms . . . are Your mercies in disguise"
Hermana Anderson
#AllforHim
We did though get to teach Sam and Sophia, the cute little nine-year-old twins preparing for baptism on the 13th of August. I love teaching them because they are so eager to learn and to share what they learn. Sam has really taken to reading the Book of Mormon and his love for it is inspiring. While we were at their house teaching them Sam's friend, Marcos, came over. We told Marcos we were reviewing the hand signs we had taught them last time for the Ten Commandments and he said, "Oh yeah, Sam showed me those." He and Sam read the Book of Mormon together during our lesson and after the lesson Sam asked if he could read more. He turned to a random spot and began reading, and Marcos read with him. Turns out, they were reading about exactly what we had just taught them. Marcos wants to come to church and have us teach him, but he has to check with his mom, so we are praying for the OK :)
We went to a relief society activity (relief society is an organization in the church for women 18 years and older) and I am finally getting to know the women in the ward and I love them so much! We taught gospel principles this Sunday and I was honestly a little nervous but my Spanish held out and it was a great lesson.
Monday I was on exchanges in another area speaking English with Sister Tanner and we saw one miracle after another. Their area had been pretty stagnant and on Thursday they had hit some really rough patches, so our miracles were really tender mercies for Sister Tanner. We had decided to go see someone they hadn't been able to get in with in a long time. She lives in a gated community, but we decided to give it a try. The gate was locked but I had a feeling to try the back. There was another gate, also closed. Let's try it, sister Tanner said. The gates work so that as soon as they close they should have locked, but it was closed and unlocked. We were able to answer a lot of questions of the woman we met with and she wanted us to come back. That night we got in with a woman who said she wanted to be baptized, and as we drove home I got to see the most AMAZING lightning I have ever seen. It was incredible. We saw a double rainbow and then it poured rain all night and the lyrics from the song Blessing go came to mind: "what if our blessings come through raindrops . . . What if the storms . . . are Your mercies in disguise"
Hermana Anderson
#AllforHim
Sister Brooke Ellen Anderson
Arizona Tucson Mission
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Mission Letter 1 "First Week: Power of Prayer"
Wow, what a wonderful week it has been! I have been assigned to the
south side of the city of Tucson and love the area and my sweet
companion, Hermana Beatty. I fact, neat story: we stayed the first
night of the mission in the home of the mission President. That night
as I and a couple others were waiting to get some stuff from his car,
the President showed us his office and the huge board he had with the
names, pictures, and locations of everyone in the mission. I found
that there were four Spanish speaking missionaries without companions
and realized I would be assigned to work with one of these. I felt an
instant bond with Hermana Beatty just from seeing her picture. It was
no surprise to me when the following morning I was assigned to be her
companion. I was overjoyed! She is so positive, patient, encouraging,
and enthusiastic.
This week has been crazy and good. We were fed two dinners in one
night and finishing the second was honestly painful. There was a man
who knocked on our window and hung around it for about half an hour
Friday night. We made cookies but didn't have chocolate chips so I
sacrificed my chocolate bar and then we brought some cookies to the
elders. And I beat an elder in chess during lunch.
On a separate note, I love Arizona nights! I never thought I'd
associate warm with fresh until spending a night here. And today was
actually our first really hot day. It's rained this past week and so
has been relatively cool (and the rain smells amazing). I love the
plant life here and that nearly all the flowers here are red orange
and yellow. I'm in heaven.
I want to close out by telling you about a younger woman we met while
we were out knocking doors. Her name is Asheley. We told her about who
we are and that our purpose is to help others come closer to Christ.
We shared what we believe and she was interested to learn more. She
told us she'd actually been looking for a church and we invited her to
attend next Sunday. We asked if we could leave her with a prayer and
she asked something along the lines of, "How is it done?" So there on
her doorstep we taught her to pray and afterwards she said, "That felt
so good. Thank you. I needed that."
It was really eye opening to me to realize that prayer is so
instinctive for me and yet there are people who have never prayed
before because they don't know how. It was so neat to tell her about
the relationship we can have with God, that he is the Father of our
spirits, that He loves us and wants to hear from us.
As missionaries, we pray ALL THE TIME and I am so grateful for that
privilege and the spirit that comes as we pray.
Love you all,
Hermana Anderson
#allforHim
south side of the city of Tucson and love the area and my sweet
companion, Hermana Beatty. I fact, neat story: we stayed the first
night of the mission in the home of the mission President. That night
as I and a couple others were waiting to get some stuff from his car,
the President showed us his office and the huge board he had with the
names, pictures, and locations of everyone in the mission. I found
that there were four Spanish speaking missionaries without companions
and realized I would be assigned to work with one of these. I felt an
instant bond with Hermana Beatty just from seeing her picture. It was
no surprise to me when the following morning I was assigned to be her
companion. I was overjoyed! She is so positive, patient, encouraging,
and enthusiastic.
This week has been crazy and good. We were fed two dinners in one
night and finishing the second was honestly painful. There was a man
who knocked on our window and hung around it for about half an hour
Friday night. We made cookies but didn't have chocolate chips so I
sacrificed my chocolate bar and then we brought some cookies to the
elders. And I beat an elder in chess during lunch.
On a separate note, I love Arizona nights! I never thought I'd
associate warm with fresh until spending a night here. And today was
actually our first really hot day. It's rained this past week and so
has been relatively cool (and the rain smells amazing). I love the
plant life here and that nearly all the flowers here are red orange
and yellow. I'm in heaven.
I want to close out by telling you about a younger woman we met while
we were out knocking doors. Her name is Asheley. We told her about who
we are and that our purpose is to help others come closer to Christ.
We shared what we believe and she was interested to learn more. She
told us she'd actually been looking for a church and we invited her to
attend next Sunday. We asked if we could leave her with a prayer and
she asked something along the lines of, "How is it done?" So there on
her doorstep we taught her to pray and afterwards she said, "That felt
so good. Thank you. I needed that."
It was really eye opening to me to realize that prayer is so
instinctive for me and yet there are people who have never prayed
before because they don't know how. It was so neat to tell her about
the relationship we can have with God, that he is the Father of our
spirits, that He loves us and wants to hear from us.
As missionaries, we pray ALL THE TIME and I am so grateful for that
privilege and the spirit that comes as we pray.
Love you all,
Hermana Anderson
#allforHim
Monday, June 20, 2016
Missionary Training Center Letter 2 "Something Mattered More"
I don't have as much time this week as I did last time, so i just want to share one experience that I had.
On Saturday one of our Branch Presidency members, Brother Nilsson, talked to us about obedience. He told the story of a time when he was on a plane and felt prompted to take a middle seat and tell the lady to his left that Christ visited the Americas. Turns out, he was able to answer a question and prayer she had had for a long time regarding the scripture "Other sheep i have which are not of this fold." As he was departing the plane it came to his attention that the other man who had been sitting with them was a Bishop of the church. 'Why did the Lord need me to take a middle seat and share that message when the bishop could have done it?" he asked. "I don't know. But perhaps it was because at that time the Lord couldn't count on the bishop to share the message.""So," he asked us, "can the Lord trust you?"Later that evening I was gazing at the painting in our classroom of Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove, praying to know which church to join. And I thought of the question brother Nilsson had asked. I thought about what God had said to Joseph Smith in the grove when they appeared to him, "This is my beloved Son. Hear Him." And I thought about how much confidence and trust God had in Christ. So much that hundreds of years before Christ would atone for our sins, mankind could repent. God's trust in Christ was so perfect that it was as though Christ had already accomplished what was asked of Him. I want God to be able to have that kind of trust in me. And then I realized . .He is and has been preparing hearts to receive the word that I will have the opportunity to share with them, because HE TRUSTS ME. And I turn, I NEED TO TRUST MORE IN HIM.I thought about the question Brother Nilsson had asked. "Yes," I whispered. And the spirit washed over me. What a grand trust!This Sunday my companion and I got to teach a lesson on obedience. When I had earlier been preparing for the lesson I'd been thinking about what questions to ask, and it occurred to me to ask God why Christ was so obedient. And the answer came clearly, BECAUSE SOMETHING MATTERED MORE.And I thought, what is my something that matters more--more than myself?I'd challenge everyone to think about that. For me, it made me really realize that a mission is not a SACRIFICE, it's a PRIVILEGE. And part of my something more is the people I will get to love and serve and my desire for God to be able to put His complete trust in me to do whatever is His will for me.Love,Hermana Anderson#allforHim
Missionary Training Center Letter 1 "Listen and Love"
I am so eager to serve God in Tucson Arizona in just three weeks after my training in Provo.It has been five days now in the MTC (missionary training center) and I feel as though I am living in the city of Enoch. The spirit here is so strong because everyone is so devoted to strengthening their conversion to Christ.
In the MTC everyone is paired with a companion of the same gender whom they are expected to stay with throughout their stay in the MTC. My companion, Hermana Hernandez, is extremely supportive, patient, sweet, and loving. She is so intune with the Spirit of God and a wonderful example to me.This past Saturday we had class until late and the class was having trouble focusing. Everyone was just exhausted. The class ended and we were supposed to be teaching an investigator about prayer and God's love in just a few minutes. I was tired, my stomach hurt, and I just wanted to go to bed. I wasn't really looking forward to having to teach and I wasn't feeling the Spirit at all. Then I looked over and saw my companion praying. I said a prayer and by the time I had said "Amen" I didn't feel so tired, my stomach didn't hurt so much, and I was excited and eager to teach our investigator, Myra. And the Spirit was so strong during that lesson as we taught her of God's love and plan for each of us. Prayer is so powerful.Myself and one other Sister, Hermana Block, are the only two in our district (the term for a small group of missionary companionships who, in the MTC, have class together) who grew up without Spanish in the home. We both struggled some as we were thrown into a complete immersion classroom, but she struggled more than I.Our very first practice lesson was with Felipe and it went . . . well, let's just say there was room for improvement.Ii was so nervous and so preoccupied with the worry that I wouldn't know what to say or how to say it.After the lesson a member of our branch presidency, Elder Neilson, pulled aside me and Hermana Block and our companions and took us to a classroom at the end of the hall."Do you have any idea why I took you to this room?" he asked us.We didn't."Because," he told us, "when I was in the MTC learning Spanish this was my classroom. And when I was here, i was the worst Spanish speaker in the MTC. There were two Elders (the term for male missionaries) who sat in those chairs to my left and made fun of me. On the board behind where your heads are my teacher wrote the numbers 1-12 on the board and we would sign up under one of those number and that would be the order we would go in to pass off the lessons (this was back when the lessons were memorized). One day I signed my name under #12, as I always did, and took my seat. And the spirit said to me, 'What are you doing?' It seemed to be saying, 'Don't you know that this is God's work and that he can teach you the lesson--that if you have the faith to open your mouth, He will fill it?' I went back up to the board, erased my name from the 12th slot and wrote it under the first. The other Elders laughed at me. But, i'll tell you something," he said, leaning closer to us, 'that was the best I had done yet in passing off a lesson."I realized then that I had been so preoccupied with my inadequacies with Spanish that I had neglected to rust in the Spirit. How selfish of me!--to think only of myself and my concerns, and forget that THIS IS GOD'S WORK and my ability to (or inability to) speak the language hinders Him only to the extent that I allow it to hinder me.The following morning we taught our practice investigator, Felipe, again. Just before the lesson, I was able to memorize in Spanish part of Joseph Smith's first vision. "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other, 'This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"During the lesson, I focused on Felipe, what he was saying and feeling, what he needed, and what the spirit was telling me about him. I was less nervous. The language came easier. And I understood Felipe better and was able to better feel God's love for him. And when I felt prompted to, I shared with him the first vision and y testimony. And though my words were simple and my language imperfect the spirit was there and seemed to flood the room.Later that day in our class, we read Doctrine and Covenants 12:8: "And no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted in his care." I thought about my lesson with Felipe and realized something: the connection between humility and love. When we are humble enough to trust God, to trust that he will in very truth give us the words we need in the very moment we need them, then we don not need to be nervous, anxious, nor worried. And when we are none of these things--when we are confident and at peace--then we can truly listen and be filled with love for those we teach.During our first day in the MTC, during our first lesson in our classroom, I read something about our purpose as missionaries and two words seemed to jump off the page: escuchar y amor (listen and love). Now I see that they are really one and the same. This work is truly a work of love and we feel that when we truly listen to our investigators, and to the Spirit.And both of these words, or principles, build upon the same prerequisites of humility and trust.And I have definitely been humbled. On Sunday my companion and I were assigned to be the Sister Training Leaders--in charge of training and assisting the other sisters in our zone (a zone is a group of districts). I am humbled and eager to serve in this capacity.Funny story: I was talking once to our class and trying to say that the atonement can wash away our sins(pecados) and instead accidentally said that the atonement can wash away our fishes(pescados). That's one i don't think anyone in our class will forget any time soon. We still laugh about it whenever someone brings up sins.I love this work and am so grateful for the love and support of family and good friends. I'm sorry and a little sad that I wasn't able to visit and say goodbye to all for you, but I will see you in 18 short months and love you all.Yours,Hermana Anderson#allforHim
Thursday, April 28, 2016
20 years, 59 happy things, 1 perfect day
"I promise I won't cry," I told her. "I don't want to end the perfect day in tears."
And it had indeed been a perfect day.
For starters, I got to sleep in. Seven o'clock. I know that's not sleeping in for most people, but for me it was beautiful. I got to skype my family first thing and they sang me happy birthday, which was cute because some of them sang Broo-ooke while some sang Brook-eee. I loved it. I couldn't believe, and still can't, that I'm twenty now. Que old! I certainly don't feel like I'm an adult yet.
After a relaxing morning, my sister, Kylie, and her husband, Josh, made me my requested breakfast--a bacon, sausage, and cheese frittata, which was absolutely delicious. Then we played banana grams, which I told them they had to let me win because it was my birthday. Well, I won. Both rounds. But it was definitely not because they let me. Josh is too competitive for that. And so am I.
At ten o'clock I ran over from my sister's place (where I had stayed the night) to Crown 7, my home away from home these last two semesters. All my stuff had already been moved out and was sitting in the front room of my sister's apartment. Still, when I told my sister I was headed over to see my roommate, Kenley, in Crown 7, I told her I was headed home and would be back for dinner.
It was strange walking into my room in Crown 7 and seeing my half of the room decorated with items not my own, but it was much better than the day before, seeing it half empty.
I waited in the kitchen while Kenley went back to grab something from her room. She came back with a small navy gift bag and set it in front of me on the countertop. I hadn't been expecting anything since she'd already told me that she was buying me ice cream later that day at her favorite ice cream shop.
"Do you want me to open it now, or with dinner?" I asked.
Of course, she wanted me to open it then. Inside was a small homemade booklet with flowers painted on the cover. I flipped open to the first page, then the second. And then I realized what it was.
I've never been great at receiving gifts. I never know quite how to respond and how to express my gratitude, but I had no trouble this time. My eyes began to water and all I could do was hug her.
Back at the beginning of the school year, in mid September, I started a habit with another girl in my apartment, Rachael. Every day I would come home and ask her a question about herself, one of those deep questions that you have to think about for a while. When Kenley moved in in January, I started doing the same with her. One night I asked her to name ten things that made her happy and five things that made her sad. She then, of course, wanted to know mine. We decided to write each other's down and do it for ten days so that by the end of it we each had 100 things that made us happy. She had taken my 100 things and compiled them into a booklet, which sweet gift I'd have to make item one hundred and one.
When I had left my sister's place she had remarked about the bad weather, but when I told Kenley it was raining, she was almost ecstatic. We both love the rain.
We were wet and happy by the time we got to campus and met my good friend Tyler to go bowling. I hesitate to admit that I love bowling just because you might be expecting me to be, well, at least decent. I bowled a strike on my first bowl, but I it was definitely luck, because my next bowl I hit a whopping zero pins. (We asked for bumbers, but our lane didn't have any. Apparently, college kids are supposed to be better than that. Oh well, we had a blast).
Our second game we decided to have a little more fun: I found out that I am better at bowling with my feet than I am with my hands and that I bowl quite well standing on one foot. We had a good time.
On our way home from bowling, after running a few errands on campus, we stopped at the candy counter and bought a small bag of lemon drops which we sucked on while we meandered down the paths that run south of campus. There's something about lemon drops and candy counters that feels so authentic and antiquated, and nothing says summer day like sucking on lemon drops as you meander down a sun-lit path. Just the day before we had walked the same path and seen a bunch of tiny, fluffy ducklings playing in the stream that runs beside it.
Today we found them at the duck pond, and we stayed to watch for them for a little while before heading home for lunch--left over sausage pizza with a sweet potato crust, and some lemon bars from last night (you can never have too much lemon in the summer time).
Then it was off to downtown Provo to look at an old, used-book shop. But first, to Wells Fargo to exchange some money for Euros for my trip to France the next day. I had Kenley exchange them for me because she's a Wells Fargo member and I'm not. Later that day when we were once again passing by Wells Fargo, Kenley turned to me and said, "You know when you pass a place that brings back good memories . . ." She had loved it: walking into the posh bank in a pencil skirt, going up to the counter and asking to exchange for some euros. It's very seldom that we really feel like independent adults (especially because most of the time we act like we're still on the playground at recess), so I guess you take what you can get.
It was a short five blocks down center street to the Pioneer Book Shop. It was the quaintest little shop so full of books that they even lined the metal stairs at the back. I went straight to the biographies. I love the idea that there are shelves and shelves filled with stories, each so unique, and all representing only a sample of them all. I could have stayed there for hours reading a compilation of memories put together by a wife and her husband in the early 1900s. I almost bought the book, just so that one day maybe I could mimic it. It looks like a fun thing to write.
Then we went upstairs to the fiction and children's sections. Kenley wandered off near the back of the store, and I stayed and looked in the juvenile area. I found The Trumpet of the Swan that I read back in fourth grade when I was learning the trumpet. I remember it was an old copy I'd read--I think we'd gotten it from a garage sale, but I'm not really sure. I found a copy of Gone and remembered one time when I went to Barnes and Nobles with my mom and couldn't afford both the books I'd wanted. When I got home, I found the book I'd wanted but couldn't afford to get sitting on my dresser. It was the second book after Gone, and with it was a note that said, "For my reader. With love, Mom." I found the shelf full of Nancy Drew books with their bright yellow spines and remembered reading the Secret of the Old Clock that I found on the shelf in my grandma's basement.
Then I found an old copy of The Cricket in Times Square and oh, that brought back memories.
"Kenley, I just might have to get this," I said.
Kenley looked confused, and rightly so. It's not something I would have picked out if it didn't have a story. Of course, all books have a story. I love finding books that have messages in the cover--messages like "I got this for you reminded me of the main character," or "I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope you find this comforting." This book contained no such message, but what it did contain was a memory.
"One of my really good friends in middle school was named Mica. I'd known her since fifth or sixth grade but then one time when we were in seventh grade and she was over my house we were talking about our past teachers and I mentioned that I had had Mrs. Gilmore in fourth grade."
"No you didn't," she said, "I had Mrs. Gilmore."
A couple minutes later found us fishing through my old school pictures until we found the right one. And there we both were in Mrs. Gilmore's fourth grade class. The only thing we could really remember doing together was a poster project. I remembered that it was about a cricket, because I remembered Mica drawing it, but I could never remember the name of the book. And there it was in an old book shop in Provo. The Cricket in Times Square. Needless to say, I bought it.
While Kenley looked some more at a collection of books by her favorite author, I found myself in the classics. Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Fin, Ender's Game. I could hear them all in my dad's voice from when he would read to us. He's so great at voices. He was the first to read me Ender's Game, and now I've read it or heard it at least seven times.
I wished my suitcases weren't already so full and heavy that bringing home another book was almost out of the question, because there were so many I wanted to buy. But maybe it's a good thing I couldn't, because I still have a few to catch up on.
From the bookstore, we walked back to the temple, forgetting that it's closed on Mondays.
We walked around the grounds and took some pictures before deciding to head back to Crown 7 and stop at Sodalicious on the way. Kenley had never been. And that was just atrocious. We decided to remedy the situation. I got butter beer and she got peach lemonade and then we sat on the couches in the nearly empty store and talked while we sipped our drinks.
And it had indeed been a perfect day.
For starters, I got to sleep in. Seven o'clock. I know that's not sleeping in for most people, but for me it was beautiful. I got to skype my family first thing and they sang me happy birthday, which was cute because some of them sang Broo-ooke while some sang Brook-eee. I loved it. I couldn't believe, and still can't, that I'm twenty now. Que old! I certainly don't feel like I'm an adult yet.
After a relaxing morning, my sister, Kylie, and her husband, Josh, made me my requested breakfast--a bacon, sausage, and cheese frittata, which was absolutely delicious. Then we played banana grams, which I told them they had to let me win because it was my birthday. Well, I won. Both rounds. But it was definitely not because they let me. Josh is too competitive for that. And so am I.
At ten o'clock I ran over from my sister's place (where I had stayed the night) to Crown 7, my home away from home these last two semesters. All my stuff had already been moved out and was sitting in the front room of my sister's apartment. Still, when I told my sister I was headed over to see my roommate, Kenley, in Crown 7, I told her I was headed home and would be back for dinner.
It was strange walking into my room in Crown 7 and seeing my half of the room decorated with items not my own, but it was much better than the day before, seeing it half empty.
I waited in the kitchen while Kenley went back to grab something from her room. She came back with a small navy gift bag and set it in front of me on the countertop. I hadn't been expecting anything since she'd already told me that she was buying me ice cream later that day at her favorite ice cream shop.
"Do you want me to open it now, or with dinner?" I asked.
Of course, she wanted me to open it then. Inside was a small homemade booklet with flowers painted on the cover. I flipped open to the first page, then the second. And then I realized what it was.
I've never been great at receiving gifts. I never know quite how to respond and how to express my gratitude, but I had no trouble this time. My eyes began to water and all I could do was hug her.
Back at the beginning of the school year, in mid September, I started a habit with another girl in my apartment, Rachael. Every day I would come home and ask her a question about herself, one of those deep questions that you have to think about for a while. When Kenley moved in in January, I started doing the same with her. One night I asked her to name ten things that made her happy and five things that made her sad. She then, of course, wanted to know mine. We decided to write each other's down and do it for ten days so that by the end of it we each had 100 things that made us happy. She had taken my 100 things and compiled them into a booklet, which sweet gift I'd have to make item one hundred and one.
When I had left my sister's place she had remarked about the bad weather, but when I told Kenley it was raining, she was almost ecstatic. We both love the rain.
We were wet and happy by the time we got to campus and met my good friend Tyler to go bowling. I hesitate to admit that I love bowling just because you might be expecting me to be, well, at least decent. I bowled a strike on my first bowl, but I it was definitely luck, because my next bowl I hit a whopping zero pins. (We asked for bumbers, but our lane didn't have any. Apparently, college kids are supposed to be better than that. Oh well, we had a blast).
Our second game we decided to have a little more fun: I found out that I am better at bowling with my feet than I am with my hands and that I bowl quite well standing on one foot. We had a good time.
On our way home from bowling, after running a few errands on campus, we stopped at the candy counter and bought a small bag of lemon drops which we sucked on while we meandered down the paths that run south of campus. There's something about lemon drops and candy counters that feels so authentic and antiquated, and nothing says summer day like sucking on lemon drops as you meander down a sun-lit path. Just the day before we had walked the same path and seen a bunch of tiny, fluffy ducklings playing in the stream that runs beside it.
Today we found them at the duck pond, and we stayed to watch for them for a little while before heading home for lunch--left over sausage pizza with a sweet potato crust, and some lemon bars from last night (you can never have too much lemon in the summer time).
Then it was off to downtown Provo to look at an old, used-book shop. But first, to Wells Fargo to exchange some money for Euros for my trip to France the next day. I had Kenley exchange them for me because she's a Wells Fargo member and I'm not. Later that day when we were once again passing by Wells Fargo, Kenley turned to me and said, "You know when you pass a place that brings back good memories . . ." She had loved it: walking into the posh bank in a pencil skirt, going up to the counter and asking to exchange for some euros. It's very seldom that we really feel like independent adults (especially because most of the time we act like we're still on the playground at recess), so I guess you take what you can get.
It was a short five blocks down center street to the Pioneer Book Shop. It was the quaintest little shop so full of books that they even lined the metal stairs at the back. I went straight to the biographies. I love the idea that there are shelves and shelves filled with stories, each so unique, and all representing only a sample of them all. I could have stayed there for hours reading a compilation of memories put together by a wife and her husband in the early 1900s. I almost bought the book, just so that one day maybe I could mimic it. It looks like a fun thing to write.
Then we went upstairs to the fiction and children's sections. Kenley wandered off near the back of the store, and I stayed and looked in the juvenile area. I found The Trumpet of the Swan that I read back in fourth grade when I was learning the trumpet. I remember it was an old copy I'd read--I think we'd gotten it from a garage sale, but I'm not really sure. I found a copy of Gone and remembered one time when I went to Barnes and Nobles with my mom and couldn't afford both the books I'd wanted. When I got home, I found the book I'd wanted but couldn't afford to get sitting on my dresser. It was the second book after Gone, and with it was a note that said, "For my reader. With love, Mom." I found the shelf full of Nancy Drew books with their bright yellow spines and remembered reading the Secret of the Old Clock that I found on the shelf in my grandma's basement.
Then I found an old copy of The Cricket in Times Square and oh, that brought back memories.
"Kenley, I just might have to get this," I said.
Kenley looked confused, and rightly so. It's not something I would have picked out if it didn't have a story. Of course, all books have a story. I love finding books that have messages in the cover--messages like "I got this for you reminded me of the main character," or "I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope you find this comforting." This book contained no such message, but what it did contain was a memory.
"One of my really good friends in middle school was named Mica. I'd known her since fifth or sixth grade but then one time when we were in seventh grade and she was over my house we were talking about our past teachers and I mentioned that I had had Mrs. Gilmore in fourth grade."
"No you didn't," she said, "I had Mrs. Gilmore."
A couple minutes later found us fishing through my old school pictures until we found the right one. And there we both were in Mrs. Gilmore's fourth grade class. The only thing we could really remember doing together was a poster project. I remembered that it was about a cricket, because I remembered Mica drawing it, but I could never remember the name of the book. And there it was in an old book shop in Provo. The Cricket in Times Square. Needless to say, I bought it.
While Kenley looked some more at a collection of books by her favorite author, I found myself in the classics. Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Fin, Ender's Game. I could hear them all in my dad's voice from when he would read to us. He's so great at voices. He was the first to read me Ender's Game, and now I've read it or heard it at least seven times.
I wished my suitcases weren't already so full and heavy that bringing home another book was almost out of the question, because there were so many I wanted to buy. But maybe it's a good thing I couldn't, because I still have a few to catch up on.
From the bookstore, we walked back to the temple, forgetting that it's closed on Mondays.
We walked around the grounds and took some pictures before deciding to head back to Crown 7 and stop at Sodalicious on the way. Kenley had never been. And that was just atrocious. We decided to remedy the situation. I got butter beer and she got peach lemonade and then we sat on the couches in the nearly empty store and talked while we sipped our drinks.
Then we walked the short distance back to Crown 7 to play games until dinner at six, courtesy of my sister and brother in law. After a delicious inner of lasagna and molten lava cakes we walked back to downtown Provo to look around a little antique shop. I could probably spend the rest of this post attempting to describe to you that adorable little shop, but I’ll spare you that. I will say though that near the front of the store was a shelf of soaps with various scents, and so we played a game in which we would pick one for the other person to smell with her eyes closed and then she would have to guess which one we’d picked. That was easy enough. Then came the hard part. We each picked our three favorites and then had the other person guess which ones they were. Kenley got mine almost spot on. I, on the other hand, picked her favorite three as almost my last three picks. Kenley always seems to know more about me than I do about her, and most of the time it’s because, I’ll be honest, she’s a much better listener and she remembers everything, but this time it had nothing to do with listening or remembering, and so I was left to submit to the fact that she just knows me better. (Or got really lucky, but if that’s the case she’s lucky a lot).
Before walking back to my sister’s place where Kenley would drop me off for the night, we stopped at her favorite ice cream place: Rockwell’s. She had talked it up a lot, and still, it was better than I could have imagined. I’m not a fan of fruity ice cream, and I especially don’t care for strawberry. But their strawberries and cream ice cream was amazing! If I make it back in May on my way back from France to Georgia, I’m getting it again.
Walking back from downtown to my sister’s apartment was so peaceful and happy, even though I knew in the back of my mind that I was leaving the next morning for France. Of course, I’m way excited for our trip to France, but it also meant leaving Kenley, and I didn’t really want to think about that. So I didn’t, not until we got back to my sister’s place at least. We stood alone in the front room talking for a moment, and then we hugged and talked some more. It wasn’t really good bye—I’d see her for two short days after my trip to France on my way back to Georgia, but it felt like goodbye to me.
"I promise I won't cry when you leave," I told her. "I don't want to end the perfect day in tears."
And I kept my promise.
After she left I took out the small booklet she had made me and leafed through it, counting. Fifty-nine. That’s how many of my happy things had happened in one day.
1. Hugs
2. Night runs
3. Seeing other people happy
4. Causing other people happiness
5. Handwritten notes and letters
6. Speech variations
7. Closing my eyes
8. Realizing I have leftovers when I don't want to cook
9. When I am singing and someone joins in with me
10. When I know the words to a song that comes on in a store or on the radio
11. Orange. Just anything orange
12. When someone else writes my name and spells it right
13. The cloudy swirly pattern that milk makes when you pour it in water
14. Dressing up
15. When I am happy for no reason
16. #whenihavenoideawhyiamlaughing
17. When people turn off their phones to be with me
18. When people are conscientious of what bothers me
19. Going on night walks with a friend
20. Antique stores
21. Old books
22. When other people's bananas go bad and they let me use them for banana bread
23. Inside jokes
24. Sharing poetry
25. When I come up with really good questions
26. The picture of my dad and I that I put above my bed to cover the mark in the wall
27. Nice notes
28. When I pretend Lorrence is real (he's my stuffed dog)
29. Talking to friends
30. When promises and prophesies are fulfilled
31. When my feet are warm
32. Learning new words
33. Red and white striped awnings
34. Old barstools
35. Kenley's "Spurgeon face"
36. When I realize something I thought was hard or scary really isn't
37. When I can step back and see the bigger picture
38. When guys hold the door for me on campus
39. When I am waiting in line or in an elevator and someone starts up a nice little conversation
40. Biking to the frozen yogurt store and pestering Dallin for taking so long to eat even though I just wanted it to last forever (in this case, walking to the ice cream store with Kenley. I didn't pester her for taking a long time--in fact, she finished first. I did, though, want it to last forever)
41. When someone is making something that smells really good and they offer me some
42. When my sister and brother in law invite me for dinner
43. When I get to have time with my sister
44. When I am thirsty and already have a cup of water out and it is just the right temperature
45. Smoothie weather and smoothies (it was warm for maybe a whole half hour, and I think strawberry ice cream counts)
46. When I finish another step in completing my mission papers
47. When I don't have to go to the temple alone (so, even though the temple was closed, Kenley and I still walked there and took pictures, so that counts)
48. When I am reminded of a happy memory
49. When I find a big molasses lump in my brown sugar (actually, Kenley found me one, and it was HUGE)
50. When I am cuddled up in a blanket and am super cozy and there is nothing and no one calling me to get up
51. That I always have a choice
52. I don't know how to give this one enough weight that it doesn't sound cliche. But when you realize what you want. Like what you REALLY want. And it's attainable.
53. When I have to get up to do something and don't want to and someone offers to do it for me
54. When you're outfit is on point (I wore a pencil skirt and sneakers. It doesn't get more on point than that)
55. When I want more of somehting but don't want to be the first to get seconds, and then someone gets up and gets some and I'm like "Oh GOOD! I can get more now!"
56. Signing my middle name in cursive (it's just so loopy and pretty)
57. WhenI am the first to figure something out
58. Snuggling my stuffed animals against my chest
After finishing my count, I opened it back up to the last page (item 59 on my list), which read, “Realizing something you thought was sad is actually happy.”
One year ago today I had just finished my first year at college. It was a good experience, but it definitely had its rough spots. I had been so eager to come home that I had begun packing in February. Most of my friends had moved out or left on missions. My plans to leave for a mission that summer had been hindered, and I was left elbow-deep in the job hunt with few friends left on campus and no one to room with the coming year.
A few weeks into the job hunt I landed two wonderful jobs at the YMCA play center and Deerfield Dentistry. I also got the chance to teach swim lessons to two adorable girls. It was a busy, fun-filled summer, and by the end of it I was ready to come back to BYU for another year, but I was nervous about rooming with five random people in my first ever apartment.
I got fortunate--my roommates were wonderful, and only two days into the semester I met Rachel Schaer (aka Shan Yue), a girl with dark red hair in a bright red ninja turtles tee-shirt and dark jeans who taught me about noping, Marvel, Death Note, and Taiwan and showed me what it means to be selfless, conscientious, and spontaneous.
One day later I met Katelyn Dalton, the first chair horn player in the university orchestra. She taught me to leave people better than you found them. And that's how she left me.
Second semester brought some changes. I was getting a new roommate. I was nervous, but not so much as the first time. Her name, I learned, was Kenley Spurgeon, and my friend Kenley Blotner was convinced that her name was a good sign. She was right.
In one month I'll be officially leaving Provo, my sister, Rachel, and Kenley, which, when I think about it, is . . . sad. But it's also happy--happy in that I could not have expected nor asked for a better year, and now I have this wonderful year to look back on, and a mission to look forward to.
As Kenley and I had sat on the couches in Sodalicious, sipping our butter beer and lemonade she had asked me, "What would you change from this semester?"
Honestly, I don't think I'd change a thing. It wasn't all perfect. And it wasn't all happy. But looking back on this past year, I've realized that even what I thought was sad has, in the end, contributed to a perfectly happy year. And what a perfect day to end it with!
Candidly,
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Candidly,
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