I'm typing this email up from Montgomery, Texas!!! I love it here. The people are great, the place is great, the food is great my companions are fabulous. Yes, that's right, companionS. Sister Kyles is my trainer and she is training two newbies at once- Sister Elliott and I!! She's doing a wonderful job, even though she was nervous at first.
Here's a brief overview of what the past week and a half has been like.
Saturday, July 13, 2013:
Irmao Paulich did a really cool thing with our District, since it was the last official class we would all be together for. He had us each come up and sit in a chair in the middle, and then we went around the room saying nice things about that person. Then the person in the middle said what they learned while at the CTM. It was a truly wonderful and spiritual experience, and it made us even closer than we already were. Man, I miss those missionaries!
Sunday, July 14, 2013:
We sang Nearer My God to Thee (my District) as the special musical number in sacrament meeting. I looked up and one of the new elders had tears streaming down his face. The Spirit was so strong. Elder Ross in a different district accompanied us. He's not quite as amazing as Elder Sears at piano, but he made up a pretty good arrangement.
After our devotional, we all went back to the classroom because the sisters all wanted Priesthood blessings before we left for the field. We wrote everyone's down. It was such a spiritual experience. When I was getting my blessing, I felt like I literally had a wall of power around me as the elders surrounded me and put their hands on my head. That circle was a conduit to heaven. I received a blessing from God through the power of the holy Priesthood and the inspiration of the Spirit. It was exactly what I needed. There was such a powerful Spirit in the room as, one by one, each person in my district asked for and received a blessing. I'm so thankful for my district. It was such an amazing experience, and I'm so glad to know all of those worthy young men. It was one of the most spiritual moments of my life.
Monday, July 15, 2013:
Sister Goimarac left me :( At about three in the morning, we walked Sisters Goimarac and Jacobsen down to the travel office. We said goodbyes and the it was just Sister Paravan and me as companions for the day. Sister Goimarac left the sweetest card for me in my journal. That day, our district was cut in half. It was bittersweet. It was fun to get to bond with everyone else a little more, but we were definitely missing all those who already left. We had one last prayer with what was left of our district outside and that was it. I can't wait until I meet up with those people again.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013:
I dropped of Sister Paravan at about 4 in the morning. It was weird being the only person in my room. I hung out with Irmao Durf-Durf's new district for the day. I didn't really like being one of the last ones to leave. Only Elder Underwood and I were left, and it was kind of a sad day of waiting. Still, I learned so much and I'm glad I was able to go to another amazing Tuesday night devotional! Sister Kropf (sp???) our Sister Training Leader slept in my room that night so she could help me leave at three in the morning. What a sweetheart!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013:
I LEFT FOR HOUSTON! Haha, it was so fun. There were so many missionaries leaving! I got there, got my ticket and turned in my key and then pulled my luggage over to a huge Uhaul type truck. They had two of those for luggage, and then to transport the missionaries they had two charter busses. We got to the airport and to our gate without any incident. I was able to talk to my family at the gate as well!! It was so amazing to hear everyone's voices and to see how they were doing. Mom, I'm sorry it cut you off before you could say bye :( I would have called right back but there were a few elders waiting and I wanted them to have a turn. I hope you understand.
I met my Mission President, who also happens to be President Pingree- the father of Mary Pingree, who was in my BYU ward and is currently on her mission in Washington!! Crazy, huh? I feel like he really cares about me as an individual, and he told me that he doesn't think of me as a visa waiter but as one of his own, and permanent. That made me feel very needed and wanted. I stayed at their home that first night with some other sisters. Their kids are just so adorable and awesome!! To quote the musical Annie "I think I'm gonna like it here!"
Okay, so its been crazy busy ever since I reported to my area. I'll try to remember everything!!
Thursday, I met my companion. President Pingree had everyone meet in the chapel and called us up to the front one by one to meet our companions. My companion is Sister Kyles! Sister Elliot is too, but we didn't know that at the time. For some reason the papers President Pingree got had her down as an Hermana, which is cool but she doesn't know Spanish. So she told him and she was put with us. I'm so glad she's with us because she is simply amazing!! Thursday is also when the first miracle happened. So, my trainer and her companion drove two other sisters to transfers. So after transfers, we had to give 5 sisters a ride home, 3 with suitcases- two of us had 2 suitcases and 1 carry on and one of us had 1 of each. Somehow we fit it all in the car. AND made it home safely.
Friday we felt that we should go knock on the door of the Hartnetts, a less active older couple. We had such a good time speaking with them, shared a message with them and committed them to come to church Sunday! Unfortunately, they were not able to make it to church. We are going to stop by their house either today or tomorrow to check up on them. Also, we felt that we should go knocking on doors in a member's neighborhood. We were invited in, finally, by a woman named Lisa. We talked to her about God's love. Her main thing is "If God loves us so much, how come so many bad things happen to the good people? If he loves us, why hasn't he answered my prayers?" She was very upset at points. Not at us, but just with things that have happened in her life. I felt so bad for her and was praying in my heart about what I should do when I felt I should say something and found myself asking "Could we leave a blessing on your home? Is that okay?" And she seemed so relieved and said yes, and told her son to come over while we prayed. We left a blessing on her home and she (and her son) definitely felt the Spirit. She asked for hugs and told us we could come back. She also has severe medical issues, and is going through a divorce so her husband took her car and she has no way to get to the doctor. We told her we would find her a ride and she was so grateful. She's a miracle, and a greater miracle waiting to happen.
We had a non member family at church with us yesterday! Jamie, Richard and Jacob. Jacob is Jamie's son, and Richard is Jamie's boyfriend who lives with her. They are such sweet people and really liked church. I asked Jamie what she thought of sacrament and she said, "It was different, but it felt very familiar." I wanted to leap for joy!!!! They had a great time, and Jacob made a few friends with some of the boys in the ward.
All in all, I absolutely love it here and will keep you updated.
Gotta go!!
Love,
Sister Shell :)
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