Sep 9, 2013
Oi minha querida familia e amigos!
Let me just tell
you... Heavenly Father is certainly pushing me forward. I realize now
that I don't think I've ever actually had to do super hard things. There
have been tough situations and I guess challenges in my life, but I
guess it's just never been those things that stretch me so thin and push
me right to the edge, but now, He's urging me
"it's about time you learn something, Sister Yoshimoto!" Man... I
thought the first week out here was tough. This week has been so
much tougher. I think this might have been what it was like for Sister
Jensen-Coon when I first became her companion, cause She had to take the
lead of the area AND as the trainer of a new missionary. I don't know, It's
just been super stressful and overwhelming at times because I had just
gotten in sync with Sister Jensen-Coon and was starting to get to know
the members and the investigators and now all of a sudden everything is
changed and I'm thrown into a new situation.
New companion, new
responsibilities. It's been so hard because I feel like I need to plan
and lead everything, yet I'm not supposed to. My companion is still the senior
companion but she doesn't know the area or the people or anything so it's
like this weird situation. Especially since I still don't really know a
lot of the people yet either.
The hardest part for me though, is that I don't think my new companion likes
this area very much and that is so hard because it's suuuuch an amazing
area, but she doesn't have that love for it or that desire to love it and
so it's so hard to get her to get going. This
has been the hardest challenge because when I first got to this area,
homesickness and the ssloooow long days all that were so hard to
overcome, but the only thing that fixed it was working hard. getting
things done. always being on the go and always keeping my mind on the
work, on the people, on the spirit. The weeks FLEW by and it was fun,
fulfilling work. But now, it's so hard again. The people
we need to see stop progressing, and it seriously is so hard to keep going, but I love the people and this area so much. Sorry it sounds so depressing haha! but it has been a
touuuugh week!
The hardest part is learning how to rely on the Lord and not
on my own abilities, because they only go so far ... and not that far, either
haha. so ... It's definitely something I'm working on this transfer. as well
as patience and love for my companion. Patience........ is...... a... virtue...... that
Heavenly Father reeealllyyyy wants me to have.
SOOO anyway, that's my vent rant for the week. Sorry its so
depressing sounding. I'm really doing alright though! Fasting and
praying a looooot!!!
However, This week has been slow in
lessons cause a ton of people are out of town and the investigators
we've been seeing are all hitting walls. Helen got a blessing and said
she didnt feel anything. She was expecting to feel healed. or less
pain. but we try to explain sometimes she just needs to pray for comfort
or strength to got hrough these afflictions. It's hard cause she can't
read the Book of Mormon and she can't listen to it either cause she can
hardly hear and she said the pain makes it too hard to concentrate on
what she hears. So we're gonna try to play it super loud and read with
her. She hasn't made it to church yet. She breaks my heart because that
day she was crying and saying she wants to get baptized as soon as
possible because she was thinking about it all day and we were prompted
to show up and she took it as her answer... she now dismisses it as
hysteria that day and says she doesn't know what she was saying.
There have been other blocks with the other investigators too.
and I think just all of this being thrown at me at once has been
overwhelming but I made it through one week! VISA says its still being
worked on. I know I'm being prepared for something big haha. But in the
mean time, I LOVE this area and these people and want to be able to help
EVERYone here.
It's been a long week but tomorrow we have a mission meeting
with Elder Neil L. Andersen from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and
hopefully I'll receive some spiritual boost and revelation for my area.
I'm excited!!!! I'll let you know next week what happens!!
Well, my love to everyone!! Sorry it's a short email. I can't get
any thoughts straight, my mind is constantly racing nowadays. haha. I
didn't even get to write a list of what I wanted to write to you about! Well, tomorrow will be a big day and I'll have tons to write anbout next
week!
Quick spiritual thought: There was an amazing talk given
yesterday about Peter and how Jesus asked him to cast aside his net and
follow Him. He talked about how we can cast aside our nets and follow
him. how it will be hard--that net was Peter's whole livelihood, the
norm and the familiar to him--but it was worth it. Sometimes, for us, that
net is our pride, or our desire to be like everyone else, or our fear of
standing alone. If we cast that net aside and folllow Christ,
eventually it will all work for our benefit and our reward will be more
than the sacrifice.
Find your net and cast it aside.
Love you SO MUCH!!!!
Amo Voces muito!!!!
-Sister Yoshimoto <3
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