FAM!
I lost a few things this week:
1. Some sleep (some of it was stress-induced because I couldn't fall asleep because I was worrying about how to fill our days with meaningful activities and some of it was downstairs-neighbors-partying-at-2AM-induced) :)
2. Some hair (also stress-induced. I seriously think I'm going bald.)
3. Some weight (could be wishful thinking or the cheap $7 scale I bought at Target, but I'll take it!) :)
4. My appetite. I've been in some mental state of denial that the rats I've seen around town live on our street, but we had dinner at a member's who lives one street over and rats were sneaking around the edge of their fence the whole time we were eating in their backyard. *willies* Also, I saw a rat that had been completely mashed at the bus station in Watertown and almost lost my lunch (and the lunches I'd eaten the past few days.) Let's just say the mice problems we've had in Idaho don't seem so bad now... although they still gross me out.
On the other hand, I gained two very important things this week:
2 investigators with a baptismal date!!!
WOOT! On Friday, we invited William to be baptized on the 18th of August and we invited Caty to be baptized on the 24th. And they both accepted! We both felt good about those dates and we were so elated by the end of the day, but now I'm realizing just how much work we have to do! AND SO MUCH RESPONSIBILITY! (I might puke...) The Elders had 3 baptisms this weekend (Caty's parents, Rosa and Jorge and another young man named Josue) and as I listened to the new members share their testimonies, I realized how important it is for the ward to welcome them and take care of them because they are still so YOUNG in the gospel. And then I realized how much responsibility Sister Slater and I have to make sure they are completely ready to be baptized. I understand that they don't have to know everything about the gospel to be ready, but if we don't do everything we can to make sure that they really have a testimony and are really ready, then it's on our heads. (I feel like I may lose more sleep...) Rosa wants to make sure Caty isn't just doing it because her parents are- which I totally agree with- so we'll be doing everything we can to make it clear to her that it is a big decision and that it needs to be her decision.
Speaking of the Rosa and Jorge's baptism, did I mention it was on Saturday and 3 of our 4 investigators were there?! William came to watch, Allison came to play the violin, and of course Caty was there. (And we had visited Ramona that morning.) It kind of feels like juggling boyfriends (not like I have experience with that) and I felt like my hostessing skills came in handy (so it's a good thing we had so many parties at the yellow house in Provo last semester.) :) I was seriously sweating bullets hoping it would go well for everyone. Investigators really do feel like boyfriends in a way because you're completely opening yourself up to love them which also means you're opening yourself up for them to break your heart if they don't accept the gospel in the end. But I think it went well for everyone- I was so happy to see Allison there. I don't know if I mentioned, but she got a little offended by the member at our last meeting and I've been so sad about it. She seemed fine with us at the baptism though, so I'm hoping we can start teaching her some more when the Salazars get back in town. HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I ADORE ALLISON?! She is so quirky and witty and I just love her and want her to have the happiness I have. I'm still so blown away at the insane capacity you have as a missionary to love people you barely know. I'm guessing it's a small taste of what it's like to be a parent to a new child. Kind of amazing. :)
And have I mentioned how much I adore Sister Slater?! She has so much greenie fire and faith and I feel like she's the one leading me half the time. She actually reminds me a lot of Laurana- she's so chill, but so solid. She's just what I needed as a stressed-out trainer. We get along very well and I'm doing all I can to be a good example to her and to serve her and figure out what I can do to help her be the missionary she needs to be. She's from Salem, Utah and is just slightly more naive than me - I think I'm a little more street-smart from my time abroad, but in all honesty, it's still a case of the blind leading the blind. :)
Case in point: 2 funny stories with Sister Slater and drugs. 1. Last week, she found $110 at a bus stop wadded up in some receipts- we both assumed someone had forgotten it, so we left a sticky note with our number on it saying we found the receipts (didn't mention the money in case some random person found it.) It didn't occur to me later that be had potentially interrupted a drug deal or something... Still haven't heard anything. What should be do with the money?! 2. We were walking through Harvard Square and some guy asked her a question (I didn't hear, but I assumed he was asking her for a lighter for a cigarette. It's happened to me before.) and when she turned back to me, she was like, "What's rolling paper?" I actually had no idea, but I think we both figured it out by the time she finished asking me. It made us laugh at the clash of Utah/Idaho cultures with big old Boston.
I have been giggling so hard at all of your emails. YOU ARE THE FUNNIEST FAMILY! On Sunday, Bro. Hartvigsen in our ward talked about eternal families and as he described his family gatherings, I thought of how much fun we all have together playing games, outwitting each other (and Josh always wins), singing around the piano, and getting the giggles until one of the Wheeler women wets their pants. :) Bro. Hartvigsen's talk was so powerful - he talked about the Lord's hand in his life as he and Sis. Hartvigsen struggled with infertility and how his family was there to cry with them and support them in the hard times and rejoice with them when they finally got their baby girl. The Spirit was so strong as he testified of the Lord's timing, of how our faith grows as we rely on Him and the Atonement, and of the sacred role of families in helping us learn and grow and being the ultimate source of happiness here and in eternity. I was crying so hard the whole talk. Actually, I was already crying before he spoke because Sister Stephanie Parker (not my cousin, but funny!) played the most amazing arrangement of "If You Could Hie to Kolob" on the piano. She is insanely talented- toured Russia with her mom this summer and has played at Carnegie Hall with her mom and sister. It's like whatever. Our ward is ridiculous- we seriously never have a bad Sacrament meeting because of the brains and talent that are overflowing here.
Speaking of hysterical family members, STACI AND CALEB ARE ENGAGED?!?! SO EXCITED! But seriously! I'm out of my mind excited about it because 1. they're perfect together and 2. Caleb is hysterical and I can't imagine a family gathering without him. CONGRATS!
Sorry if this email has been all over the place. (It's a good reflection of my brain right now). I love you all so much! I am so grateful to have you as my family. SO grateful.
Love,
Sister Wheeler
P.S. I'm sorry I'm boring/a purist and don't have any digital pics to send like Jord, BUT I'm sending two rolls of film to my lab this week, so you will see the first 3 months of my mission in pictures SOON! :)
P.P.S. Did I mention that being a missionary rocks?!
No comments:
Post a Comment