Hi guys!!
OVERVIEW/SPIRITUAL LIGHTBULB
I am mildly distracted because some person is playing the piano INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFULLY right next door, and time is short, HOWEVER, I will try to fill you in on everything or rather as much as I can really quickly. There are tons of emotions swirling around in my life and my district right now cause today is our last P day and this is our last week. It is crazy, because we literally feel like we just got here yesterday, and at the same time we feel like this big huge mormon missionary family vibe at CCM and that is going to be really hard to leave! However, I am exercising my faith to believe that I wont lose track of these amazing people entirely and that we will be able to see each other again someday! Thankfully most of the girls (all but one!) in my district will be coming to my exact mission soon, so that is pretty great! I am starting off with the heavier more spiritual stuff first because that is what really matters most, and unfortunately the email time left is fairly short because I tried to be better about answering everybody individually. I am trying to find a balance, hopefully I will once I get in the field!! The lesson of this week for me is kind of an extension of what I have been learning, but I think I really have been re learning how to be really open with my feelings. It is something that isnt really normal and it makes you seem kind of weird-- even as a missionary in a group of people that are always supposed to be bearing their testimonies. However, what I have realized is that too often I am not willing to put as much out there as I need to, and that often I have problems being humble enough to realize that God doesnt just need me to sacrifice my time, he needs me to give away my heart. I have been thinking a lot about that scripture in the New Testament that is quoted in the end of Mere Christianity that talks about losing your life for Gods sake and for the sake of others you shall keep it and if you try to keep it you will lose it. The concept is WAY to complicated to explain in an email, and I recommend the reading of that beautiful book and the New Testament (which details the saviors life) to like EVERYONE, however the general idea is that the more selfless you are the more yourself you are and the more enjoyment you find in life and the more selfish you are the less that is true. Sometimes its hard to understand but basically love is not a pie, you dont lose it by sharing it. And sometimes, as someone that has dealt with heartbreak and loneliness and rejection (just like everybody of course), I dont believe how that is really true. But what I have learned is that if you act selflessly, with selfish motivations or selfish thoughts hoping that you will be recognized or something-- you will be dreadfully unhappy. However if you act selflessly THINKING AND BEING MOTIVATED SELFLESSLY AS WELL--- then, and ONLY THEN, will you find true happiness. In other words give things away willingly and you will see miracles happen in your life, and YOUR LIFE WILL BE RICHER FOR IT. This guy came that is over all the international mtcs and he showed all these pictures of missionaries before and after their missions and it ACTUALLY CHANGED MY LIFE. I had not realized that THE EXACT REASON that people come back from their missions so much happier and well rounded and emotionally stable (in general) is because they STOP FOCUSING ON THEMSELVES, and START FOCUSING ON OTHERS. We have been reading chapter 6 in PMG about developing christlike attributes in our personal study and I am trying to stretch myself to become as much like the Savior as HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Ok so now REALLY QUICK the TOP TEN:
1. funniest moment of the week...
ANOTHER GOLDEN MOMENT OF TEACHING IN SPANISH WITH HERMANA BJORK (translated into english for all yall)
Hmn Bjork: Donde es su esposa? (So where is your wife?)
Marcos: no aqui... (not here...)
Hmn Bjork: No aqui on la tierra? (Not on the earth?) (forgive us for being blunt our spanish is terrible so we did not know how to ask that another way)
Hmn Lindsey: Por cuanton años? (For how many years?)
Hmn Bjork whispering in english to hmn lindsey with her hand over her face: We are gonna teach about The plan of salvation now (we had planned to teach lesson number 3...)
Hmn Lindsey: Entonces.... (So...)
Hhahahahha no worries though it worked out. But we "WUNG" that WHOLE LESSON as they say haha :P I guess that means I am ready for the field? hahahah :P
2. beautiful video we found for lesson 1 on personal revelation/the joseph smith first vision that I will attach
3. WE PLAYED FOR DEVOTIONAL IT WAS SO FUN AND THE MISSION PRESIDENT SHOOK MY HAND AND SAID IT WAS AMAZING SO THAT WAS COOL!!!
4. On Sunday in Relief Society, we talked about the GC talk "Loving Others and Living With Differences" which was literally my FAVORITE THING EVER from GC. It really struck me that Dallin H Oaks was the one that gave it too...It is an awesome talk!! I recommend it for SURE!!!
5. We had a Book of Mormon reading activity as a district in which I realized that I really need to have more faith that I can actually bring people to a place of testimony and conversion. It was really eye opening and it has motivated me to get over all my fear of failure and just get straight to the work!!!
6. This is totally out of context but.... Hermana Crumm who is literally the funniest person said this one night this week
"lets tap dance out our feelings in morse code"
just an excerpt of the kinds of moments that make me laugh at the end of a long day!!!
7. We watched an Elder Bednar devotional this week and there was a moment where after explaining how much we need to do to get to a higher level of service he just looked straight out at the audience and said YOU CAN DO THIS. Even though he was not actually there and this was from a long while ago, I felt like he was speaking directly to me and it was SO AMAZING. I almost cried. I CAN DO THIS. It was such a beautiful feeling!!!
8. HAHA ok so my companion is the coolest person in the world. I found out this week that she is a black belt in karate and so she has been teaching crav mi ga (no se the spelling sorry) and it has been amazing. Now we are all going to know how to protect ourselves in the super ghetto parts of california haha :P DONT MESS WITH HERMANA BJORK!!!
9. We get to play investigators, as I think I mentioned before, and this week one of my lessons was the most spirtual thing ever because ACTING AS THE INVESTIGATOR, I felt them pin prick my heart. I always play really difficult investigators, because I think it is more realistic than what most people do but this was the first time that they totally cracked me and touched my spirit as well as the half made up spirit of my investigator. It was such a beautiful experience, and I was actually crying like all over the place hahaha :P
10. OK MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENT OF MY WEEK WAS LAST NIGHT my companion and I went on a huge walk and talked about like everything that we have ever had trouble with ever, and even though we have been close, last night we got even closer. God definitely inspired this companionship. I have learned so much from her, and I love her with all of my heart!!!
Anyways I have got to go, after I attach this video but be good and have an AMAZING week!!! I LOVE YOU ALL TO THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN AND THE HEIGHTS OF THE MOON!!!
xoxo
Hermana Lindsey