Momma-dee!
I actually really liked your letter this week, it was funny for some reason! So never think that your emails are boring, I love 'em all!
I got the package you sent me, and I LOVE the skirt! I think I wore a bit of a weird outfit the day I wore it, but I took a picture to send to you. I'll put it on the drive! Thank you so much!!!! P.S. that chapstick smells like a super strong vanilla candle. I walk around thinking that there is a Yankee Candle burning somewhere!
I had a dream last night that Grandpa Dennis moved into our old neighbor Mark's old house. That was crazy. Then it turned out he had just offered to clean it and keep it going until it was sold. It was a very strange dream and idk why I remember it.
Hahaha you two are totally turning into cat people! I'm putting my money on there being a different cat when I get there.
Maddie hit 1 year on her mission this week! I hit 8 months on Wednesday! Where oh where does that time go?!
WOAH THIS WEEK WAS CRAZY!
I pretty much summed up my entire week within my group email, but I definitely have to expand on some things.
P.S. The reason why these are sending so late is because I lost my tablet yesterday (Monday) and I had nothing to write on. Have no fear, I was able to find it again through a huge miracle! Also because of having to go get it last night in another city, I had no way of writing emails until like 9 pm. This might be a little short but I will try!
The week started off with an awesome Zoko. We had some really inspiring training and I just left resolved to step things up a notch! Actually, I think I started on the way there, because I decided when we were on the train with big groups of missionaries traveling there, I sat by other people, because I can talk to the others any other time! I had some really great conversations because of that, and I am definitely going to keep that one up!
That was mostly the theme of our goals, was finding new people. We've been doing great with that this transfer and are hitting all of our goals, but I just felt like I could be doing more. We made finding goals for the week, and really saw miracles because of it! It showed me that if I make a specific goal, and pray for guidance with it, Heavenly Father is going to help us find those people that are searching for the gospel!
Friday was a good experience. After feeling a lot of success throughout the past couple of days and really giving it our all, we were just so emotionally drained. Our morning was horribly slow and we felt no motivation to do weekly planning. I had the idea to just take a 15 minute walk to just get a little more exercise before planning. We ended up taking the Adjusting to Missionary Life Booklet (aka how to deal with all sorts of stress in all sorts of categories) with us. We went to this "park" Sister Decker wanted to explore, and it turns out it was a massive cemetery! Graveyards here are different than America, its more like a forest. They plant everything, and all the graves are little gardens, so you almost don't notice if you don't pay attention!
We ended up spending a little over an hour there. We absolutely needed it. We talked about what we were doing that was wearing us down too much, and how we were to cope/fix them. I came to the conclusion that I needed to adjust my physical wellness. It's been a bit hard in this area with food. We have eating appts, which are good and nice, but they mess with my brain. I end up skipping meals or eating weird small things because I know most members expect us to eat a lot of food. It kinda ruined a part of my relationship with food, and I just don't even really like eating anymore, its just a chore... But I know that isn't good, and we made some awesome goals to help me! We also helped Sis. Decker with things that were hard for her, and to sum it up, we left that cemetery with an extra hop in our step, ready to go! I guess we could say we adjusted our lives among the lifeless??
SUNDAYYYYY was awesome!!! Having Pkay there was so nice, and we think he really enjoyed himself even though he was reeeeally skeptical. I was so determined to get him there even if I had to carry him on my back (okay that's a bit dramatic, the dude is HUGE) but I was so happy that we found him a ride! And I think Joseph was really excited to have another African man in the ward with him! He took him under his wing, and by the end they had a little English speaking friend group all hanging out after Priesthood session! Even Pkay was making jokes that he hoped someday he'd wear a suit and tie every Sunday! Ahhhh I'm just so excited for him, I hope that he can progress well! The best part really was Sunday school class with the investigators. Yes, Sister Decker and I study every day how we can better teach these people and improve and improve, but that doesn't override someone who can completely relate to an investigator. I didn't even know this, but there are a TON of churches in Kenya, and there is a lot of part truth, and a lot of people just trying to make money. Joseph taught Pkay why there were so many churches, and basically the whole great apostasy. Then he gave the most beautiful, sincere testimony about Joseph Smith restoring Christ's full gospel in the latter-days. Pkay said it was touching, and I just wanted to hug the dude straight to his soul!! I loved hearing Joseph bear his testimony, because it shows his progress, and how the Spirit really does teach someone. We never told him what to believe. We just gave the information, bore our own testimonies and read scriptures. That's all we can do in a lesson, and the Spirit does the converting! I'm more than excited for Joseph to be baptized on Sunday, he's so ready! I'm so grateful I got the chance to teach him the first time to the last time before he's baptized, that's a really special experience to be there the whole way.
The last big thing was losing and finding my tablet... I'm going to attempt to tell the whole story, and that's going to involve you realizing how imperfect and human I am (but that's okay, because I think that's pretty obvious!) So yeah, I left my bag on the bus. I realized it as we pulled into Elmshorn on another bus. I freaked out and got information from the bus driver, but ultimately I had no choice but to just wait it out and hope someone didn't steal it. I was upset with myself, I even kicked a puddle... I didn't really feel like talking because I didn't want to complain, but D ended up taking it personally. We got home and had a disagreement and I just went in the other room because it was just too much at a time. I kept thinking that God wouldn't care to help me find such a worldly thing, and he wouldn't help me find it. I didn't pray for a long time, I just thought. Then, I had a little flashback to when I was young. I remembered you telling me that I always found everything when I prayed and asked Heavenly Father. Young me replied, "Yeah, because I prayed!" I remember you teaching me that very valuable lesson that God cares about me, and righteous things that matter to me, matter to Him. I knew the lesson as an adult, but did I believe it? I'm grateful that the Spirit softened my heart, and I fell to my knees in prayer. I felt that I took a real leap of faith for me, even though to most it probably seems tiny. I asked Him to help me find it, and that it really mattered to me. I read my scriptures after that, and found them speaking to me. Somewhere in 2 Ne. 2, Nephi tells us that there is one person who knows and controls everything. We need to trust in Him. Then in 2 Ne. 4, I found the confirmation of what had happened earlier, in that God gives freely to them who just simply ask. I knew that I just needed to trust Him, and hope that I would find it. Hours later, after I called the company countless times, the guy said to call back in 5 minutes because he was just going to go check the bus himself because it was already back at the station. I sunk a bit, because I sat right next to the door, it would have been impossible for someone to have missed that bag. I called back, and sure enough, he found it in the corner! I could barely believe it, but at the same time, I just knew that God had taken care of me, and answered my small prayer.
I know that God cares about His children, and that I matter to Him! I'm not in Young Women anymore, but how grateful I am for all of those years that I learned that I am a daughter of God, who loves me and I love Him.
I love you mom! I love you a million valuable lessons that you taught me as a kid. You really have the most extraordinary job a daughter of God can have.
Alles Liebe,
Sister Macey Ingalls
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