I’ve heard that it’s been unusually cold, but that sounds about normal! Maybe I’m just going off of the temperature at 6 am when I'd be driving to seminary! Haha that was COLD! Strangely I miss it anyway. Seminary was a really great experience. I just really don’t think that you need to worry, you are totally going to have family living in Minnesota. I mean I might not end up there right after school or for a few years, but I definitely will end up there in the end! How else would I be able to have girl’s night every Sunday? I ain’t skyping in!
Okay yes, I saw that Dallin and Emily went to Vegas! That’s so cool, I'm happy for them. That’s a long way for only 3 days, nah?
UHHHHHHH I am actually jealous of your online shopping trip. I’m going to say the unthinkable... I miss shopping. Like we will walk through H&M and a couple other stores on pday, but it just isn’t the same. It has been really fun though, and I think I might be a changed daughter when I come back! I totally sign up to be a Barbie all over again! :) Those boots are ADORABLE, I’m totally trying not to be jealous! I’m just saying, you could order those for me online and send them to my home address here ;) oh p.s. about the dress, it’s still pretty big and a belt and cardigan look kind of funny together, so I'll wait until spring oops I have the wioorrssst diosiiruuruuyyctrtb inbthe worldrtrt (our district is traveling to Kiel right now for zone pday and I’m writing on a train so yes they are messing with me as I’m typing this).
hi this is elder cowley right now chiming in to wish you a good day. um right now we are on the train up to kiel . i stole sister ingalls keyboard. elder watts exclaims he loves pig lard and he hates food. but thats not very nice of him. um im not sure what else to write about so i will give back this keyboard in a second. but first i want to say elder watts is a very nice guy in real life so forgive me for saying mean things about him. well this is elder cowley signing out till next time enjoy reading more about whatever sister ingalls was writing about.
Yes. That was Elder Cowley.
Okay anyway! It kind of sounds that you need a kitty of your own! You know that hypoallergenic ones are available, right? But please, please, please don’t get the creepy bald cats. Eek. Those are disturbing. I wouldn’t mind a cute little friend roaming around the house. How does Dad feel about the cat? I know he was always a cat guy, but he doesn’t say much about it!
That was a really sweet story you shared with me, thank you for being so honest and open about that, I just love that about you! You already know I think you're amazing :) I think I may relate to you well. It seems ironic because my patriarchal blessing tells me that I have the talent for teaching. I'm really trying to work on my teaching skills right now though, because I just don't think I'm the best I can and should be (yes, I know I’m hard on myself, but I want to get better!) I've tried picking up things I like about my companions teaching styles, and making my own. I totally agree, preparing a lesson can be difficult, especially if you feel like there are a certain amount of points and things and ideas that the children need to understand. I've found that by preparing myself with the Spirit, no matter where the Spirit leads the lesson (even completely off topic!) my goal is just to help these people feel. It’s that feeling they get that leads them to change. That’s what helps them be sincere and in the end, learn way more than I ever could have just told them. I'll take Joseph for example. This week, the scriptures he read throughout the week focused on the Holy Ghost. The lesson we had on Saturday was about receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. He led the entire lesson from what he learned from his reading! All we really did was ask him questions to get him to think. So, in a very long winded crazy way, I think you are doing a phenomenal job and Heavenly Father thinks so as well. Just because you don't get through the whole lesson sometimes doesn’t mean anything negative at all. In fact, I think that’s a pat on the back kind of moment, because you followed the spirit and taught people, not lessons! I know it can be hard, but you are definitely called for a reason. It sounds like there are 3 little children who are watching your example of how you treat the 4th with love and patience, and they will in turn do that as well! What a wonderful mommy I have!!:)
As for sitting alone in church, I just want to give you the biggest hug and snuggle up to you in church like I used to do! Sitting like a responsible grown up isn't as fun, but it’s okay because I’m learning more and helping people learn more right now. But don’t worry, the time will come when you get all your hair ripped out and can’t feel your arm because a 20 year old girl just can’t sit by herself next to you haha. And also she will probably be sucking up for mints and after-sacrament treats :D
This week was yet again a wonderful experience. We worked hard, and we enjoyed it! No lie, I have been running on fumes for the last 2 weeks. I was crazy stressed a while ago because there was just so much to do, and we needed to do things that were most important, and I just don’t think that I recovered from that. Sister D. did a routine call with the mission mental health advisor on Friday (she does this every week since like December when it was really bad, but she is doing so good now and our relationship is really growing because of it as well! I just LOVE her!) But anyway, without being prompted, he read her a scripture about not doing more than we can handle. He says that we need to take mental breaks and go on a walk or play the piano or just sit still every once in a while or else we will completely burn out. Well, we needed this advice! He gave us the task to plan "fun" into our week, and make sure we do it. Well, we haven’t done it yet, but I took a bath! Haha it was the most relaxing 14 minutes of my LIFE! (you know how I am with baths, I only stay in max of 20 minutes I don’t like pruney toes yuck) That was seriously the most relaxed that I’ve been in who knows how long, I had completely forgot the feeling. I couldn’t do anything but just lay on the floor for the last little while before I went to bed, it was AWESOME! But I’m agreeing now, it’s good to take a moment to recharge and be more effective throughout the rest of the day rather than just pushing through on fumes.
We had some beautiful teaching experiences this week. We met up with a new lady named Filiz on Tuesday. She is somewhat interested but a referral from a member! It’s so cool, in the last 10 or so investigators that we've gotten, at least 6 (or 7?) are referrals from members or related to members! They are so important for the work, and I’m so glad that we have taken the time to get to know them and gain their trust. I just love them so much! But anyway, long story short, because of this lady, we are putting together a musical night on Feb. 17th, its official! Our district leader studies piano and is super talented, and we have a few more we are going to rope in and we are going to put on a musical night at the church building in Elmshorn! If it goes really well, we might do more, but for now, we need to go to work with this project! It is going to be so good, and such a good opportunity for members to introduce friends to the church through music, and a good way for our investigators to feel the spirit! Music is the BEST! I actually might even try to sing, isn’t that crazy?!
This is random, but I’ve had dreams the past couple of nights about going home. Its seriously the worst! Every time I am on a train and on the phone with you, and you’re so excited but I’m just like "ah there’s no way I’m done! I haven’t learned enough! This can’t possibly be over no!!" and I just wake up with the weirdest feeling. Maybe that’s my inner me telling me I have a lot left to learn, and its right I do! I’ve been taught that I learn and become the most by just losing myself in the work, and that is what I’m trying to do. I think I’ve come a long way, but I’m sure glad I have a long way to go. I read a conference talk a couple days ago given by President Jeffery R. Holland. It’s the one where he showed the picture of the dinosaur chasing the children, I think April 2015 idk. But he said that Heavenly Father knows our desires. That means that even the desire to do good and be good, he will bless us. I have no doubt that more blessings come from perfect obedience and becoming better and better, but I think that our desires to do good will be rewarded. For example, one-day last week I just woke up with NO motivation. We had a long day ahead of us and I felt tired before I even woke up. I did a half-hearted morning exercise and trudged through the morning. We were both tired, and it wasn’t too motivating! I decided to just keep this prayer in my heart telling Heavenly Father I want to be a good strong obedient sister missionary, and I want to just be on His errand. It ended up being one of the best days of the week! We had to travel far to this new Arabic families house, and we missed a bus halfway and contacted in the area. We met some amazing people, yeah, not all interested in the gospel, but it just lifted me up so much to talk with them and meet them. I love new people!
Okay this is getting crazy long, I'll split some of the info into Dad’s email :)
Excerpt from Dad's email:
Oh, I just thought of a really cool thing that happened this
week. We were biking up to the church early Tuesday morning for a Facebook lesson,
and I was just so tired. I tend to pray when we are biking and just kind of
talk to God. About half way, I started thinking about a contact that we had
made a couple of weeks ago named Maha. She’s 13 years old and she has the most
beautiful family. Her family ran from Iraq to escape the war a couple of years
ago, and they are just the most loving accepting people I’ve ever met. Their
culture is something of just making all guests and everyone they meet feel
loved and welcomed. Arabic people, in general, will pretty much always let you
inside even just to chat! But anyway, I was praying and thought about her and
prayed "Heavenly Father, I really want to see Maha again." Not even
30 seconds later, 3 people walking on the side of the street started waving at
us like crazy. It was MAHA and her family!! It was the biggest miracle, and it
made my entire day! She invited us over later that night and we totally moved
things around, so we could do it. Sis Decker always says she can see Maha's
family in white at the temple. I’ll keep you updated on them :)
I had another amazing experience with Arabic this week. We
taught our investigator family that lives out in boonies this past Thursday.
Hazem, the boy about our age asked us the question "Wie kann ich Christ
werden?" or how can I become Christian. The obvious answer is the doctrine
of Christ, and that’s what we planned to teach their family. After about an
hour lesson, we really only got real understanding in Faith in Jesus Christ.
They honestly didn’t even know who Jesus Christ is! They have heard of him, but
unlike me, they weren’t taught from the time they were babies that they had a
Savior who will bring them back into the presence of the Father. At one point,
the spirit moved me to show them the video "Thank Him" (I think that
should be it? Its Dank Ihm in German) I felt the Spirit SO strongly as I showed
this video, I was shaking and just about to tears! Why? I realized that I was
doing exactly what I came out here to do- to teach people about Christ. What a
glorious joyous message that is! We have a SAVIOR! We don’t need to be worried
standing in front of God at the last day if we try our best, we have a SAVIOR!
Don't you just want to shout that from the rooftops, because I sure do!!! Oh, I
love him. I felt this unimaginable love for these people who are trying so hard
to learn the gospel through a second language and a 9-year-old translator (she’s
adorable too, she’s the one I said in my group email said her first prayer!). I
want to learn Arabic. I want to teach these people about Jesus Christ in their
own language, and I'm ready to start going with it! My German isn’t perfect,
but I’m going to give my all to learn Arabic beginning next transfer. That
would mean I’m the only sister starting Arabic (unless someone else would join,
that would be good), but I really feel it’s right. With the time I have left on
my mission, I'll probably only learn gospel Arabic and a couple other phrases,
but if that is something I can do to help more people learn about Christ, I'm
going to do it! Ahhh I just have a smile on my face as I’m typing this, I hope
with all my heart I can do this!I love you a million zone pday activities! (It was fun to be with the zone and play funny team building games with them today!)
Love, Sister Macey Ingalls
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