It was a very crazy week, mom! I was so, so tired yesterday, I barely survived to the end of the night haha! We got transfer calls and Sister Hansen and I are staying together for another transfer! Woo hoo!! I’m so pumped, I love her, we work well and hard, and I definitely don’t know the area well enough to take over in just 4 weeks! It just worked out that way with the year that sometimes we have weird week transfers. Like this one was 4, and now this next one is 7! Those always feel a bit long, but we are really excited and going to make some good progress with the area in that amount of time. I just know we are going to have a baptism. So many of our investigators are ready, they just need to commit.
Okay, didn’t you meet Elder L. Tom Perry when he came to our stake a few years ago? [Yes, I did meet him! – MOM] I remember getting to meet him! I really met Elder Rasband this time! It was a really good experience, and I felt the love he sent us from President Nelson. He was very sure to say that President Nelson wanted us to know that he sends his love, and to say, "thank you". I really love how kind and compassionate they are!
Good to know that you got my voice message! Sometimes I don’t know if it will go through. Yeah, that has actually changed my mission. [Advice given from the Mission President that she doesn’t have to be perfectly fine and happy all the time if she’s not. She is a very happy person, in general, though! – MOM] When I’m with sisters especially, they’ve commented a lot on how honest I am and easy to talk to and that they really trust me. I don’t feel like I’m anything special at all, but I do feel that being real and down to earth doesn’t make the sisters feel like they are being judged or that they need to be perfectly fine all the time. I’ve found a lot of sisters just need someone to talk out their situation sometimes! I make sure to always try to pray for the discernment to know what questions to ask and how I can help them. I really love being an STL. It’s a lot of work, but I just love these sisters with my whole heart. They willingly chose to do these hard things and serve, and they are trying their best and it’s just amazing. I have found that I really dislike disobedience. I was not always the most perfect missionary, but over time and especially now, I really try to be 100% obedient and I completely see the blessings in it, and actually how much fun you can have within them! Like, then you don’t worry about feeling guilty or getting in trouble, it’s just good light-hearted fun! I’m trying to help my sisters see that too. We did a training this transfer on modesty and clothing standards, and I learned a lot from it! I introduced it as being ambassadors of the Lord, as the website says, and how powerful our appearance is to others. I just know that they can see something different in us, especially when we are professionally put together!
I actually went shopping today! Yes, me, Sister Ingalls willing spent hours looking for deals and cute modest clothes! After a millennium and a half, I found a cute skirt for $12 and a cute shirt, also $12! I was pretty proud of the purchases, I’ll make sure to get caught in a picture in them this week! I know, you are probably laying on the ground in shock right now. Don't worry, it’s just as painful now as it was then, I guess my whining just tends to stay on the inside now ;)
Love the April calendar! Dang I went to a lot of proms haha. Are you still driving the 300c? What do you think that I should do when I get back? Should I just try going without a car? I like not having to drive now, but I guess I’m in Europe! I do love biking too! Oh oh, I’ll get a scooter!!
THOSE SNOW PICTURES ARE CRAZY!!!! This winter was a pretty heavy one! I feel like the only one I’m not there for, what is this?! Oh, I love a good winter wonderland, but I can’t help but think of those poor missionaries. Actually, they are probably stuck at home and get to enjoy some District video and good reading. Probably living it up all snuggled up in blankets! It is cold outside? It reminds me of the Little House on the Prairie book where they get an April snow storm! You have no idea how much I get that out here. Whenever I meet a new German, they are like, "Ahhhh, Unser kleine Farm?!" aka Little House. Oh, my goodness it’s funny but after like 50275 times, yeah I expect it before they even ask. I’m pretty much famous, though.
I feel you on the scripture habit thing. Of course, I read my scriptures every morning, but lately I felt like I wasn’t getting much out of it. I decided to finally change something. I think the key to getting back to scripture reading is having a reason. WHY are you studying? Are you reading just to check it off for the day, or are you trying to learn something? Those two will yield very different spiritual results. I would really encourage you to read the Book of Mormon with a question or something specifically you are looking for. For example, "Where can I find peace?" or "How can I find strength in Jesus Christ?" or "How do I continue to build my home even though my kids are out of the house?" Totally ask God! Read it for Conner, read it for Sara and Jeff, read it to answer your innermost questions! Mom, I promise you that you’ll find answers in it! It shocks me all the time when I read something that just answers my questions perfectly. I know that when we show God we are searching for those answers, he will give them to us through the spirit. Plus, the scriptures can be totally cool! I love the war chapters, of course they are spiritual, but they are dang funny too! (Like serious, it’s like a romcom!) I like how you said that God wants to communicate with us, but it’s like waiting for a text with your phone turned off, we gotta open our communication! Love it! Love you!
That was really cool to hear your voice on the video with the cat, that was cute and made my day :)
To answer your answer to my question, I just feel like the time is whipping right past me and I’m not even getting a chance to do everything I want to! It’s exciting to think about seeing my family again, but I don’t want anything to distract me and I have quite a while to focus still! Can you believe I’m now starting my 8th transfer, and only have 4 more left after this next one..?!
Hahah you pronounce Neukölln "Noii - koulln". Oi is like an "ahoi matey!" sound, you get what I mean? Haha I’m sure you are doing it right. Then again, Sister Rasband tried to greet us in German and it was so funny. It’s amazing how much my pronunciation has developed that I think Americans sound super silly pronouncing German things. I still can’t do the German “r” roll though.. sigh... Some dreams are just outta reach.
Thanks for telling me about Dallin. I’ll be sure to send him something. I hope all of the stress passes after graduation! I can already think of something to share with him, inspiration hopefully!
All of the meetings this week were really good, I loved getting so uplifted! It was a little scary to give my first workshop at a zone conference! Plus, that day, I was really not feeling good and had a super bad headache, and President sat in on our workshop the first hour!! It was nerve wracking, but we pulled through! We taught about wagenburgs and surrounding our investigators with good influences to counter the bad things that seem to try to take them away. We did an object lesson where the wagenburg protected the investigator and the adversaries got to throw paper balls at them! It was pretty funny, and I think it overall went really well!
I had some embarrassing moments this week but it’s all good, they made really good memories!! hahah my feet were SOAKED for hours after spilling that water whoops.
Have so, so much fun in Utah this next week! Hopefully it’s all sunshiney and you can have a good time with the boys! I love them so much, give them all great big hugs for me. Do you have anything specific planned? You’ll have to tell me all about it next week! Send videos of you and the boys, I love those! Or a voice recording! You just do it on the notes app and send in through email! :D
Oh, I wanted to ask you and Dad one more thing: I want your advice on what I should pursue in studying in the future. Sister Hansen did this and got really good feedback. As of now, I’m a finance student. I liked dietetics, but I guess I just gave up after a class that wasn’t my favorite. So what President F counsels is that we ask our family what our strengths are. Could you and Dad do that separately this week and send me a list of my strengths next week? Then we use those and see how that could be a force for good in my university studies and on into the future! Maybe you could even get some ideas from grandma and grandpa and the other family on what I would be good at? I guess that’s a bit of a project, but it’d be so helpful!
I love you a million conferences with Elder Rasband!
Love, Sister Macey Ingalls
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