Here is a timeline of what exactly happened last weekend:
Friday: One of our sister missionaries decided to go home (good thing).
A missionary from our apartment building is told (by President Bennion) that she would join Sister
Stenquist and me. We would be a trio until the end of the transfer
(which is July 7) and we would combine areas. (Kennesaw ward + big
shanty YSA branch)
Sunday: The Missionary from our apartment building is again told that she would join me and sister Stenquist.
Monday at 12: President Bennion calls asking for Sister Stenquist. He
tells her that he is having an emergency transfer: she is moving. And
she needed to be there by 9 pm.
We also needed to drop off the missionary that is going home at the mission home so she
could go home. So we did that and said goodbye.
That night, Sister Stenquist switched places with Sister Patterson.
Sister Patterson is the third companion in our tripanionship (so it's
me, Sister Hanks (from the building), and Sister Patterson)
On July 7: Sister Hanks will be transferred somewhere else; Sister
Patterson will get a new companion and take over the Kennesaw ward; I
will get a new companion/train or and take over Big Shanty.
Although I really have no idea what's going to happen on July 7
because President Bennion could change his
mind at any time.
But currently, here's our status:
Sister Hanks: my trainer #2/ senior companion to sis. Patterson/
junior companion to me
Sister Patterson: junior companion to sis hanks (because she'll take
over her area) but also, my trainer #3
Me: baby (aka this is my first transfer) and senior companion to sis
hanks and sis Patterson in big shanty.
All of this blew my mind all last week
The first few days were really hard. I'm not going to lie. It was so
weird being the one staying, when I've always been the one who moves
away. IT WAS AWFUL!!! I miss Sister Stenquist so much! It was so sad.
We got to see her today though because they did a "Sister's Pday"
which is where all the sisters in the zone get together and just hang
out. Today was called "Princess picnic Pday!" and we were asked to
make "bite sized pb&j". Haha us,
the one companionship that doesn't eat bread.
So that was us last night. Thankfully we volunteer at a food panty
(did I ever tell you that it's actually called the Joe Smith memorial
food pantry? It's named after the first pastor at the church the food
pantry is at. Cool though, huh?)
And so we were able to get free pb&j and bread.
So we don't eat bread. Also, we have a no sugar competition going on
with our "gluten free" elders. It's by team: elders vs. sisters. 1 pt
for every dessert your team turns down and 5 pts for every day
everyone on your team doesn't eat dessert. It's been great!
Since all the changes, I've missed my running buddy! It's ok
though, because I workout while I wait while everyone else gets
dressed. We do go on a 5 minute jog. Which I'm happy to do because I
remember when that was all I could handle too.
Anyways, back to the sister's Pday. I got to see sister Stenquist! It
was so much fun! And her trainer was there too! We took a 3 generation
photo, which I'll send from my camera.
So here was my week in recap:
Monday: chaos
Tuesday: it just felt like Sister Stenquist had died. I had to
constantly remind myself that she was 30 min away. I was thinking
though that maybe Heavenly Father did it this way to help us
sympathize more with the sisters who were close to sister Barnard and
Sis Beckstrom. Sis Stenquist's new companion actually came out with
Sis Beckstrom and was trained by Sis Barnard.
We had the elders move our furniture around because we had to fit in
another bed and desk. That helped A LOT! Because everything was
reminding me of sis Stenquist.
Wednesday: we got to work! We had our first lesson together and it was
great! Sister Patterson is so spiritual and smart! I swear she knows
everything. She's awesome! And she's so kind and loving! I feel so
lucky that she'll get to stay!
Thursday: work! I love work. It's the best therapy.
We met a lady from the ward. She is a devoted member, but her husband is
another religion. He's had all the lessons, and he knows the Book of
Mormon is true, but he doesn't fully understand the restoration
because he doesn't understand why he should be baptized again.
He talks to his mom all the time, and they even
called his mother in law who said "I've been baptized 8 times! It's
just a little dunking! Just do it!" Haha he still doesn't understand.
Friday: district meeting! The zone leaders randomly came... We are officially
the only district with more Spanish
missionaries than English! But they were able to bring me an English
name tag! It will just be nice so I don't have to explain to
everyone why my name tag is in Spanish... Though I do like it for
contacting and when we are working... Especially because I can explain
that God's message is for everyone and that we are actually a worldwide
church. (A lot of people have just thought it was a western thing). I
will probably just wear my English one to meetings or when we meet
with members.
Saturday: we volunteered at the food pantry again! I love it. It
reminds me so much of San Antonio! There are these two women who
volunteer with us that remind me of May Essex and
Kathleen Arias. One of them sang this little jingle "you got to pray,
pray, just to make it through your day" and then one of her kids left
a piece of trash on the ground so she said to him, "this is Jesus'
house! Do you think Jesus wants a messy house?! Pick it up!". It was
great.
We also had a miracle that day! We were having our first lesson
with this kid from the Ivory Coast, and we invited a ward member, who is also
from Africa. Well he got lost, but while lost, he ran into this kid,
made friends with him, and brought him to our lesson! A new
investigator for big shanty! The lesson went great! The nice thing
about YSA is that there are minimal distractions for lessons. We met
in the club house, so there's no kids, no dogs- it's the perfect
environment for the spirit to teach! Silence is golden on missions.
Sunday was a little chaotic again because we had to juggle attending
both the Kennesaw Ward and Big Shanty. Sis Hanks went on splits to go
to the Kennesaw ward because the ward mission leader never found a
replacement for gospel doctrine, and Sis Patterson and I went to big
shanty. Which isn't ideal because Sis Patterson really should be
spending time with the Kennesaw Ward, but it's all good! I had to play
the piano for sacrament meeting yesterday. Then I was asked to speak
on the 12th for our "come and see" church meeting!
After church we had dinner at a member's home. They are this cute
elderly couple. They're in their 70s. They live in the cutest ranch
style home! It literally felt like stepping back in time. Especially
when they fed us pork and beans, and then had us go pick vegetables
out of their garden! Haha
I still love being a missionary! It's been crazy, because at dinner on
Friday, Sister Hanks and I found an Ensign, and we immediately opened
it up to an article titled "No Transfer". It was perfect. It was about
a missionary that really wanted to be transfered, but wasn't. She then
received the spiritual reassurance that her work still wasn't done and
Heavenly Father needed her there. While it's the opposite scenario for
Sister Stenquist and Sister Hanks and Sister Patterson, it was still
perfect. Heavenly Father is always very aware of us and is with us.
Whenever we feel like He has abandoned us, it's because we have closed
him out. I've been thinking that the Holy Ghost is really like your
very own personal gps. When you start to get off on the wrong path, it
will tell you to turn around, much like the Holy Ghost warns us of
danger. Eventually we just turn the gps off because we don't want to
listen to it tell us to turn around or recalculate anymore, and that's
when we lose the gift of the Holy Ghost. It's up to us to turn
the gps back on and plug in our address to the celestial kingdom just
like how it's up to us to become worthy for the gift of the Holy Ghost
anymore.
I love you all so much! I love hearing from you. This work is awesome
because I just get to talk about Jesus all day. I know that this
is His church. I know that Joseph Smith was called as a prophet of God
to restore it back on earth. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know
that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. It's because of Him and
His atonement, that we can return to live with our loving Heavenly
Father. It's by His grace that we can do hard things. I know that it
is the hard things that help us change to become like Him.
Moroni 10:32
"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves
of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all
ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then
is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect
in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can
in nowise deny the power of God."
I love you!
Sister Wallis
PB&J's for the Sister's PDay...
3 Generation of Trainers photo
