Sister Van Leuven and Madeleine
Dear family,Ah! Aspen! What a spaz! What will happen if pet insurance doesn't
cover it? You aren't going to put her down, are you? They will cover
it, right? (I secretly love and miss her) (Mom note- the dog needs surgery, basically a torn ACL).
This week has been pretty tough. It was hard to say good bye to sister
Martinez. Then on Thursday, like what always happens to me, I had
dreams of us having these adventures and then I woke up with something
I was super excited to tell her, and she wasn't here.
My new companion is Sister Van Leuven. She is from Riverton, Utah, and
has been out on her mission for a year. She was in the MTC for 2
months and was the first American sister called Spanish speaking here.
She graduated in 2014 as well, and did marching band in high school.
She loves music. She can play the clarinet, the piano, and the guitar.
She is super sharp and smart. She is a quick learner and is very bold.
She loves to talk with people about American football. She spoke in
church yesterday with a 2 hour warning and did a fantastic job.
I think there's a lot I can learn from her.
It's been crazy this week now that Fanny isn't an investigator. We are
teaching her her new convert lessons. She is so sweet. She was so sad
when Hermana Martinez was transferred. I love her so much!!! It's
funny because I feel like while re-teaching her the new lessons I feel
like a different missionary. Like I have a much better hold on things
now.
Yesterday church was very chaotic. I felt like I was just running
around the whole time making sure people were in gospel principles,
because the teacher showed up late, and making sure people were
sitting with our investigators and the less actives, and then the
branch president asked me to play prelude, so I said sure. But then
I'm up there when he starts and the pianist hadn't shown up. So I
sneak back into the congregation, well from the congregation the first
counselor pointed at me and asked me to play the accompanying, and I
couldn't just say no, because there must have been a reason why he
asked me to play instead of anyone else. It was awful. I had no idea
what the hymns were, I didn't even have a Spanish hymn book, the hymn
they were singing wasn't on the app; so as I'm walking up there for
the opening song, some one handed me a himnos, and I get up there and
it's "because I have been given much" which is really hard to sight
read, and I butcher it. Then the first counselor came to me and asked
if I could play the rest of the hymns, I just shook my head and he
thankfully fired me and asked The one member from the congregation who
plays, to play and he did much better than I did. So I'm really
grateful for that, but it didn't take away from the fact that I was
just about ready to go lock myself in a closet and cry. Then, after
the meeting, a member came up to me and just gave me a big hug and
said it was all going to be okay. Which was super nice, but sometimes
it's awful when you realize that your mistakes were actually noticed.
The branch president was super nice about it and I think he felt
really bad. He had asked me earlier in branch council if I could play
and I told him it would depend on what hymns because I can't sight
read well, so he knew that what had happened wasn't very fair. He also
seemed to be very appreciative, and I think it showed him that I am
literally willing to do anything they ask me to do. We are all just
here trying to work together to help increase faith in Jesus Christ.
Your email on he handbook was really interesting. I hadn't heard about
any of the changes, so I started reading the handbook to see what it
says. Wow! The handbook is like this secret gem! It just talks about
the doctrine! I loved how it explains the plan of salvation and the
gospel of Jesus Christ: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and receiving the
gift of the Holy Ghost. Particularly I loved how it explains
repentance: "Turn to God through sincere repentance, having a change
of heart and confessing and forsaking sins." I love how it says
"change of heart" because that change of heart is our sacrifice of a
"broken heart and contrite spirit" (3 Nephi 9:20), and really that is
what allows us to be changed, which is the essence of the atonement of
Jesus Christ! (And it also all stems back to humility).
I then love the promise: "As we come to understand and believe these
truths and gain a firm testimony of Jesus Christ, we strive to obey
His commandments and want to share our blessings with our family and
others (see 1 Nephi 8:9–37). With this secure foundation of testimony,
other elements of Church activity follow naturally." As missionaries
what we do is help people understand the truths of the Plan of
Salvation (https://www.mormon.org/
gospel of Jesus Christ (https://www.mormon.org/
Our job is to teach simply and clearly so that others can understand
and recognize truth so they can either chose to accept or reject it.
I then love what it says about being a follower of Jesus Christ:
"Each of us is accountable before God to learn and keep His
commandments and to live the gospel. We will be judged according to
our actions, the desires of our hearts, and the kind of people we have
become. As we become true followers of Jesus Christ, we experience a
mighty change of heart and “have no more disposition to do evil”
(Mosiah 5:2; see also Alma 5:12–15; Moroni 10:32–33). As we live the
gospel of Jesus Christ, we grow line upon line, becoming more like the
Savior in loving and serving others."
This life is a becoming process. As we follow the savior, His love,
which is Charity (Moroni 7:47), becomes more prevalent in our lives
and because of Him, with His help, we are able to serve others beyond
our mortal capacity.
I love being a missionary so much. It's hard at times, but salvation
was not a cheap experience. I love helping others grow closer to the
savior every day. I know that this is the Lord's work. I know that
this is His restored church. I know that we have a Savior and that He
lives. I am so grateful for Him. I love being able to serve Him every
day.
I love and miss you all!!!
Love,
Hermana Wallis
