Oh, Missouri... :)

Hola Familia!

All of the sisters here are studying to switch to be spanish speaking, so I have a lot of spanish on my brain. :) Don't worry, I thought about it for about 2 seconds, and it feels so wrong for me to switch languages. It's not even a question. Some of the sisters are asking to be switched, and President Keyes doesn't mind switching them. He asked some sisters to switch, but I know he won't ask me. That is not what I am supposed to do. I know it. Which is funny because I wanted to learn a language so badly before I got my call. But really I wanted that for me, and not for the people I would be serving, so there you go.

Why do bad things happen to good people? For several reasons. First of all, we all have agency, so sometimes people make wrong choices that hurt other people. God won't take away their angency, even when they are choosing wrong things. We get to show how we will use that gift of agency in this life, so he can't take that test away from anyone. Secondly, we go through experiences here on earth that try us and teach us. We show how strong we really are when we are placed under pressure. And we learn. We wouldn't really recognize the joy of heaven if we haven't experienced sorrow. The hard things we go through really shape us into who we will become. How we respond to them shows our commitment to Christ and our efforts to choose the right.

Next week is transfers, and Sister Dodd is probably being moved. She's been here for 8 months (5 transfers). Time to go. I might train next transfer, which is a bit nerve racking. It would be really good for me, but it would be hard. I'm excited for Willie to be a District Leader! He'll be good at it. At least he kept his old companion. :) That's great.

This week wasn't really an eventful one. There's not a ton to talk about. Today all of a sudden the weather turned very cold. It snowed and boy was it windy. People are right when they talk about the piercing Missouri winter wind. Brrrr. We're staying warm. :) The roads are a little icy because Missouri doesn't have the resources for this kind of thing like Utah does. So the other sisters asked me to drive today. We've only used our ABS four times so far.... but nothing dangerous, I promise. I know how to drive in snow--slowly, braking early, and just being smart. So don't worry.

oh, question of the day. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Testament means covenant, not testimony. So what is the other covenant in the Book of Mormon? We have the Old Testament (the Law of Moses), the New Testament (the Higher Law given by Christ because he fulfilled the old law), and now Another Testament? I have some ideas, but I would love to hear what you think. (peak at D&C 84:57. Maybe you'll understand it better than I do.)

On Sunday we had a really good lesson with Selene. She came to the VC to see the Joseph Smith movie, and really we weren't going to do a lesson afterwards, but we sat and chatted. She is going to be baptized. Really. Under gentle prompting she brought up more of her concerns. One of her major concerns is that she doesn't know if she will fit in in our ward. She's a little bolder and just a bigger personality than she has seen in the other women. She worries that because she is past the stage in her life where she can be a mother and she doesn't make casseroles for funerals, she doesn't really have a purpose in the church. So I told her my story.

One of the main things I've learned on my mission is really what "one heart and one mind" and Zion means. I was afraid to be a VC sister and nearly had a break down in the MTC because I didn't think I fit the mold. I thought that they would make me do things the VC sister way, and that I really wasn't cut out for the job. I'm sure I've told you about this before. I didn't want to be cookie cutter, and I thought I had to be.

But I accepted my call and came here. Now I know that none of these sisters meet that mold. We are all so different with different talents and personalities! They have so much more depth than the stereotype of VC sisters would suggest! And I learned that if I did conform to some mold, I would be missing the point. I was called as a VC sister in Independence Missouri for my unique talents, abilities, and personality. Zion isn't about being one person, one personality, interests, and abilities. Zion is about using our unique and different talents for the same goal--to build the Lord's Kingdom on earth. And that is what we are doing.

So I told Selene about that, and how I struggled with the same idea at first--a girl studying physics in a VC?? yep. I told her what I learned. And she cried. She stood up and gave me a long hug. When she stepped back, she grabbed both of my hands and said, "you were here for me. You were called here for me."

I know it sounds cliche, but I know I was supposed to come here and find Selene. She was prepared for me. We've really clicked and I know I'm going to stay in contact with her forever. I love her so much! I hope that she and Orson get married next year and invite me to their sealing. That would make my life.

We did get to see Lyric this week, but she's not progressing. I don't know if there is anything that really will motivate her to change her life. She doesn't really have the desire to have her prayers answered, so I don't know if there is anything we can do. :(

Oh, at the VC they set up an art display in one of the theathers that will stay up until April. It is a display of Liz Lemon Swindle's paintings of the Savior. Her Liberty Jail paintings are my favorites. She's from around here, and we have her original paintings here at the VC. It's exciting. :) They are beautiful.

That's pretty much my week. I'm becoming really good friends with Sister Thorne and Sister Mindal. Last night when the storm rolled in, no one came to the VC. It was totally dead. So Sister Dodd, Sister Thorne, Sister Minall, and I had a wonderful time talking. I laughed so hard! I love them so much! We will all stay friends after the mish, fo sho.

Here is the random stories section of my email:

A fight broke out outside of our apartment yesterday. I thought someone was going to get murdered or something, but in the end someone just reved their engine and drove off (living behind a cloud of very bad words).

Our upstairs neighbor can always be seen through his blacony door watching TV with his porn calendar in the background.

A member was dropping us off at our car in a random coul de sac, and this guy started taking a ton of pictures of us and our car. I don't know why. He only pretended to be sneaky, but really was overt about it (he used the flash and everything). I wonder what he could do with liscence plate information...

But in spite of the scaryish things that happen every day, I feel so safe and protected out here. It's amazing. Some of the VC sisters had all of the cars in their parking lot broken into, except a few junkers and their brand new, white 2012 Malibou. Really, we are protected.

Welp, that's all folks.

I love you more than a fat kid loves cake!

 

Your silly sister missionary,

Sister April Atkin