Dear Family,
What a week! I have a lot to write about.
First of all, I was transferred for the first time ever! Now I am in Overland Park, Kansas, which is basically a suburb of KC. It is about 30 minutes away from Independence and Lee's Summit, so I didn't get moved very far (which is nice in some ways because it means I still get to help a lot with the Temple Open house. In fact, we are there 3 times a week for a five hour shift. It is exhausting and wonderful!). My new companion is Sister Hinckley from Fontana, California. Yes, she is a relative of Gordon B. Hinckley. We cover two wards, the Redbridge and Stanley Wards.
Honestly, when the call came last Tuesday night, I cried. I cried and cried. I have really grown to Lee's Summit, and Sister Lewis and I had figured out how to work well together. I love her a lot! I also love the VC SOOO much, and I was really sad to leave it. Sister Minall and Sister Thorne are going to be my friends for life, and it was sad to leave them.
Sister Dodd served in those wards before she came to Lee's Summit. Overland Park is where she started her mission. Whenever she talked about it, it sounded like the worst place in the mission to be sent. It was her personal refiner's fire, and it was the hardest part of her mission. Overland Park is in Johnson County. The rumor is that it is the wealthiest county in the country. She said she had only taught a handful of lessons in her three months there.
So add all of those things together, and after I sat in shock for a moment, I realized that going to Overland Park with Sister Hinckley was probably the hardest thing God could ask me to do. I didn't want to go.
But then after I mourned it for a moment, I got over it. If God called me there, then there were people waiting for me there. He would provide the way, and it didn't have to be a miserable time of my mission. If God thought I could handle it, I will take it as a compliment, and know that He will provide a way for everything to be possible. He's just kicking me up to the next level, just like He has for my whole mission. So bring it on.
The next day I mourned what I was leaving. I love the VC so much. But after I said my good byes, I knew it was time to go. I had gotten comfortable there, so it was time for a new learning experience. Whenever we get comfortable in life (especially in missions) is when something changes so that we can learn. So I got over it, and I left.
The Andersons, my favorite senior couple, were mad that I was leaving. I didn't get to say good bye to them, which makes me sad, but I will write them, and I'm sure I will see them again before the end of their mission. And they have promised a mission reunion in Canada August of 2013. So I'll look forward to seeing them again.
I did get to say goodbye to Selene. She is so wonderful. Her parting comment was, "If God called you to Overland Park, there is someone waiting there for you. Someone that needs your unique talents, just like I did. Stay in touch--we'll be friends for life. Don't cry. Love it. I'll see you again." I did cry.
Since Overland Park was so close, a member came to pick me up. Sister Hinckley is very sweet. I don't think this will be as hard as I had envisioned. All of the members I have met have been very wonderful. I've clicked with every member I've met almost instantly. I do feel like I belong here. :)
For the first couple of days I didn't feel like a missionary anymore because life is so different being full proselyting. We did service hours at a local petting zoo, which was really fun. We moved on my second day in the area, so I lived out of my suitcase for a couple of days. We're still settling in, but I like the new place. We live with members, and they are wonderful. The Andersons. He's the stake Patriarch, so that's cool.
On Sunday we have 5 hours of church because we go to all of the meetings of both wards. They overlap for an hour, so we split for the middle hour. I didn't feel that long. I really love church. Everyone has been very welcoming.
The Temple Open house is still wonderful! It is really long, though. For some reason my back hurts really bad by the time we are done, so I'm trying to wear different shoes. I may have hurt my back my first day at the open house, so I'm being very careful with it. It only hurts when I stand for more than an hour. Or bend weird. So I'll take care of it.
I didn't get to serve during the VIP days, but some of the sisters did. They really enjoyed it. They did take through a large group of Joseph Smith's descendents. It was neat to talk to them. Only a few were members. The church presented them with an amazing painting of Joseph and Emma inviting their descendents through the veil after death. They both are beckoning their descendents to follow them forward. It was beautiful. I didn't get a picture. :(
I love you all!
Love,
Sister April Atkin
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