Dear Family,
The Lord really does look out for His missionaries. This week we were mostly on bikes, which was really hard. It was probably the longest bike week of my whole mission (and it isn't over yet). My arms are getting brown. Poor Sister Hodson. Every night when we get home we plan (which feels like the hardest thing in the world to do, but we do it anyway), and then crash into our beds as soon as possible, still encrusted with salt from the sweaty day. I will wash my sheets more often these days. But the blessing is, every day since we gave up the car on Wednesday has been unusually cool. We still get hot and sweaty, but the sun has been hiding behind clouds and there has been a cool breeze basically since last Wednesday almost exactly. What a huge blessing.
Yesterday at church, I was extra emotional because I was so tired. You know how I am--I don't deal with being tired very well. So everything was extra happy or sad or whatever yesterday. It's a good thing that Sister Hodson is so chill. We get along very well. She helped me stay stable yesterday on the brink of exhaustion until today when we get to slow down for a few hours. And I'm training her! She really is great.
So a little more about Sister Hodson (in response to Mom and Rachel). She is from Pleasant Grove Utah and went to BYU-I for two years. She is just barely 21. She is the 2nd oldest of 7 kids. She wants to do something in the medical field, maybe a nurse. She was a CNA at an assisted living place before her mission. She was a swimmer in high school. I really like her. Like I said, she is really chill, which I like. She works hard, and is willing to try anything. She is quiet, but she isn't not confident. She just doesn't have a lot of experience teaching (well, except swim lessons) but that will come. She will do very well as a missionary.
It's been fun to try out different ways of teaching her. I've gotten to try out different teaching methods on her to help her learn, and it is helping me learn how to be a teacher, if that makes sense. There are some approaches, like just talking at her about how to be a good teacher that just don't work. Usually asking probing, thought provoking questions, or asking her to summarize or put things in her own words works best. Which is exactly what works with investigators and in my future classroom! This is cool.
We are teaching a sweet girl that is 17. Her goal is to be baptized before she is 18 in three months. This week we got to hear her life's story, which was one of the craziest, most heart-breaking stories I have ever heard. It's not really my place to retell it, but basically, she should be scarred for life.
But somehow, she is this beautiful, kind, loving, happy, optimistic, pure girl. I just don't get it. It's like her whole house got hit by a bomb, and there standing in the midst of the rubble is a beautiful porcelain doll. Untouched. The Lord must have put a force field around her. By all means she should be bitter and broken. But she is giving and wonderful. I feel so lucky to teach her. The Lord preserved and prepared her for the gospel. I'm sure she has a great future ahead of her. She is definitely one of the noble and great ones.
If you remember the Mendez family (the Part member family, where the dad decided to come back to church after 20 years) we aren't teaching them anymore. They are still golden, but we handed them over to the Spanish Elders. They feel guilty taking them, but really it will meet their needs better than we ever could. We are all on the same team. We invited them to go out to church yesterday, and we really didn't think they would go. We had invited them to go to the Spanish branch just for a Sunday, and we wouldn't even be there to talk to them. But they went! All on their own! And stayed all three hours!! They met the elders there, and the rest is history. When we talked to the elders about it, and decided that it would be best if they took them, I felt the hugest sense of peace. I just felt so happy. We had done something good in helping them reconnect with the church and go out to church, and now our piece is over. I just know that the right thing and the best thing happened. We did all of the right things. :)
We also street contacted a guy that looked like he would never be interested in the gospel--he had a mohawk (a legit one) and was covered in scars. He had led a rough life. Turns out, his dad went to BYU (we don't know if he was a member at the time, but he isn't anymore). We talked to him about the church, and he has some strange ideas about God, but he was excited to read the Book of Mormon. He was stunned that I would just give him one. So hopefully that goes somewhere. He looked scarier than he actually was.
Last Monday we went to a member's big surprise Birthday Party for our dinner. We accidentally ended up sitting with all of their nonmember neighbors. It was awesome! They said we could stop by. The Lord is so kind. :)
Oh, and Wednesday was Zone Conference. I love those. It was so good. I got to see Sister Thorne again. I think we will be roommates when we get home. :) I lover her SO much. I played the piano on no notice, and, you know, I think I play better than I ever have in my entire life. My mission is blessing my singing and playing abilities.
Sorry, this is a short email, but I think I have run out of things to say. I am just so tired that I can't even think straight to tell you more interesting things. I think I'm going to take a nap today.
I love you all and I pray for you. You are amazing. :) I'm glad the trip to NC went so well. I miss those boys! And Annie and Neal of course! And Amy and Marc and their boys! And Rachel! and of course you, MOM and DAD! I miss you, but I am happy.
Love,
Sister April Atkin
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