For starters, in this letter I talk about how much President Cordon hyped me up at the new missionary orientation. At this time in my mission my self-esteem was pretty much absolute garbage and President knew it. He hyped me up publicly and frequently pretty much from that point on. People close to him would too, such as the assistants to the president. That lasted my whole mission. I am so grateful that I got to have such a wonderful team on my mission.
Reviewing this letter has been really interesting. This was my first big transition in the mission. I was seven months old and had finally outgrown my first area. I was training a new companion and opening an area, right in the middle of Koreatown/Downtown LA, and trying to figure out how the new culture worked. As my friend Steve in Reseda had told me the night before I moved, the valley and the city were entirely different games. Looking back is crazy because the things that had me in culture shock in this first week became parts of normal life that I absolutely adored just a few weeks later. This girl, my angel companion that I had never met, became my best friend. She and I would drive around Mid-City/Koreatown pointing out people who definitely weren't from California because they would do so many things that went against LA culture, as if we hadn't been living there for just a few weeks. The city will have my heart forever. It was an adventurous first week and totally crazy. I cried literally every night on my first week in Wilshire. But I knew it was a tender mercy from the very beginning. I loved it there so much and I am so grateful for what I had there. LA really can be described as the promised land.
Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
So, people always say that driving in LA is crazy. To be so honest, that's sometimes true but not that much. It's the parking, ladies and gentlemen. It's the parking in LA that's crazy.
This week at new trainer meeting (more on that in a bit!) President Cordon pointed out that our Preach My Gospel study calendar was not called a reading calendar, but rather an implementation calendar. It was not for us to just read, but for us to study and apply to our areas what we were learning. That is so cool! Wow I love that guy.
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
For my last p-day in Reseda, we spent the day together as an apartment as we always do. We went shopping for a Lego set and got Chick-fil-a. We also had a zone p-day, which Sister White and I showed up to super late so we got to say hi to the Tarzana and West Hills elders for a little bit but we pretty much just sat and talked with Elder Kreger and Elder Terry for a few minutes with their friend Bailey. Definitely got super emo because let me tell you, I love the Canoga Park zone. What a wonderful group of missionaries. I am so grateful to have been a zone founder there.
This transfer day is the craziest one I've ever had. Sister White and I carpooled to new trainer meeting with Sister Kwok and Sister Brower. Let me tell ya saying goodbye to Sister Pace and Sister Pond is one of the saddest things I've ever done. But we got trained on how to be trainers and oh my gosh sitting there next to my first trainee was the coolest thing ever! We then got paired with our trainees which was sad because it meant Sister White and I would be separated, but exciting because we got to meet our new companions. I got paired with Sister Birch! She is so cool and really down to work, and legit such a great teacher. I'm amazed by her and I love her. Immediately after being paired together President Cordon called Sister Birch out. He said that after three months a missionary should be ready to train a new missionary, so she should be preparing herself, why? Because the last missionary her trainer had trained was now a trainer as well! And even when Sister White answered a question for him he said, "Wow. You must have had a great trainer." Sounds like some pretty high expectations for me! But I feel honored that President and the Lord trust me with this area. We live in Los Angeles, California and cover half of the Wilshire ward. Our area includes places such as Koreatown, Downtown, and Skid Row! There is a lot of work to be done here and there are so many people progressing in the gospel here! We ad a crazy day trying to move in--I was told pretty much nothing about our new area. But all is worked out now and we love living in the city!
We had our first district council in the new district. Being in the Los Angeles zone is crazy--I had just come from one of the smallest zones in the mission, and now I am in the very biggest zone. All the other sisters in the zone serve at the visitors' center. But we got to meet our district and some of the zone and they are awesome! We are preparing for a great transfer. Something wonderful is going to happen--I can feel it.
I hit my seven month mark! Being here seven months isn't the really crazy thing--what really blows me away is that I'm already in my sixth transfer. How did that happen? Your seven month mark is great as a sister though, because it is your 7-Eleven day--seven months done, eleven months left! We were out street contacting that day and by an absolute miracle, guess what we passed? A 7-ELEVEN. I definitely stopped to get a Slurpee to celebrate the event.
This was one of the best general conferences I had ever seen! I could tell that God is very pleased with the progress HIs saints have made and how we have responded to calls to repentance. I also contemplated a lot of things I can do to be even better now. I loved it! One of my favorite talks was at the women's conference (we all know how much I love women's conference) by President Nelson. I have been greatly troubled for a long time by the fact that every time someone mentions priesthood, they also have to mention a man. I knew it wasn't like that; the priesthood belongs to God, not man, so as God's children He allows all who live worthy of it access to it. I wondered what could be done to help other women realize this. It appears Heavenly Father answered the prayer of my heart, the one I didn't even realize I was offering up.
FRIENDS:
We visited Steve on my last night in Reseda to celebrate one year of baptism for him! And we got to say goodbye so that was good, although sad.
Also said goodbye to Tony that night. Let me tell you that guy is my best pal. So that was sad too but hey, the work must go on.
I went on exchanges with Sister Zegarra (one of the other missionaries in our ward) to meet Destiny. She is so sweet! We taught her the end of the Plan of Salvation. It made her so happy. She is really dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We met Ayanna! She requested a Bible from us because she really wants to spread the light of Christ around the hotel she works at. We shared some favorite verses with her and she said we could come back again, and she would even be interested in us holding a Bible study at the hotel!
We had a lesson with Courtney and he is so cool! We talked about the Book of Mormon with him and he is really interested in learning more. He has been studying from the Book of Mormon a little bit but doesn't know much about the origin of it, so we invited him to read the introduction and testimonies of the book!
We met with Rossanna and Gustavo, a part-member family in the ward. They are so sweet. We invited them to pray together as a family, and to help them get started we've called them every night to pray with them. We can already see their family growing happier--it's beautiful.
We met with Abulla, who is preparing to be baptized in a month! He loves how the Book of Mormon makes the Bible even clearer. He has a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and knows that obedience to God's commandments brings us many blessings. We love him!
I won't lie, this has been a very difficult and sometimes lonely transition. Los Angeles is very different from Reseda. I left a zone and an apartment where I had a lot of very close friends, not to mention ward members and friends we teach. But through it all, I have been able to feel what a miracle it is that i'm here right now. Everyone keeps telling us how much they've been praying to have another companionship of missionaries in the ward. Our sister training leaders called us and said that we were assigned to this area because they need good teachers here. I have already been blessed with a wonderful companion, ward, and zone plus awesome new friends to teach. I have made it my goal to be like the Jaredites upon their arrival in the promised land, as recorded in Ether 6:12:
"And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they and when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them."
I have seen nothing but miracles and tender mercies thus far in the California Los Angeles Mission and in the Wilshire ward. Thanks be to God, and may we all continue to see His hand in our lives. I am so grateful and happy.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day
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