Hey everyone!
In today's post I talk about the first lesson that I ever had with two of my dearest friends, Nataly and John. I mention a talk that we read together, "Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness" by Sharon Eubank. I discuss the things we talked about and how beautiful the whole thing was.
What I don't mention is that the transition to Palos Verdes was extremely difficult for me. I absolutely adored Wilshire, and I guess I was just upset to be somewhere else, especially somewhere so unusual and quiet and dark, unlike anywhere I had ever been. I know that in hindsight this is so interesting because Palos Verdes became such a home to me, but it wasn't easy. I didn't even know any of the other missionaries in the zone, except for my trainer Sister Sanerive, who got emergency transferred out after just a few days of the transfer. And to be entirely honest, I had not yet started my anxiety and depression medication. This transfer is the transfer that I started taking medicine, because I felt like I was dying.
I left these things out of my letters because people at home worry about us. (Now that I am the one at home, I can confirm; today I was thinking about one of my missionaries and out of absolutely nowhere became concerned, without evidence, that he had the corona virus.) But there is really nothing to worry about. All of the hardships are part of what made the experience, and knowing these things will give you all even better insight into why the experience was so important to me. You are receiving a fuller understanding of why I loved it so much.
So you can imagine, now knowing the context of this week and this transfer, why I started crying in the living room of people I had just met as I read the words, "The lights will come back on." God had not left me, and He was going to make things bright again, and I knew that. And I knew He wanted me to know that.
So I really want to invite you all to give this talk a read (I provide a link in the post). Seriously, whoever you are, whether you're Christian or even religious at all or not. It is for everyone. Some of you think you are broken beyond repair. Some of you think you are too far gone and no one and nothing can make you into a good person. Some of you think you will never fit in. Some of you are just straight exhausted and don't know how you can go on. And all manner of other things that make life difficult. This article addresses directly each of these problems. Please, check it out. This is for you.
Enjoy!
Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
One of the greatest things about my new area (more on that in a bit) is that there are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE and it is beautiful. It has been a fun way to celebrate!
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
For my last day in Wilshire 2/Olympic, we went out as an apartment to get Thai food. I miss the area dearly, but on to the next big thing!
I was transferred to Palos Verdes! My new companion is Sister John. She is a sister outbound from her mission at the Nauvoo historic sites and visitors' center. She is amazing and I love her. This area is unlike anywhere I have ever seen; I keep trying to think of things to compare it to and I can't. We are the very south area of the mission. There are trees everywhere, and everything feels really big, but it is the most quiet place I've ever lived. There are hills everywhere so we have beautiful views of the city on one side and the ocean on the other. I love being able to see the ocean from where I live; I can't believe there was ever a time I lived without that honestly. Palos Verdes is a great place to be!
We had our first district council of the transfer! I love my new zone so much. They are all so great. We learned about how to begin teaching, which is always nice, especially since as a zone a big goal of ours is to find people to teach!
We had a beautiful special church service for Christmas! There was a lot of amazing music about the birth of the Savior and it really touched my heart as well as all of the ward members and visitors. What a great way to celebrate Jesus!
We had a Light the World home evening with our dear friends, the Kakazu family, the Shoff family, plus Carl and Vi and their son Riley! It was a really wholesome night for a family Christmas party, and we had a great time watching "The Christ Child" and talking about what gifts we wanted to give the Savior in the coming year just like all the people back in the day did.
FRIENDS:
Nataly and her dad John are awesome. John has been a member of the Church for a few years and Nataly was just recently baptized a week and a half ago! They are so happy to be part of the gospel and their testimonies inspire me. Nataly was simply glowing after her baptism. She said that receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost was like a long day of being out in the snow and coming home and sitting by a fire. We read "Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness" by Sister Eubank together and I loved remembering taht no matter what happens, "The lights will come back on." John described the joy that they were able to feel in their lives when they "let Jesus work His magic." It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard.
Sophia is a friend of ours who has been going through a really hard time. Our testimony to her and the knowledge that she has, however, is that God is her loving Heavenly Father, and He is always looking out for her. We taught her about how the gospel was restored to the earth. She said she felt so lucky to be alive in the last dispensation, with the priesthood on the earth never to be gone again--that was a reason to get up in the morning. When she learns about the gospel she knows it's true because it is the only thing that makes sense to her. The Lord has for sure, without a doubt, prepared Sophia to receive the gospel.
I am continuously appreciative of what all of you are doing for the missionaries of the Lord. I know you will be blessed for it, and I feel so honored to be a part of such a noble group. I love them all.
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day
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