Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Adventures in the CLAM: We Were All Homesick (April 1, 2019-April 7, 2019)

Hey everyone, be patient with my commentary because I am feeling truly emo about the CLAM today and missing everything about it, so I guess I have a lot to say.
In the week this blog post is about occurred the FIRST BIG CRISIS OF THE MISSION. Y'all are finally allowed to know the full story of what happened.
Missionaries live a lot crazier lives than a lot of people probably know, so sometimes wild and sketchy things happen to us. We don't typically write home about these things because if we don't get hurt then we don't want people to worry about us and be scared for us. (I promise you, no one is more protected than the Lord's missionaries.) The reason we had to stay at someone else's apartment for the weekend was because a man came to our apartment and wouldn't let us leave. He wanted someone to stay with him because there were some guys outside trying to kill him, and he said if there were people with him they wouldn't hurt us or him. We helped him call the police and it turned out he was just on drugs. But I mean, it was a wild adventure for sure!
That's the short version of the story. Maybe I'll tell the full version another time.
I also talk about my love for the Disney Princess franchise. For those of you that are new or that like rereading your favorite blog, if you need evidence of that, here it is.
I mention having photos in this week's email, but those will be posted to my personal Facebook page. Feel free to follow along, but I don't accept friend requests for people I don't know personally. You're all still blog family and I love and adore each and every one of you!
Upon reviewing this post it fills me with joy to see my testimony of the Book of Mormon. It truly is a book that's changed my life. I highly recommend it to everyone who is trying to come closer to God or live a better life. I can't really say enough about it, everything in the gospel of Jesus Christ is so good!
Edited some emojis and typos out of this letter to make my life easier as well as your reading, probably.
Also, did it hurt me to read about how my two-transfer mission showed me how hard it would be to leave the CLAM? Maybe. I was already so obsessed with those people and I was only a month in. Oh girl, the love is going to get so much deeper from here. Missions are simply the best.
Enjoy!
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Hello one and all!
LA LOVE:
When I got my mission call to the California Los Angeles Mission, my dear friend Sister Shandalene Fletcher of the Texas Dallas Mission said that she felt like California was the perfect fit for me because I am "all beautiful and tan". Haha well let me tell you that with being out in the SoCal sun all day on a bike, I am in fact getting VERY BEAUTIFUL AND TAN, like I'm impressed tbh.
So as you all know my favorite writer and musician of all time is Alan Menken. I miss him frequently. Well at the apartment we have question sessions while we're eating and we just get to know each other. Sister Thawornniwat once asked everyone's favorite Disney Princess. You guys also all know that I am a huge fan of the franchise so that was a fun one for me. Sister Thawornniwat loves Belle, Sister Sanerive loves Pocahontas, Sister Merkley loves Rapunzel, and I love Princess Jasmine. Well you can imagine my joy. When I realized ALL OF OUR FAVORITE PRINCESSES ARE ALAN MENKEN PRINCESSES. There really isn't much better than that.
I have some miscellaneous photos from the transfer! Enjoy these shots from my first English class (which is right by the temple), apartment comp study at the park, all of us wearing pants (we planned it so like it was actually a big deal HAHA) at Operation Gratitude, lunch with the STLs and Sister Latouche after Trinity's baptism, and exchanges with Sister Rydalch!
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
On p-day we went to the Japanese Gardens with the other sisters from the apartment as well as Sister Roth, Sister Rydalch, and Sister Latouche! And had a tiny birthday party for Sister Roth which was super fun! Photos attached of that.
Operation Gratitude with the district is always a party.
I finished the Book of Mormon for the third time! During this read I gained a much better understanding of the story of the sacred record, and as I marked the places where He was mentioned, I learned more than ever how the Book of Mormon truly is another testament of Jesus Christ.
It was my first zone conference! We learned so much and I'm definitely a better missionary for it. I also finally got to meet Elder Durham! As requested by both my fans and his, a photo of that is attached.
I hit my one month mark! It has been a long month but also (and mostly) incredibly short. Honestly being a two-transfer missionary has put the whole of my mission into a really cool perspective. I am nearly halfway done with my mission already and time has flown by. I have no time to waste! It also makes me realize how hard it will be to leave the CLAM. For two-transfer missionaries, as I understand it, we spend each transfer in a different area with a different companion. So when I think about leaving my companion, my apartment, my district, my zone, and my STLs so soon, I am so sad! It's definitely not going to be easy but I'm glad for the time I've had with everyone and for the time I have left in the CLAM.
We had an awesome district council about receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit, something we can all do if we live worthily and seek after it.
So we ended up having to stay at the STLs' apartment for two days this week. Sister Sanerive and I stayed with them while Sister Thawornniwat and Sister Merkley stayed with some other sisters in the STLs' zone. We literally missed the so much! We feel incomplete when we aren't with our other companionship. We met up with them at general conference (MORE ON THAT IN A BIT!!!) and we both couldn't get over how much we missed each other after being separated for like ten or so hours HAHA. We also all missed being at our apartment so much, we all kept talking about how homesick we were for the apartment HAHAHA. We are now back at our apartment which we are all so happy for. Attached are photos of that adventure, including Jamba Juice before we got to the STL apartment, Sister Thawornniwat walking down the stairs and feeling like a princess, and Sister Sanerive asking me to turn around and take a photo of her too haha!
General conference this weekend was the best! I loved all the counsel about being exact in our actions, exercising faith, and about the pure love of God and Jesus Christ. If you were watching, tell me your favorite part! If you weren't, it's not too late to check it out at churchofjesuschrist.org.
FRIENDS:
This week I am overjoyed to tell you all that we started sharing the message of the Roestoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ with Sukki. I know this is a message that can bless her life and everyone's.
We had a great time reading the Book of Mormon with Steve. We read from Alma 37:36-37 and 3 Nephi 13:25-30, about how God will take care of us if we look to Him in all things and do what's right.
I invite you all to read those verses and ponder on that as well. God loves YOU!
Thanks and much love!
--Sister Day

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