Just gotta say that I faced the wrath of a Southern grandma (kinda) to write this email last week 'cuz she wanted me to play ping pong--so the sacrifice for these things are real lol. (I LOVE MOMMA STEW SO MUCH!)
I wish I could give y'all all the details but I have lost motivation on pdays to write more rip. So here's a couple things. (Going back after writing this they are always way longer than expected, lol!)
-So we had a TON of meetings this week! I got to meet the new Mission President and his wife ahhhhh! PRESIDENT AND SISTER HAMBLIN ARE AMAZING!!! They are so kind and fun--we did fast walk relays lol! Had some awesome discussions and the next day we had a meeting with the Zone and members from each ward came and it was so so good. There was lots of revelation for both sides on how to better bring Christ to more of our friends here! Ngl though, Mo and I were pretty exhausted. It took a few days to recover the sleep we lost for the meetings and there is another meeting tomorrow aha but we get to see the Hamblin's again, so I'm super excited!
-Had the cutest member meal with the Weatherford's. Brother Weatherford played football in Tennessee and *technically* won the championship in 1967? 1969? I can't remember, but he has a hall of fame in his house and the ring to prove it so that's lit. The CUTEST thing ever: So he has dementia and doesn't remember a lot of things BUT he remembers every detail to the T of his wife and their story from the first time he saw her in 4TH GRADE! It literally melted my heart. He told us the whole thing. It was so funny, cute and tender. They could honestly make a movie from their story. He also remembers football, so we talked for the whole time about football and his wife (who made the best Southern food that night too...so good).
-Our 9 year old friend Tyreal told us he knows who created God aha. He said he had a dream about "Nature Space" so that was an interesting convo. That kid has got the biggest imagination of literally anyone I know. I love him so much!
-We made someone (he will remain anonymous lol) wear panty hose with us because he wasn't convinced that they were uncomfortable. He changed his mind by the end of the day bahahaha!
-Got bashed some by a preacher we felt inspired to talk to. He made me super grateful for our knowledge of God's Plan! We gave him a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and left. He was a really cool guy though. It makes me a little sad to see so many churches here so content with the truths that they have but closed to more light and fulness of truth about God and Jesus Christ from 2 "inexperienced at life" 20 year olds. (Honestly sometimes I don't know if I would listen to myself if I was an older Baptist person lol.) But the fact that I and missionaries around the world believe the things we do as young as we are is such a testimony to me and people ready to hear this true and full message will see that:)
-Met some super awesome people this week that are so humble and open. I am so excited to meet with them more!
-Loreto came to church again this week!! He is doing his "homework" too!!! Haha he makes me so happy! He is the funnest guy/guinea (Boston slang for an Italian. Apparently it's kinda offensive though. I definitely didn't know that but Loreto never told us--he didn't care lol!) It's cool to learn more about the Catholic church from him. There's some cool similarities. I'm so excited to continue discussing and learning with him. He understands a ton.
-It's been raining a TON this week haha. A bolt of lightning LITERALLY STRUCK IN THE FIELD NEXT TO WHERE WE WERE DRIVING! It scared us sooooo badly. Luckily someone was home, so we had a lesson with them in their nice warm, safe house and left when the storm was over (because they come and go so fast here it's crazy).
-Yeah we all saw this coming but I popped our tire yesterday. I was driving up a curb to park and didn't see the gutter... so yeah it somehow punched a hole in it and we had to call the Elders to come help us... but the up side is we got to talk to the person for a while whose house it was and built a relationship with them:)
-Willie showed us his fig tree.
-Went on exchanges with Sister Harris and we tried and failed to write a song haha. The only pic I got was our dead faces that morning from no sleep bahaha. I love her so much!
-After one of the meetings, on the way back, Sister Moreno and I went to Sparky's (a bigger Buckee's-- like a mall gas station type deal but so different and hype lol). We got sparklers for the 4th of July since we didn't do anything that day but sit in a meeting (ugh) and go to Texas Road House after so that was our little celebration haha. We got to see people setting off fireworks on the drive home too since that isn't illegal in South Carolina lol! That was cool. I LOVE the USA and am so grateful for the freedom that was purchased with so much sacrifice. There is so much for us to enjoy:)
Our new Mission President did a discussion on John 10:11-15 and Luke 17:5-10
The Hireling vs. the Son/Daughter of God
Basically the parable talks about the workers in the field and how all of us have a seat at God's table.
The difference between the hireling and child of God is the inner knowledge and purpose of the work. It's the WHY behind what we do. A hireling works for reward and then goes back home away from God and forgets the labor he performed. A child of God does the work out of love for God and comes into HIS home at the end of the day and sits at HIS table. The work is forever a part of him.
Why do you follow God? Is it an obligation or a true desire and love? I definitely feel like before my mission it was an obligation. But since being here I have seen mine and other people's identities more clearly as children of God and it changes EVERYTHING. I see His work, myself, this life and others differently when I deeply believe that I am a daughter of God. I do everything I do out of that core belief and love. There are a lot of twisted truths here that make repentance and God so so intimidating; people do things out of fear of consequences like a hireling works out of fear of consequences.
BUT WE ARE NOT HIRELINGS!
We are children of God.
I invite y'all to ponder that more this week and think about the WHY behind what you do. Pray about it and your Heavenly Dad will let you know;)
Love y'all so so much!
Boston vocab (from Loreto):
Pissa: awesome
Wicked: super
Forget about it: wildcard (genuinely a New England region thing then a state/city thing)
Carriage: shopping cart
Parlor: living room
Cellar: basement
Tonic: soda
Jimmies: sprinkles
Breaking balls: giving someone a hard time for either amusement and messing with a friend OR being a jerk for no reason and making someone's life hard OR working hard.
Kid: friend
Nor'easter: A HUGE FREAKING SNOW STORM!!!!!!
Clicker: remote control
Pocket book: purse
Book bag: backpack
Statie: state troopers
Dungarees: jeans
Barrel: trash can. Honestly the term barrel makes more sense to me than trash can.
Cruiser: a cop car
Bubbler: water fountain
Guinea: Italian in Boston
WOP: Italian without a passport (more offensive than guinea)
0 comments:
Post a Comment