The Important Things

I'm feeling very unmotivated to write anything down, so we'll see how this goes.

I would expect to feel that way if our week had gone poorly and I wasn't wanting to report bad news. But this was an amazing week. The Lord wasn't even trying to hide his influence. And good weeks always leave me with the dilemma of how to express these experiences and feelings in a way that is both coherent and...enough. I don't want not to share things out of fear that I won't share them well enough, and yet I also do worry that I won't be capable of fully expressing the love I have for the people here and the changes I feel in myself.

We had texted Melinda during the day on Tuesday to ask when we could meet with her during the week. That night, we were heading out after dinner to go to ward council when we got a call saying it was cancelled because Bishop was sick. Our backup plan had been to go visiting teaching with a sister who had asked if we could go with her that night. We called her back to say we could go after all and she said they had ended up rescheduling for another day. So, Sister Schmuhl and I took a minute to try and figure out the best way to be effective that evening, when Melinda texted us to ask if we could come to her home right then.

 We did, and it was an incredible visit. She had (and still has) so many questions. She told us that she had never really had a testimony, and even when she was still going to church with her parents, it had always just been a matter of going through the motions. Over the last few months, she has felt herself becoming more open to the church and she says that even though she isn't planning on coming back to church right now, "On ne sait jamais, on verra." :). She wants us to teach her all the missionary lessons as if she were a new investigator. She started smoking when she was 11 and now she wants to quit with the church's Addiction Recovery Program.
We started with the first principle of the first lesson, God is our Heavenly Father and He loves us. This alone sparked many -- many -- questions for her and we are so grateful that she finally feels comfortable asking someone her questions about the gospel. She agreed to pray every day this week just to feel the Spirit and know Heavenly Father is there, and she wants us to come again this week. And when we asked if there was anything we could do for her, she asked if we could help her make baby food sometime :)

I really love Terrebonne. I am impressed more and more everyday with how much I love the members and the people we visit and the people we see and talk to when we are on our way to appointments. When I am concentrating on the needs of people around me, this city is prettier and the winter is easier to survive and I am more capable of being patient with the agency of others.

So, Annie. I stopped talking about her a really long time ago, I don't remember if I ever explained why. She was an investigator whom we taught, she received an answer to her prayers that the church is true and that she should be baptized, and then called it all off due to some conflict in her family. It was really hard and really sad, and we've missed her. Her friend who introduced her to the church is named Raven. The other day, Raven called us kind of randomly to ask if we could come to dinner and, of course, we said yes. When we pulled up to her house, we recognized Annie's car outside. Dinner ended up being with just Raven and Annie, we ate pizza and were able to smooth out the leftover awkwardness of the way things were left (When an investigator drops you, it's kind of like being broken up with. It's actually way worse, but that's the closest analogy with which we've been able to equate it.). Annie says she still isn't ready and doesn't want to stir things up with her mom again, but we are immensely grateful that the friendship is still there so that when things do change -- because they will -- she'll know where to turn, and that there are no hard feelings so we haven't given her any reason to back away, and even that we were just able to see her again. Especially, I'm grateful we got to see Annie again before Sister Schmuhl goes home.

We helped a less active move on Saturday and we're doing it again next Saturday (WHY these people are choosing to move in January, I will never understand. I just move boxes and don't ask questions.) and that has gone as smoothly as could be expected. Surrounding both of those moves, there has been some serious drama and some absolutely angelic members of the ward have made amazing progress trying to fix it.

I mentioned this a little bit before, but we have been trying ever since we got here to be a part of visiting teaching and no one would let us go with them or didn't understand why we would want to and we FINALLY were able to go visiting teaching and we have two more appointments to go this week.

I have two more miracles in my head that would take a whole lot of explaining and they don't actually have anything to do with us. But we're thrilled for the people involved.

We dyed my hair blonde last week. I have funny ways of expressing stress when I can't just take a nap or have some alone time or go to the beach or talk to my mom.

We'll get transfer calls on Saturday and then I'll know who my companion will be for the REST of my mission. Just kidding, chances are slim to none that we'll be together that long but considering my track record, I figure I could very well end my mission with two companions.

I'm not looking forward to Sister Schmuhl leaving. Second to last Pday, we're getting a tub of pistachio ice cream after we finish emails and, let's be honest, we're probably going to eat the whole thing.

It's been a really good week and we have some good things to look forward to this week, as well. Someday, have me tell y'all about the Saga of Empanadas. Spoiler alert, it ends with me finally getting the recipe and now I just have to perfect them before I get home so I can let my family partake in the wonder of the most delicious thing I ate on my mission.

I love you all, and I love Terrebonne! I'm trying to be better about sharing things in emails that actually matter, alongside the stuff that doesn't. I too often skip over the most important events of my week because I don't know how to summarize it and still have you know how much it means to me. This week, Melinda, Annie, visiting teaching, Féline, Z, and Erin meant a lot to me. Sorry I only expounded on half of those. I still have a long way to go.

I am grateful for the opportunities I have every single day to witness the Atonement changing people. It is only as I sit and write about it changing other people that I realize how much it is also changing me. I am grateful for the love of our Heavenly Father and that I am learning on some minuscule scale how to begin loving the way He does.

I hope you have all also had a great week,

Souvenez-vous qui vous etes,

Soeur Lonas