Get this!!!!!!
I WAS SOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!!!! Yesterday at Church and who do I seeeee........ popcorn popping on the apricot tree! Haha kidding... Mr and Mrs Nepe! I love these two so much! They had come for a baby blessing for the Ah-mu family in our ward and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them in Church. I was like ohmygoodness!! Such an amazing feeling it really is to be able to see my family whilst im on this journey in my life as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And want to know what else happened... I gave my first talk in Sacrament yesterday. I f I had not of been chosen to speak on this sunday I most likely would not have seen them. Seriously, everything happens in the Lords timing. I couldn't believe I saw my cousin and his wife at church. Thought I might have gone out of missionary mode just for that slight second but I held it together. Never would I thought I would see any family member at Church so early on in my mission. To bad we cant go over for dinner because they live out of area but hopefully I get to see them again and we can hopefully go out for lunch or something. It was really the perfect way to end the rough week. It was only rough because we had transfers but that's okay, as it ended off on a high! I believe I know why Heavenly Father has sent me to the New Zealand Hamilton Mission and not any other mission in the world and I believe it has to do with me being that example in my family in sharing the gospel. It is honestly a privilege. I was SO nervous in giving my talk on "Called of God" and man it was a hard talk. And I had to talk for 10 minutes and I was like uh this is so hard! But as I said a little prayer in my heart to help me not be nervous, peace came unto me... and then nervous again when I got up on the pulpit to share my talk with the ward and boy was there a lot of people. But if it wasn't for the talk I most likely wouldn't have seen my cousin in the congregation. Im so blessed! Not many people would have that opportunity to really see family on the mission but I guess that's where I am very lucky :)
This week was a rough week!!!!!!! I got to stay in the Chapel Downs Ward for another transfer and that was a blessing!!!! I was so excited! There is so much happening in this ward that its crazy and amazing at the same time. Wedding and baptisms for our investigators and I cant believe I am going to be here for them! Ahhhhh! Pooper news was that the elders got transferred and wow I think during transfers you really go through like a mourning stage because we were quite sad that both the elders got transferred out to Hamilton... Elder Triffitt and Elder Napier... but it was good for them to go because their half of our area was soo hard. Full of Indians and Chinese! Two new elders came into the area and hope it all goes well for them. Its hard though. Missionary work is so much fun but it is one of the hardest things that you will ever do in your life.
And here we are! Chapel Downs Ward Missionaries for 3months! Sister Davis and I are still here and so that is still really cool! The hard thing about transfers that I have come to realise is that as missionaries, you are so far away from home and you are all in the same boat experiencing the same things like homesickness, and the work is hard, sudden changes all the time and that's why you like form these amazing friendships with missionaries and the ward because they become your family. They are the ones you lean on in times of need. but definitely heavenly father first and foremost but you really grow connections in the ward and area that you serve in.
I met Sister Iva before she went home from her mission! At the end of transfers, the sisters come and stay with us because we live the closest to Auckland Airport and ahhh soo cool she actually is from Brisbane Australia and in Marsden Ward! I actually cried when I said goodbye to her. I only knew her for that one night and I cried. Its so sad seeing sisters go home from their missions. That will be me one day and one day TOO soon but I try not to think about it. My mission really is everything that I wanted BUT more! I have learnt so much about myself and if I had fallen into temptation before my mission then I would not have found so many things out about myself that I absolutely love. I wouldn't have been able to find my weaknesses and able to make them my strengths. Honestly, a mission really and honestly prepares you for the rest of your life. Its not preparing you to be missionaries really but its preparing you for life afterwards and having your own families and being a wife or a husband. I never really understood that until I came and served my mission and I find myself a lot saying "this is changing me so much and that's what I want to do when I finish my mission, that's how I would want to raise my family" but that is a long time a way but a mission really is the way to go. At times I find myself getting excited for my mission and like "I cant wait for my mission!" and then have to rethink "ohhhh I already am on my mission" :) I realised that I didn't have to be home in Australia to be that example to my family and doing what the Lord wanted me to do. I realised that when you do the same thing all the time and youre not receiving different results then you have to change things! You have to spice things up and that's why I am so glad I am on my mission because I have seen the changes and blessings come to my family and its amazing! My family means the world to me and so does the gospel. I believe that before my mission, I was falling away. I had the right desires but I wasn't really putting action into everything that I wanted like for example my faith. At times I found myself saying "why cant I be on my mission already, because this is so hard" in the trials right before my mission. Then I got out on my mission and I was like "argh send me home" and now im saying "I want to stay forever!" Lets just say I am a typical girl. Cant make up my mind on what I want. As long as I give everything to my Heavenly Father and devote my entire time to Him whilst I am here then that's all that matters.
I am not perfect. Just because I made it on my mission doesn't make me perfect. It just really shows that anybody can make there hearts desires come true if they really want it to happen. you just need to put action in to your faith. there is a little saying that I love... "There is no growth in the comfort zone... there is no comfort in the growth zone!" Sure at times there are going to be moments where you are totally out of your comfort zone but that's where you need to be to grow. And I love it! I hated it at first but I knew if I wanted to grow spiritually or even accomplish my goals in life I have to do things that I am not comfortable with. Oh the joys of how life works huh! Live life to the fullest. Don't let it pass by you.
All my love,
Sister McFlinn
x
No comments:
Post a Comment