Dear Family,
Well, I'm not in Del Rio anymore, and I feel about like
Dorothy when she left Kansas. Usually they tell missionaries important details
about their assignments before transfer meeting, but I guess with a change of
President and four new assistants, that tradition has fallen through. I have
been relocated to the North Zone of San Antonio, doubled in and opening a new
area with Hna. H who has been up in Austin. Here's the specs. We're working in
the Monte Vista Ward which is a Spanish ward, much more solid than the branch
down in Del Rio. The first night, we met our mission leader and he is awesome!!
Hermano G has a goal to split the ward in a year, y vamos a sudar la gota gorda
para lograrla. Because we're in a Spanish ward, we're covering the geographic
area of 4 or 5 English speaking companionships, which means no more bikes. :(
They gave us a brand new Ford Fusion instead. It's a nice car.
Our area includes the San Antonio temple and most of the
members in our area live right next to it, so I get to see the temple every
single day. It's a great talking point during contacting, and I'm really
excited to be able to go soon. My goal is to never stay away from the temple as
long as I have on my mission, haha. Despite the fact that we cover such a huge
geographical area, we have almost no members to work with. I think we have 8
families in our area, and they're all the leadership calling families, which
ironically means they are less likely to have referrals. We inherited about 8
findable former investigator records, about that many potentials, and that's
all we have to work with. So it's going to be a fun transfer rooting out all of
the Spanish speakers in North San Antonio with little or nothing to start from.
Being in the city is so different from Del Rio. President lives in our zone
along with all four of the APs, we see other missionaries regularly and usually
drive more than 35 mph. To get anywhere we have to take several freeways, and I
can't believe how much that freaked me out the first day after growing up in
Atlanta. In Del Rio, I knew every street in our area and could tell you
something about most of the people that lived in each house. Here, each of the
three English areas we cover have more streets alone than my one little corner
of Del Rio did. Definitely not in Kansas anymore, but I'm excited, and it's
going to be a blast!
Our new address is:
1700 Jackson Keller #3302
San Antonio, TX 78213
Dad, "My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the
beginning; therefore, my hand shall be over thee." I've been studying the
past week about faith and hope, and especially in a time of transition and
feeling like there's nowhere to start, I've been relying on the promise that
Heavenly Father is going to sort things out as we work hard and do our best. He
knows the beginning from the end and put me here for a reason.
A few notes about leaving Del Rio. I felt a lot of tender
mercies as I said goodbyes this week and realized that my time in Del Rio
actually did mean something. We stopped by to see our 89 year old investigator,
Mr. Moravitz, who is a sweet old man going a little bit senile. Usually, it's a
struggle to get him to pray during lessons, but at the end of our brief
meeting, he bashfully asked if he could pray and then offered a sweet and
simple prayer that as I left, I would be blessed and be able to have safety and
success on my mission. He always jokes about how he can't hug the sister missionaries,
but after the prayer I asked if he would do me a favor and give me a hug, and
he was just about tickled to death.
We had a testimony meeting with the G family before leaving
and it was so good to hear all of their testimonies of the gospel. They drove
up to the church to meet us since they aren't in our area anymore, and J was so
proud and duly humbled by the responsibility of taking care of the church
building and his new set of keys to all the doors. I think I might have said
this before, but last Sunday, he got the Melchizedek Priesthood and was able to
stand in the circle for the confirmation of the Sisters' convert baptism. Also,
because the temple is in my area, if they get sealed in August as planned, I'll
be able to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited for them!!
All day, we kept stopping by J's house to try to drop off a
picture and give her a hug goodbye, but she wasn't home, which was abnormal.
Finally, around 9:30,
she gave us a call which was also abnormal because she usually goes to bed at
6. She told us that [her daughter who has MS] L had been hospitalized with
pneumonia because she wasn't able to breathe at all and she had been with her
there since Sunday.
Of course we were concerned and asked if there was anything we could do. Jacque
gave us permission to give L a Priesthood blessing the next day, but said she
didn't need us to bring meals or anything. And then she said, with a hint of
surprise and wonder in her voice, "you guys really do love us!" Yes J!
We love you so much and Heavenly Father does too! That was my goal for her.
Even if she never joins the church, J needs to know that there are people in
this world who love her and that she has a Heavenly Father who loves us too.
There in that last phone conversation with her, I found out that J met that
goal.
When I got into bed that night, I couldn't sleep because I
was worrying about all of the needs of the people we've been teaching that I
wouldn't be able to help anymore after I left. I finally got out of bed and
said a prayer that I'd be able to have peace and know that everyone would be
ok. Eventually, I was able to fall asleep, but the rest of the answer to my
prayer came when my MTC companion, Hermana L got off the Border Van to take my
place. I know her, I know how hard she works, how disciplined she is and how
much we prayed and worked together in the MTC to discern the needs of our
investigators, and I know that the people I have come to love will be well
cared for in her capable hands. Thank you Heavenly Father for tender mercies
like these.
Another fun side note, Saturday morning was a stake Pioneer Day celebration in
our new area, so we went to meet and mingle with the members. Right at the end
of the activity, they had the Elders and then the Sisters compete against each
other in a watermelon eating contest . . . and guess who smoked all the
Hermanas. Yours truly. I'll send a picture.
Well, I believe that's the news from San Antonio. I loved
reading about what's been going on from your end. Every sister missionary has
at least 10 pounds she'd like to be rid of. Our zone leaders get up every
morning at 5:30
to run at the high school track and we went with them for the first time this
morning, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to at least not put any more on this
transfer. There's a little old lady in our ward that leaves all of the
missionaries food in the fridge every Sunday and apparently there's always cake. This week it
was pina colada cream cake. Sometimes there are consequences for being loved so
much. :)
I love you all mucho gracias bueno amounts, as my FHE
brother Jeff used to say. I pray for you bunches and think about you every time
I look at your picture right next to my study desk.
Have a marvelous week!
Em
