A girl with a mission

This isn't an email letter, but one that I've transcribed from a written letter.  Before I gave Katie’s ½ way mission report back in March, I sent her a letter with some questions the answers to which I thought my help me in my “report”.  Although she emailed me that she had sent the letter, it never did arrive.  So the report came and went until finally, just last week, the letter arrived!  It was actually a tender mercy to me that day!

Here are some thoughts from that letter that I thought give a nice flavor of her mission experience:

#1 - I asked her about the challenge of teaching the Restored Gospel in Europe 

She wrote “Our mission really refutes the attitude about not being able to find individuals in this part of the world interested in learning about the restored Gospel.  To people who say “Oh, have fun on your mission.  That is such a beautiful place but you won’t have much success”, we say “There’s this really great book called the B of M that I would to invite you to read.  What about Alma and Amulek preaching to the people of Ammonihah and all of the other unlikely stories of success in missionary work?  Wasn’t King Lamoni converted?  None of that really matters.  Success isn’t measured by numbers anyway.

#2 – I asked her how she was feeling.

She wrote “I guess I don’t stop to think about it all that much.  But I’m going to try to assess my feelings now. Ha ha.

         -Sometimes I feel inadequate . . . I think things like . . .

                  I don’t know the scriptures well enough.
                  I don’t know the language well enough.
                  I’m not a good enough teacher

And actually those are all true.  Which is why it’s a very good thing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are my teammates.  With them, I can do anything.  That doesn’t mean I don’t have personal responsibility. But they don’t want me to feel bad about myself.  But Satan does!

         -Sometimes I feel discouraged.  People can be so unreliable. So very few people are ready to make measurable progress or changes.
         - Sometimes I'll think that nothing is going the way I want
         - Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. There are SO MANY people that need this message! (That’s why God needs all of us to help).

BUT, for a disproportionate amount of the time, really so much of the time, even ALL the time, because it’s still there, and an underlying feeling even when other not-as-good feelings comes up, is a feeling of PEACE.  And I’m not just saying it because it sounds good.  Really it’s true. I’m just happy and at peace. I get anxious sometimes, but I’m so at peace knowing that I have the privilege of being one of the Lord’s full-time missionaries.  I was going to say I just feel good, but I think at peace is a better way to describe it.  I am exactly where my Heavenly Father wants me to be. I’ve never been so sure of that as I have on my mission. A mission was really his plan for me.  I’m trying to do what He wants me to do in my area.  I’m trying hard to represent Him well.  Knowing that I am where my Heavenly Father wants me and that I’m doing His work really does bring me such peace. 

And sometimes I feel EXTRA happy!  There are also just extra-good moments. These happen all mover.  I can hardly even give a sampling.

         -During my personal study when I find something super interesting or something that really speaks to me.
         -When I say something in German and Sister Siems (she’s German) says I said it exactly correct!  The other day I left a voice message and afterwards she told me I said everything right!  I know that probably sounds pathetic. It was a longerish voice mail – hah hah.
         -When we found Ruth this week!  I danced down the stairs after we left her apartment.
         -When we have a good lesson with a potential who was found because I talked to them!
         -Singing with Sister Siems. Things are just so good with Sister Siems. I feel so myself with her.
         -When an investigator seriously reads in the Book of Mormon (like how A stayed up until 2 am reading all of 1^st and 2^nd Nephi after telling me on the phone she wouldn’t have time to read before we came to visit her the next day.
         -When I see something super beautiful, or when I look around and just really know that I’m in EUROPE.
         -Or when I do anything that even slightly resembles hiking.

I do feel like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are very aware of me – all the time.

THINGS I WANT TO TELL THE WARD –

-I just want to encourage everyone to keep up their good efforts to forward the WORK OF SALVATION (strengthening members, visiting less active members, reaching out to recent converts, inviting non-members to learn more.
-I want to thank everyone for their SUPPORT!  It means so much. I also just want to say that everyone’s prayers on my behalf have made and continue to make a difference.  I really appreciate them.
-For future missionaries – Get to know your scriptures. Don’t stress, but really make the scriptures a part of your life.  Get familiar with them.

Love you so much.  I love being a missionary.