Week 30
I think my favorite part about being a missionary is the part where I get to see people progress towards their best selves. Over the past few weeks, we've been working with a few people who have some baptismal dates coming up! I look back on when I first met them and am truly blown away by their progress. One woman (Krystyna), I remember our first meeting and she didn't really understand much at all. The first couple of times we asked her to be baptized, she said "but i've already been baptized". But now she is praying personal prayers, is coming to all 3 hours of church, is doing all she can to get work off on Sundays and even find a new job because she wants to keep the Sabbath Day holy so badly, she is beginning to recognize the Spirit more and more, she's quit drinking coffee, and she is getting baptized in 2 weeks! She still recognizes that she does not know everything, but her faith in God's promises really blows me away! She doesn't know a ton about this gospel, but she knows that the Book of Mormon is from God, and that God wants us to be baptized by someone who holds the proper authority (which is only found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!). She has faith the promised blessings that come with baptism really will be given to her. Despite a crazy home life, I see her becoming happier and happier every day! The members have really reached out to show her love! and she is on a greater scale feeling the love of God because He's proud of her decisions to try to have a closer relationship with Him.
Something Sister Poklinkowska and I recognized this week is that this change we see in people does not come from us or our work. Yes, sometimes we feel like we have to change these people's lives. But I realized this week that it is NOT me who is changing these people's lives. I am leading them to the person who CAN change their lives...and that person is our Savior Jesus Christ. I have seen Him transform these people into a better version of themselves. And I see more and more how He is changing me to become the best version of MYself.
When I first left on my mission, I wanted to prove to myself and to everyone else that I'd go on a mission and come back and still be Kendall and not a weird "Sister Blake". But I understand now how silly that is...to try and hold onto yourself like I was trying to. I have seen myself progress to be more spiritually in tune, to be more patient (still working on it), to be more virtuous, to make this gospel the center of my life. In the process of this change, I'm still me...but I'm just a better version of me! I realize now...what's so bad about being "Sister Blake"! That's the best version of myself...Avery in her letter a few months ago drew the attention to the fact that our name tags have 2 names: our last name, and Christ's name. Here I am representing my eternal family and my Eternal Brother. Yes I'm still me, but I'm becoming more and more the disciple of Christ I've always wanted to be!
We've made really great relationships with the members here and even the other day, we exercised with our dear friend Sister Malinowska! She walks every morning in this beautiful park with ski poles :) It's pretty great and we went with her this week and it was just beautiful! So a picture is attatched!
Also the funny moment of this week, We had "Sports Saturday" which is an hour and a half this Saturday where we played basket ball with members and investigators... it ended up being perfect because with Ania angels investigating the church, we've got to be sure that she has friends! So it went really well!! But a member named Ola thinks my name should be Vivian because she thinks that "Vivian Blake" rolls off the tongue real nicely and that it sounds like a movie star :) So any time that she would want me to pass her the ball during this Sports Saturday, she kept yelling VIVIAN!!! haha it ended up being a good trick because it confused the other team! muahaha
Anyways, have a good week! be healthy...not just physically, but spiritually too. Just like not eating or drinking for a day takes a huge toll on us, not reading the scriptures and praying for a day also takes its toll on our spirits . So eat up and "feast upon the words of Christ!"
Love,
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