December 30, 2013

Week 40

Dear Family and friends,

Since I've been slacking so much on my emails lately, I wanted to put a little more effort into this one, so I hope that it is okay.

This week was so fantastic! Having Christmas in the mission field is just the best thing ever! I hope this doesn't sound awful, but I actually didn't miss my family at all! The opportunity to serve this Lord at this time of year is better than any party or present or powder day of skiing that I could ever ask for! I have learned so much about this Savior this Christmas season. I was able to focus on not just the birth of Jesus Christ, but on His life and on His eternal destiny to forever be our Savior and King! I loved singing the Christmas carols because in a very real way, like the angles that the shepherds saw in the heavens on the night of the birth of Christ, so am I an angel singing praises to Christ the Lord!

In addition to it being Christmas time, it is the turn of the New Year. A time for a new beginning. I must say, this week I have been craving a change. I am glad that it's the start of a new transfer with the potential for a new things (missionaries, area, investigators, etc). Allowing you all to peer into the corners of my heart: I feel like I just need a change...I feel like things are just becoming so repetitive. Yes, I am learning new things every day and yes, I do my absolute best to not be rote when I teach on the street and in lessons...but to be perfectly honest, I just feel like something needs to be shaken up. Especially because we have a maxi transfer (aka 14 WEEKS) coming up...I really hope that this 3 1/2 month long transfer won't get me into any ruts or feelings of repetitiveness. Like we all know, my mission is way to short for that kind of thing! After this maxi transfer, I'll only have 2 transfers left...I really can't believe it and don't want it to be true! I love my mission SOOO much! Anyways... just writing what I truly feel here. :) HONESTY CIRCLE! I really hope that people don't think less of me as they practically are reading my journal on this blog! haha

It really is interesting though how I have been craving this need for change. I studied the Plan of Salvation or the Plan of Happiness a lot this week... and I realize more and more as I study it that progression is absolutely essential to our entire existence! I'm still learning exactly why, but I think I'm grasping it better and better. I understand that we lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to this Earth...but because we didn't have bodies or knowledge of good and bad, sadness and happiness, easiness and difficulty, we couldn't progress. That's why we were sent to this Earth! I know that if a person is ever feeling that they maybe don't know their purpose in life or are feeling repetitive or like they are dragging their feet in life, it's because they need to PROGRESS! We need to change and learn and grow! When we're stagnant in a place, we don't feel joy...and we are on Earth to have joy! Yes, sometimes in our life getting out of a routine can be uncomfortable, but the joy that is felt as change occurs or even after change is made, is so worth the uncomfortableness. We experience, change, and grow in this life! This is life eternal! To progress and to upodobnić się do Boga...to become like God who is perfect! I'm grateful that it is a new year... now is the time that I can reevaluate myself, my work and my dedication to the Lord and make changes so that I can progress into the person, friend, wife, and mother that I need to be and will need to be. The Lord has a plan for me, of that I am certain. I know that He has a plan for every one of us! And we can reach the potential we have by continually progressing.

Funny moment (which always is actually a scary moment that later is funny!)  We went to this old less active man's house because he inviting us over for dinner...I don't know why because he seemed like he hated us the whole time! No matter what we said, we weren't doing it right! If we ate too much of the food, we weren't saving enough for others; if we ate too little, he would get offended because he thought we hated his cooking! It was so awkward, and I was sitting across from Elders Lanham and Smith the whole time, trying with all my might to hold in laughter at their facial expressions as we were all trying to hold down our food after shoveling this VERY Polish food down our throats! hahaha it was all just a very laughable experience!

Well I love you all so much!! Merry Christmas Mr. Potter!... Happy New Year to you.. in jail!

Love,

Sister Blake