Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Episode 13: The One with Christmas!

Hello everyone! I hope the holidays are treating you all well.

Christmas here was crazy! Our mission president let us sleep in until 8:00, which was awesome. We then visited members all day because people get cranky and apparently sometimes violent when strangers knock on their doors and interrupt their major national holidays. I think I ate 6 or 7 meals on Christmas, because everyone we visited seemed very concerned about us going hungry. We have a saying here (especially in the Samoan ward) that when you eat with members, you don't eat until you're full, you eat until you hate yourself, unless it's rude to stop, and then you keep going. I thought this was a joke at first, but people get seriously offended if you don't eat their food! We even have people send us plates and boxes home sometimes. But I'm certainly not complaining, because I only have to spend about $15 on groceries every week.

I also got to Skype with my family on Christmas, and that was definitely the best part for me. A member asked us if talking to our families is hard and makes us miss home, but honestly it doesn't. I think that if you are out on your mission because you want to be out on your mission and you love what you're doing (which I do), then talking to your family is just added awesome because you get to share your excitement with them. But, if you hate being out on your mission and you don't want to be here, I can see how talking to your family could definitely make that worse.

I've learned a lot about perspective this week. On Saturday, Sister Humphereys and Sister Johansen were both sick, so Sister Rydalch and I went proselyting together. We were talking to people coming and going at a large central bus stop. We talked to one woman who was very bitter about religion. She said she prays every day, but nothing changes in her life. She said all churches have ever done is try to take her money, and that they never try to help her with her needs. We asked if there was anything we could do to help her out and she said she was short on bus fare, and asked if we could give her some money, which we are not allowed to do. We said we couldn't help her, but that if she ever needed help around her house or in her yard she could call us. She grumbled some swear words, said church people are all the same, and left. About 5 minutes later, as we were walking back to our car, we stopped and talked to a man in a wheelchair. We asked how he was doing, and he said he was having a "blessed day". He wasn't interested in learning from us because he had to catch a bus, but wished us luck in spreading the good word. We asked if there was anything we could do to help him out, and it turns out that he was also short on bus fare, and again we couldn't help him. But instead of grumbling or swearing, he said " I understand. Don't worry, God will provide a way. Have a wonderful day." and he left to catch his bus. Seeing two people with the same problem but such different reactions was really humbling to me. I think sometimes I am the grumbling lady, letting hard things that happen to me make me bitter and looking for someone to blame or take my anger out on. Instead, I want to try to be like the man who trusts that "God will provide a way", and considers every day a blessed day, even when I'm in a wheelchair and short on my bus fair.

The work is a little slow right now. A lot of people like talking to us and acknowledge that our message makes them feel good, but not a lot of people want to change their lifestyle to fit with what they are learning. It makes me kind of sad to see such great potential from such amazing people not really coming to anything, but I'm hope that our interactions are still having a positive impact on their lives. I also know that we are working hard and doing the things we are supposed to be doing, so if we have enough faith and trust in the Lord's timing, we will find people that are willing to change.

I love my job and I love you all. Keep being awesome!

Love,

Sister Lemon

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