We had an interesting week, it being transfer week. You might be saying, "Sister Green, you goose, you didn't get transferred." Yes. I know. But transfer week is always a big load of wacky times since our district is being shuffled around and new missionaries are coming in and their all bright eyed and bushy tailed, and I'm making myself sound like an old veteran when literally I've only been here a little more than they have and this is a run-on sentence. Calming down.
We got the Standard for the fourth week in a row. It's sort of natural now - we're working on getting 40 lessons now to end the plateau, but I think that we're just catching our breath, so to speak, before we reach for the next wrung in the ladder. It's nice since we got nine new investigators this week, all with return appointments, so hopefully if they continue we can start seeing more progress in the area. This week was tough since it's graduation week at Bicol College and Bicol University, then they also have "graduations" from elementary and secondary school (which are big deals here) too, so a lot of our lessons fell through since people are partying it up. Melinda didn't come to church since apparently a requirement of her child's graduation is attending Mass across town.
We had an impromptu scripture study with a less active who is only less active because of her schooling. Her name is Diane. We're besties since she's also a super nerd like me. I explained to her and a member present the meaning of a few verses in first Nephi, talking about how cool it is that Nephi literally sees the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus and the Revolutionary War. Of course he doesn't straight out say that, but I explained how you could draw that information from the scriptures and Diane told me that she had always wished that she could understand and "create and image" with the scriptures like I can. That felt good, since I remembered that it says in my patriarchal blessing that I'll be able to understand "mysteries" that many can't.
The week was fairly good, steady six or seven lessons a day until Friday, when we only got a shocking two. It was a busy day - district meeting and district lunch, studying, and then a ward baptism later on - but still. Two? What? We were a little miffed, and I would have been more upset if I hadn't have had a really awesome day already.
That day, though seeming unproductive, was excellent. We taught Daphne, who, like us had risen to a certain point and then plateaued. She's progressing but not progressing, if that makes any semblance of sense. Our lesson was about Eternal Families and we watched "Together Forever" with her, an LDS film that takes the cake with cheesy music but also is one of my favorite tools with missionary work. We finished the movie, and we asked her if she had any questions about the movie that centered on the message that families can be forever, and she just turned to us and said, "Paano?" or "How?". I felt like rubbing my hands together and cackling. I love questions like that. I always just want to lean forward and say, "Well, lemme tell you!"
We had an amazing, long discussion about temple ordinances and forever families, and how her one decision to join the church could affect her family generations afterward. I shared a lot of stories of friends and family that lost loved ones and the comfort that the gospel gives them. Being the highly emotional one when it comes to this subject, I started crying as I told Daphne how happy, how incredible I feel knowing that my family is sealed together for eternity, that no matter what happens, even if I drop dead right now in the internet shop, our family can be together after death. That's awesome. It's always been my favorite doctrine in this Church, and Daphne looked like she wanted it too. She wants forever too, and she committed to talk to her mom about baptism. She also, in a crazy turn of events, attended the baptism that was at the church later that night. We are just feeling super hopeful for her.
To make up for our lack of lessons on Friday, we fasted and got a stunning 11 lessons on Saturday. Yep. Eleven. That was crazy. I was so tired though, talaga. Good tired though. Another little testimony builder there. In other news, our bishop was released, so we'll be seeing some changes in the ward in the next few weeks.
I hope that your week is legendary. You are all fantastic. I love and miss all of you very much.
Always,
Sister Green
Earworms:
1) "Within You" - David Bowie
2) "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" - David Bowie
I have a real hard time not having DB stuck in my head. It's a real problem right now.
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