Shout-Outs, Warriors, and Mosquitoes

May 26, 2014

Shout-Outs, Warriors, and Mosquitoes

Elder Grow came this week.  And changed my mission.  The only annoying thing is that he didn’t come and give this talk at the beginning of my mission!  But it is really cool to see the mission change.  We felt a little stuck. And that helped me feel like, I have a way to have the faith I have always wanted to have. I’ll let you know how it goes.

So he asked for people to share thoughts, and when we were talking about personal revelation, I shared what my daddy told me when I was a teenager, figuring out how to follow the Spirit.  I said it in English, because it really doesn’t translate well.  “A thought is inspiration until proven otherwise” [now-famous quote that Joe came up with] with the scripture Alma 31:5, and how thoughts should be assumed as something to be followed immediately before something to be shoved away.  Innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent.  (Something probably less makey sensey than that.)  And then he stopped, and was like, “Hermana, you need to thank your dad for me.”  And then winked at me like three times after that during the meeting.  What up, Daddy!  How cool is that?  You seriously are a GA.  People always think I am cool just because my family is so cool.  That happened in high school all the time with Dalt.

And Mommy, just so you don’t think that I only talk about Daddy, when other missionaries try to be all noble and say, I never really missed my family that much, I say something about how I still haven’t gotten over not being able to talk to my mom every day on the way home.  Also, when people see the pic of you and dad making out in my fam book, people take pictures of it.  Literally.  All of the sisters that I am with. They’re like, that is THE most romantic thing I have ever seen.  And start crying.  And ask if y’all are still like that.  And I am like, they are worse.  

Also, there was this kid Joao this week.  This less active 22 year old.  He always has a million questions, but then doesn’t listen to the answers.  So I was kind of like “Look, Holmes” with him.  Because he just wanted to argue.  So yea.  I was like, you can’t ask us then.  You have to ask God.  And he was arguing with that, and I may or may not have just driven the point home a little fiercely.  But then, his mom started telling us about these crazy experiences he has had.  And I was like, oh my gosh.  And I felt embarrassed.  Like, I had just told off my superior.  And I saw him for a second, who he really was.  This warrior.  And then I talked to him a little differently.  And the next day, he listened to us.  It was really cool. He was like, “But I know you know.  That’s why I am asking you these things.”  And I was like, yea, but I am going to use the Book of Mormon and DyC to respond, so you have to believe in those first.  And then we can get into the deeper stuff.  And he was like, but you’re leaving next week!  Ha—it was darling.   [Davi asked me to take out that last part for the blog because she thought it would sound too cocky, but I really like it.  Sorry, Dave!]

  

Anyway, it has been a fabulous week opening an area here in Tumbes [see photo].  I will go back on Wednesday we think. But I have loved it.  Legs all mosquitoed up, but happy.  That’s how life should be, right? 

Love you guys!

Hermana J