Family-
I love you!!!
And I love General Conference!! So inspired. But first, the background story.
Our zone set super high goals this month, and we started it off by fasting together to find the people and help bring them to Conference. We found two super good college students after that, and one of them came to two sessions of conference! Upcoming baptism: Valeria. She is so cute, and lives with her aunt, who is a rock solid member.
On the other hand, I had a little crisis this week, what with my last GC in the mission and having to renew my Chilean Carnet soon. Those are all signs that you're dying... Honestly, I spent one night just crying and praying that God wouldn't send me home. During the mini cambio we had this week, one of the hermanas asked me why I love my mission so much, and so I grabbed my tissues and started into the list.
I love teaching, I love meeting people in the street. I love having a companion. I love reading the scriptures every day and talking about the gospel all the time, and I love that look in people's eyes when they're really listening to you. I love seeing the stars at night and knowing that I've worked all day long, I love waking up in the morning and knowing that the gentle sunrise is about to turn into a long, busy day. I love when we have lots of visits. I love the days when we don't have any visits at all, and that all it takes to make it a great day is one little thought of how much Christ did for me and what a privilege it is to even just wander around and talk to strangers for His sake. I love all the graffiti that there are on the walls and buildings here. I love the little notes that my companion leaves me to tell me she loves me. I love joking around at night with the hermanas about funny people we met in the street. I love tin roofs. Love Chilean rain. Love knowing that fashion and makeup and getting ready in the morning don't matter to me, because I have more important things to think about! Love knowing that I'm helping people. Love it when the church leaders trust in me. I love all the multicolored beer caps in the road and the smell of fresh Chilean bread. Love giving talks. Love asking hard questions that make people change their frame of mind. Love taking the bus for half price. Love being on top of things- dividing time between helping the hermanas, taking care of my sector, progressing personally, showing love for my companion. I love seeing God take hand in people's lives and feel Him answering my prayers. And that isn't all!
There is nothing like being a missionary.
Saturday morning we got to watch a rebroadcast of the Women's session, and that was where I began to feel it. I worked with the Zone Leaders and a member in our ward to get a separate English room set up, but the member couldn't bring her laptop to that specific session, so we were all together in Spanish. As I sat there and heard the talks and presented my dilemma to the Lord, I don't know how to describe exactly what I felt. All I know is that I hadn't put a new pack of tissues in my bag after that mini cambio...
But really. It impressed me what Linda Burton said in the women's session of Conference- that all the easy things in the church have already been done. My life is the same- if I think well about my life up to this point, I can recognize that the easy things, the things that I wanted and planned for, have already been done. I've gone through the normal phases and the time will come when I have to enter another one, because God has called on me me to do that. This General Conference, I felt the reality of my mission after the mission.
It became clear to me that these months that I have left are a special gift, one that I must enjoy and use well. This is my time to serve with everything I have, find joy in those little missionary things, and continue progressing in the strength of the Lord. I felt myself change, felt myself take a firmer footing on the rock of my Redeemer and trust in whatever plan He has for me ahead. We must be willing to turn everything over to Him, and I want you all to know that I have a living testimony of the law of sacrifice. My life has been, and will continue to be, one long journey to really consecrate myself to the Lord. Sometimes that comes in sudden moments of sacrifice, and sometimes that comes along with little daily denial of our natural man.
That was my big lesson of the week. How blessed we are to have living apostles and prophets that can really speak the words of God for us! A couple fun moments this week: helping Cata Oporto with her Calculus homework. The Spirit really does bring all things to our memory! I felt extremely happy after breaking open the hard problems that they couldn't find the answer to. Thank you, Calculus B! Also made my own version of Egg Drop Ramen soup today, and I must say it turned out quite well.
I love you all!!!!!
Hermana Oldroyd
Wanted to take a picture with Vale Canobra Parra and her car- she is always willing to help and comes out with us once a week, sometimes drives us places also. Lifesaver!!! I looooooove her.
I love you!!!
And I love General Conference!! So inspired. But first, the background story.
Our zone set super high goals this month, and we started it off by fasting together to find the people and help bring them to Conference. We found two super good college students after that, and one of them came to two sessions of conference! Upcoming baptism: Valeria. She is so cute, and lives with her aunt, who is a rock solid member.
On the other hand, I had a little crisis this week, what with my last GC in the mission and having to renew my Chilean Carnet soon. Those are all signs that you're dying... Honestly, I spent one night just crying and praying that God wouldn't send me home. During the mini cambio we had this week, one of the hermanas asked me why I love my mission so much, and so I grabbed my tissues and started into the list.
I love teaching, I love meeting people in the street. I love having a companion. I love reading the scriptures every day and talking about the gospel all the time, and I love that look in people's eyes when they're really listening to you. I love seeing the stars at night and knowing that I've worked all day long, I love waking up in the morning and knowing that the gentle sunrise is about to turn into a long, busy day. I love when we have lots of visits. I love the days when we don't have any visits at all, and that all it takes to make it a great day is one little thought of how much Christ did for me and what a privilege it is to even just wander around and talk to strangers for His sake. I love all the graffiti that there are on the walls and buildings here. I love the little notes that my companion leaves me to tell me she loves me. I love joking around at night with the hermanas about funny people we met in the street. I love tin roofs. Love Chilean rain. Love knowing that fashion and makeup and getting ready in the morning don't matter to me, because I have more important things to think about! Love knowing that I'm helping people. Love it when the church leaders trust in me. I love all the multicolored beer caps in the road and the smell of fresh Chilean bread. Love giving talks. Love asking hard questions that make people change their frame of mind. Love taking the bus for half price. Love being on top of things- dividing time between helping the hermanas, taking care of my sector, progressing personally, showing love for my companion. I love seeing God take hand in people's lives and feel Him answering my prayers. And that isn't all!
There is nothing like being a missionary.
Saturday morning we got to watch a rebroadcast of the Women's session, and that was where I began to feel it. I worked with the Zone Leaders and a member in our ward to get a separate English room set up, but the member couldn't bring her laptop to that specific session, so we were all together in Spanish. As I sat there and heard the talks and presented my dilemma to the Lord, I don't know how to describe exactly what I felt. All I know is that I hadn't put a new pack of tissues in my bag after that mini cambio...
But really. It impressed me what Linda Burton said in the women's session of Conference- that all the easy things in the church have already been done. My life is the same- if I think well about my life up to this point, I can recognize that the easy things, the things that I wanted and planned for, have already been done. I've gone through the normal phases and the time will come when I have to enter another one, because God has called on me me to do that. This General Conference, I felt the reality of my mission after the mission.
It became clear to me that these months that I have left are a special gift, one that I must enjoy and use well. This is my time to serve with everything I have, find joy in those little missionary things, and continue progressing in the strength of the Lord. I felt myself change, felt myself take a firmer footing on the rock of my Redeemer and trust in whatever plan He has for me ahead. We must be willing to turn everything over to Him, and I want you all to know that I have a living testimony of the law of sacrifice. My life has been, and will continue to be, one long journey to really consecrate myself to the Lord. Sometimes that comes in sudden moments of sacrifice, and sometimes that comes along with little daily denial of our natural man.
That was my big lesson of the week. How blessed we are to have living apostles and prophets that can really speak the words of God for us! A couple fun moments this week: helping Cata Oporto with her Calculus homework. The Spirit really does bring all things to our memory! I felt extremely happy after breaking open the hard problems that they couldn't find the answer to. Thank you, Calculus B! Also made my own version of Egg Drop Ramen soup today, and I must say it turned out quite well.
I love you all!!!!!
Hermana Oldroyd
First rainy day
Nice little blessing from God- I DO love English!! Tutored Cony Labarca, a cute 10 year old in our ward, for a little more than an hour, and had a blast
Wanted to take a picture with Vale Canobra Parra and her car- she is always willing to help and comes out with us once a week, sometimes drives us places also. Lifesaver!!! I looooooove her.
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