Week 16, November 24, 2015

From Lanae:

Hmmm, no group email this week either. I can confirm she is alive and well as she did briefly respond to our personal email but not with anything worth sharing. ("Yes, the tights got here, thanks!" type of stuff, that's it.)

Maybe next week we'll fare better. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers, we really appreciate it. Picture was posted on FB this Sunday (Nov 22nd) so I'm sharing with y'all.

Week 15, November 17,2015

Hi! I didn't write a letter in advance this week so I will have to send two next week. Today we are really busy and I'm sorry that I didn't do my due diligence. Next week will be awesome, I promise! I love you all and thank you for having patience with me and supporting me. Have a great week! 

Love, and very sorry,

Hermana Lindh

Week 14, Nov 10, 2015

¡Hola mis amigos y familia!

Okay, this past week has been interesting (As most are). We had two
investigators who were doing really well! We were excited for them
because they've had all the lessons, kept their commitments, and
everything seemed on track. But, this Sunday we learned from one that
she wants to wait till January for various reasons and the other, who
is 11, her mom wants the dad to baptize her and he's in Mexico so
she'll have to wait until January as well. We weren't excited at all
after that. We had actually been fasting (fasting is when we go
without food and water for 2 meals so as to better communicate with
the Lord and show our willingness to listen to Him) for them, that
they might be baptized on the 14th so when we learned that, we were
both a bit....antsy.
The major thing that I'm struggling with is the personal revelation
aspect; when we set our goals for the month and coming week, we felt
like the Lord confirmed them. Yet, we were thrown this curve ball
which changes our goals. I know our calling gives us the authority to
receive revelation "for" these people (meaning we are inspired in what
to do and say to and for them) but they're saying that their
revelation is saying something else. In the case of the 11 year old,
it's her mom saying and doing this, not the girl herself. And the
other is 19 and has said that every time she prays she feels like she
needs to wait until January.
How does revelation work? Did we not have enough faith? Did we miss
revelation throughout the week? Are we supposed to be pushing still
for their original date? I'm just struggling with the disappointment
that they may not be baptized soon when we thought they were going to
be, and also the understanding behind revelation. I'm not upset at our
goals changing or anything like that. I'm sad that these two precious
daughters of God, who are ready to be baptized, seem like they have to
wait. I feel like I haven't done my job well or that I could've
done/said something else that would have changed this.
But, I still have hope. I'm not exactly sure how things are going to
work out so this is when faith steps in. The Lord is asking me to take
this next step forward with faith, knowing full well that I like
seeing where I'm going but asking me to trust Him anyway. I'm still a
bit upset to be honest, but it's all good right now. We'll keep
working with these two and help them in any way we can and let the
Lord take care of it. This isn't easy or natural for me; I like to be
in charge. Thank goodness though that we have an all-knowing and all
loving Father who is there to guide us. This work wouldn't be possible
without Him.

Besides this kinda hard topic, this week has been great. My companion,
Hermana Lewis, is a Sister Training Leader (she's a sister missionary
who other sisters talk to and report to. She's kinda like a mom for
some of the sisters here. =) ) and so she goes on exchanges fairly
frequently (an exchange is when missionaries change companions for
usually no more than 24 hours at a time. It's to give us an
opportunity to see how others work and how they're doing). This means
that I'm left in charge of our area which is a bit overwhelming to me,
but is also really cool! It gives me an opportunity to see how well
I'm doing with Spanish and also how comfortable I am with planning and
leading lessons. Basically, it's a great checkpoint for me because my
next transfer (which is Dec. 9th) I am most likely getting a new
companion and I'll need to step up. I'll also no longer be a newbie
(12 > weeks old) but rather a greenie (12-18 weeks old). This means
that, technically speaking, I could be able to train a newbie.
Another highlight of the week is that it snowed for the first time
this season!!!! It didn't last for very long but it's supposed to be
snowing again soon! Oh, I've missed snow! I think in a few weeks I'll
be over it and cold, but for now it's magical for me =)
Um, what else........I guess I'll share with you how I'm changing my
small habits. There are things that everyone does because that's just
who they are and for me, it's playing with my hands while I am
thinking or concentrating. This small habits are not bad necessarily
but they can drive someone else insane, like my companion =) so, I am
learning how to have charity for others and control my little habits
better. This is a good skill to have not only for now, but for
college, marriage, church callings, etc. Any time I could be around
others, I just need to have a little more self control. I know it's
possible (see Ether 12:27) and I want to love others enough to do it,
so I'm doing it, just one day at a time =)

Overall, I'm still doing great, I'm working hard and enjoying life.
Thank you again for all your love and support; I need it.
Be good and remember who you are!

Love,
Hermana Lindh

Week 13, Nov 3, 2015

¡Buenas días!
I have learned a lot this past week.
This was the first week of my second transfer (a transfer is a 6week
period of time where we serve in an area. You could potentially be
moved every 6 weeks, or every transfer, but the norm is to stay in one
area or with your companion for 2-3 transfers. There are about 8
transfers in a year) and I have been able to see quite distinctly what
a new missionary is like. I know I was new myself just 6 weeks ago but
I already feel really old and learned next to the new missionaries.
Yes, comparison is bad, but I actually gained hope for them and myself
by seeing how much someone can change in such a short time. The
atonement of Jesus Christ is not just for non-members or less actives
but also for good members who are trying their best. I think we (me
specifically) sometimes forget that we need it and should access it
every day.
For example, this morning (Mon. the 2nd) I kinda broke down on Sister
Lewis. She was helping me improve our spiritual thoughts with members
(which we share anytime we have dinner because we are fed by the
members) because mine have been kinda choppy, and I was struggling
emotionally. I felt like although I've been working hard, I'm just not
getting it. My frustration with myself, with Spanish (even though I
love this language), and with being a new missionary all kinda hit me
at once. I was upset because I felt/feel like I'm not doing as well as
I could be, and that I didn't prepare enough before my mission, and
that I'm hindering others because of where I am spiritually.
Sister Lewis, my companion, was very patient with me and helped me
calm down before practicing with me how to share a spiritual thought.
I felt better and now I'm trying to have more patience with myself and
faith that the Lord is working with and through me. It's hard though!
I feel like every flaw that I have, every weakness and doubt, is being
poked at! I know some of it is Satan trying to make me doubt who I am
and why I'm here, but I also know some of it is the Lord trying to
help me get better. Either way, I was just kinda struggling this
morning.
I have grown within these past 6 weeks and I am still growing which is
good, necessary even. The Lord has given me this opportunity to help
and serve others, but also to make me the Latter-Day Saint woman He
wants me to be. He wants and needs me to be the type of woman Pres.
Russell M. Nelson talked about during conference. (Please see lds.org
for the October 2015, Sunday morning session "A Plea to My Sisters")
That's going to take some growth though and growth requires being
uncomfortable in certain ways. I'm comfortable in the knowledge of who
I am and the plan of salvation, but I'm uncomfortable right now in
"what exactly are my strengths?" "How do I need to use my talents and
skills?" I don't know 100% right now, but I'm learning so that is what
is important.
I love being a missionary and I know that it's all worth it if I give
my all to the Lord. The hard is only too much when I loose sight of my
purpose, which is to "invite others unto Christ by helping them
receive the Restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His
atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost,
and enduring to the end." I know it better in Spanish =) This
principle is true though for life in general! The last step of
Christ's gospel is to endure to the end and, personally speaking, we
can't do that without knowing our purpose. We have to keep sight of
why we are and where we are going in order to live Christ's gospel as
perfectly as we can. That's why it is crucial that I share, and all of
those with the knowledge of, the plan of salvation.
That is one of the major things that keeps me going. I know where I
came from and why I am here on earth. I know who I am, a daughter of
God, and where I want to be. I want to live with my family eternally
with God and Christ so I will do all I can now to demonstrate that
desire and willingness. My goal is possible only through the atonement
of Christ, which was Him suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, His
death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection.
I am a missionary for Jesus Christ so that all of my beloved brothers
and sisters can have the same joy, peace, and hope that I have. I am
here, learning and growing, so as to help as many people as possible.
It's what Christ has asked of me, and He asks it of you too, just in a
different way for right now. Pray to know how He would have you build
His kingdom and serve your siblings. You'll receive an answer if you
intend to act on it, I promise.

I struggled this week, but it's all worth is for mortality is but a
small moment in all of eternity, and everyone is worth it.
I love you all and I hope that you're doing well. I hope you're happy.
Remember who you are and learn something this coming week!

Love,
Hermana Lindh