Hello again.
We get to write twice this week because our schedule is a little weird... since it's our visitor center training week, we happened to get two preparation days. But today is a very sad day. :( I will explain why in a minute. But first, I want to tell you about visitor's center training! It has been a rollercoaster! Wednesday we got to go up to Temple Square. It was so fun to leave the prison (:P) and get out into the real world and go to a place that I know and love! Also, since it was early in the morning, there weren't very many people there... we mostly had it to ourselves. I cannot even tell you how strong the spirit was!! We took a tour as if we were visitors, just to get a feel of how it's done. We went to the Christus statue and everything, which I haven't seen in a few years. I loved it. And we get to go again tomorrow... only this time we really have to teach people! AAAHHH!
After the tour we stuck around for a while and had a little seminar about why being a visitor center missionary is so awesome. ;) (I think they have to try and make us feel better since many VC sisters open their call and think, "dumb, that's not a real mission...." ha.) But let me tell you, it was super motivating, and it made me really excited for my call!
People are getting more and more reluctant and uncomfortable to let strangers into their home who just knock on the door--they are much more willing to learn about the gospel online. The world is changing, and we get to be part of the change.
We actually had our first internet chat yesterday as part of our training! We got to talk to a REAL investigator! My very fist one!! Her name was Michelle. And get this: the very first thing she says to us is, "I'm interested in being baptized. What are the steps?" I thought, ARE YOU KIDDING?! It's not supposed to be this easy! :) She was really sincere, too, and she signed up to have missioanries visit her house! We get to chat with her again on Monday! I can't even tell you how many butterflies I had in my stomach.
But even through all the excitment... Man, I'm even more scared now to get out and serve than I was before I got here. I have SO MUCH hard work in front of me. And I'm not very good at teaching yet. That part's going to have to come in the process. I just wish I was perfect at it now! :P But I know it has to come with time, and Heavenly Father is going to teach me how to do this little by little. I have never had to have so much faith and a positive attitude in my life! It is so easy to get discouraged, but I'm getting better at pushing it away and just trying to do my best for the day.
One more fun fact: As of the most recent poll, the Mormon Battalion site is number 4 out of 181 most visited tourists spots in all of San Diego!! Number FOUR! It supposedly even beats Sea World and the San Diego Zoo! What???So that's the crazy fun exciting stuff.
So... last week we were sitting in class, and all the sudden somewhat shouted to our teacher from the other side of our room... and I looked over and Sister Kunz was having a seizure. (She's one of my roomates... there's four of us--my companion and I and Cassie Rasmussen who I worked with at La Jolla Groves and then Sister Kunz.) I rushed into the hallway and called an EMT down... turned out she has epilepsy and she never told any of us. :( I don't know if any of you know the rules about seizures on missions... but if you ever have one you're sent home the next day and you have to go 6 months without having another one before you can come back. Well... Sister Kunz hasn't had a seizure in 3 years, and she said her seizures usually last an hour, and this one was less than a minute. So they tried a few different doctor's appointments to see if it was just a change of medicine that was needed or something... so she stayed another week while they figured it out and had a few meetings with people... but they still decided to send her home. She left just half an hour ago. :( It is so, so heart breaking. We all became so close and she has been such an example to me. The worst part is that it makes me feel sooo ungrateful. She wanted to be here more than anything, and there was nothing she could do about it. It made me think, "I bet she even wants to be here more than I do, but she has to go and I get to stay." :( It has really humbled me and makes me realize how lucky I am to have a properly functioning body... and it makes me want to NOT WASTE TIME. It is a privilege to be here that can easily be taken away. Please pray for Sister Kunz. She has had a really great outlook on the whole thing--she's a rock. She knows that whatever the Lord wants to happen will happen, and I strongly admire her. But she can always use the extra prayers.
I love you all! I love the gospel! Jesus Christ is REAL and he is POWERFUL. He is my savior, and I am coming to love Him more than I ever have.
Count your blessings.
Love,
Sister Madsen
No comments:
Post a Comment