What a great week! Brockport has been beautiful so far. Our area is super huge compared to most areas, but I would much prefer that to being in a tiny area.
First of all, the apartment is great! We have AC! It's wonderful. Poor Buffalo. Not that it's been really warm anyways since NY has stayed in the 70s and 80s pretty much all summer it seems. I guess some days it gets into the 90s, but nothing crazy like the rest of the known world. The Elders we moved in after left it really clean which I'm grateful for, also. A little more about Sister Wall (I'm sending a picture of us at transfer meeting)- she is from Provo, Utah and she's an elementary teacher. She's a lot more timid and reflective than Sister Thomas, so adjusting teaching with her has been very different but it's been good! I've started to notice my own teaching style come out more now that I'm kind of more in the lead. Sister Wall has been on her mission about 10 months, so we're both around the halfway point. It's a good place to be.
I'm really grateful for the chance to be rotated so often and to have the chance to get to know so many different people while I'm on my mission. Sister Wall and I have already had some really good conversations. Everyone has different experiences and perspectives! So interesting. Everyone goes through pain, you know? No one is left unscathed, it seems. One of the biggest lessons I've learned from Sister Wall so far has been just to be yourself. As she put it, "We're meant to learn from each other, not become each other." It's true! We've talked a lot about how comparison and pride break us down. Can you imagine a God that created us just to stand back and watch us rank each other? So terrible! I'm grateful to know that I'm beautiful in my own way. It's a long road to figure that out, and I've still got a long way to go. I'm getting there, though. Sometimes I look at pictures of people from home: Alaina, Aly, Randi, Amanda, Jenevra, Steph, Mindy, Anita, Erma...I am always struck with how beautiful all of those wonderful women are! Every time I look at a picture! Immediately after I'm always worried that that don't see themselves that way and I wish there was a way I could show them. My perspective about beauty (and myself) is so different than it was 8 months ago! Sister Wall really is a great example for me.
Yesterday we got to meet the Brockport Ward and I love them! It's a tiny congregation, but they are so strong! I'm grateful for the chance I have to get to know them better. Something amazing happened yesterday at church besides running into tons of amazing people! A man named Joe walked into church out of the blue wanting to learn more. He's been taught by missionaries before, but this morning when he woke up he just really felt like he needed to go the LDS church. So he drove an hour from Waterport and found himself in my Gospel Principles class! (it was my assignment to teach Sunday school yesterday which worked out well)
Well that's actually all I can think of that you all would find interesting so I think I'll just wrap it up there. Just suffice it to say that it was a really fantastic week in the end.
Till Monday,
Hermana Raines
P.S. How is Aunt Ginny doing? I've been thinking a lot about her this week. I hope everything is good!
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| Sister Fetuli is training again! The "mom" and the "sister" |
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| New companion! |
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| Elder Adair! He's home now, but his Dad was my bishop for awhile in Provo and got me through a lot. I love the Adairs! |
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| Saying bye to Little Sophia! She lived in the upstairs apartment in Buffalo. She told us that aliens eat peanut butter and jelly one night when that's what we had for dinner. |
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| Saying bye to Taylor and Laney Hawes from Buffalo! I miss them already! |
I forgot to mention! New song this week.
Lyrics:
Once I had a dream
A point from which to grow
Sometimes life can seem
To move so slow
Step by step we turn
Leaving what's behind
Keeping what you've learned
In heart and mind
Chorus:
I know I need to give it one more try
I bet even birds are scared to fly
Sometimes
Way up high and scared to die alone
And still dreaming
Other times you run
And time is going fast
You seem to race the sun
Wanting days to last
Ugly skies ahead
And racing ever near
Awake- arise from bed
There's no room for fear
You know you need to give it one more try
I bet even birds are scared to fly
Sometimes
Way up high and scared to die alone
But still dreaming
The more you stand tall
The further to fall and
The higher you go
The harder the blow since
The taller you stand
The harder you'll land
But the more you can see
The happier you'll be in the end
I know you need to give it one more try
I bet even birds are scared to fly
Sometimes
Way up high and scared to die alone
But still dreaming
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." -Marianne Williamson
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