How far's that plane?

So...I just got my travel plans! Weird. Not sure what to think about that, so that's all I'm saying for now! Haha. I will get to the Greensboro airport at 12:12pm. That must be some sort of lucky omen. Right?

We have really been trying to focus our efforts on a few families who have fallen into addiction, namely smoking. I've really come to appreciate the struggles that people go through so much more, especially addiction. As I've seen in my limited experience, every addiction is primarily emotional. I've loved becoming a tool to help people overcome physical addictions through spiritual means. I'm grateful that my understanding has grown to where I'll be able to help people in the future after I'm a missionary, as well. I can take it with me! I'm also grateful that I never got into smoking, drinking or drugs in any way. It's just not something I ever want to worry about kicking. I like my freedom, thank you.

 

I've really loved working with Sister Szuch! She has been so patient with me and my crazy self. She's seriously just so good that sometimes I forget she's new and have to remember to explain things instead of just rolling. Luckily she is quick AND patient. You should never wish for me to be your trainer :) She is extremely innovative and happy to be here, so we have been trying to contact as many people in the ward as possible- especially those who are members but who haven't been coming in a long time. One of my favorite things to do is to ask if there is anyone they know of who is going through a hard time in any way and could use a visit or an uplifting message or some service done. We've had the chance to meet people going through some of the hardest times of their lives- right after losing a baby, right after a husband was taken away to jail, etc. Most often these people aren't interested in hearing more about Jesus Christ, but they have accepted having two new friends! I am good at being friends with people I've found, so it's been fun for me, too. My goal is to know everyone in this little village of Waterloo by the time I leave in May!

Ok well that's pretty much it for this week. I hope everyone is well! I am happy and working hard. No worries here. Just take care of yourselves, please!
Love,
Sister Raines.

Bubble

Huge theme this week:
Think big!

How cliched that is :) But let me explain. So much happened this week that has helped me to expand the way I think, but as most learning, it seems I'm fairly helpless to explain it efficiently. I will try.

Most of this lesson started with a scripture in 1 Nephi 11. Nephi is asked, "What desirest thou?" Such a curious question! The entire concept of prayer operates on that question. God knows our hearts, so clearly He is aware of what we need and want. Then why does He ask that we talk to Him? Why ask? Well, He needs us to think bigger than we do. I realized that in all that I do and ask for, I should really ask myself, "What are you really asking for here? What do you really want?" Do my desires stem from selfish motives or do I trust God enough to want whatever He wants for me? With that, something else clicked in my head this week. Where is the ceiling of my potential, and who built it? We live with Sisters Adams and Earl. Sister Adams was a dance teacher in Arizona before her mission. This week she told me about her decision when she was younger to get good at dance. She put aside other sports and dedicated herself to learning and practicing. Eventually she became what she wanted to become. My whole life, I have tried little bits of everything, assuming that if I was to be proficient at it that it would just come once I tapped in. The only time that wasn't so was with Spanish. In high school when I was told I would never been good at Spanish, I still felt a drive to continue to learn. In college I enrolled in classes and eventually thought, "Why shouldn't I be fluent in Spanish? Other people learn. Why not me?" That same concept applies across the board! Most of my life I've been content with what I felt has been allotted to me. I still think it's important to be happy in every circumstance, but whose to say I can't be a long distance runner or play the cello simply because no one told me to when I was 7? I have a lot of life left to live, and a lot of opportunity. Historically, talent is not only afforded to those with money. Learn something, do something, make something of yourself. I don't intend on being the best at anything, but why shouldn't I learn to be great at things?

Ok so that's all a lot of talk, right? Talk is meaningless without action, just like "faith without works is dead." (James 2:20) Therefore, goals for 2013:
-Learn to be good at budgeting. As in, make it a strength. Requirements: asking advice, self control, reading books from those who know more than me :)
-Becoming flexible. Starting with...being able to touch my toes. I've always been embarrassed that I can't do that! Every morning I've started stretching to try and slowly inch towards being able to do it.
-Learn (more) music theory. My abilities in music theory are really pretty pathetic. Sister Brown started giving me some quick 5 minute lessons, and on pdays I've started spending time practicing hymns from the hymn book. One day I'm actually going to be able to read sheet music and play in church. You'll see!
-Be (more) fluent in Spanish. This one is going to need to wait for real progress until I'm home from my mission. I'd like to look into getting some Spanish podcasts and CDs to listen to while I get ready in the morning to boost my comprehension. Right now my opportunities to learn are seriously limited, but I'd like to make the most of them once I'm home. 

There is so much available to us in this age of information! Do you want to start learning Italian or how to play the guitar? 
Mastery requires two things:
1. Consistency
2. Intensity

Both of those begin with the vision to see past today.

In some ways these goals and ideas aren't that big. I haven't made a plan to move to Australia or become a body builder, but rather I'm just tired of dealing with what has already been given to me. This week I learned that God has so much more intended for me than I have made for myself. This life is our chance to learn and to grow and to BECOME! I don't want to waste any more time.

The last few weeks have clearly been intellectually stimulating for me (thank goodness- I was struggling in Brighton) and so for more thoughts, there is a blog post I wrote this week that you can feel free to read. It's on my mission blog. I post there from time to time and it is open to anyone. I've talked a little about the same subject before, but a few more things clicked into place this week. Enjoy :)

This week it is expected to stay down in the single digits, but I'll be safe! Don't worry. I'm grateful to be out here. I still have a work left to do!
Love love love
Sister Raines

Fort Kie- Our snow fort way back when before Elder Hole left

Bro Kie- Sister Hausauer and I with Brother Kie! He fed the missionaries every Friday night. Such a sweet man. He's the one that helped us with our family history! We were cooking and Elder Hole bestowed hats upon us that he didn't want to pack

Inner City Rochester District

Sister Szuch and I on her first day

Silva Family- LOVE THEM. I miss them so much already

Special treat for you all- Sister Adams! And Sister Earl is on the couch behind her. Ah my life. She would kill me if she knew I was sending this

The Peter Whitmer Farm! The snow melted last week cause there was a random stint of like 50 degrees. It was AWESOME.

Probably

A lot has happened!

Ok so first things first: New companion! Sister Szuch is from Boise, Idaho. She is one of NINE kids. Needless to say she is patient :) Also, she is a rockstar. By that I mean she really doesn't need training. She's been training me! Good thing too because we have too much to do for us to slow down too much. She catches on quick and is willing to work. It helps that she's intelligent haha we've had some refreshing discussions and she was an English major at BYU so we can relate on a lot of the same curriculum levels I couldn't ask for more in a companion! We live on the Peter Whitmer Farm with two Sisters that serve in Seneca Falls. The Peter Whitmer farm is where the church was organized in 1830. There is the Whitmer house, and then a visitors' center attached to the chapel, and then to the right of that is our house. 

There are pictures and some information on this site:
http://www.lds.org/locations/peter-whitmer-log-home

The Seneca Falls Sisters (Adams and Earl) have been SO fun to live with! I'm really grateful for them. There is also a senior couple that lives in the other side of our house, so we are well taken care of! Quite the adventure.

The first few days were full of trainings to get Sister Szuch used to missionary work and especially to working the historic sites, so we got to spend a lot of time with other 3 new sisters as well. They are great! And funny! Thank goodness. One in particular got up one meeting to introduce herself and she said. "what do you say up here? I'm a Mormon..." Hahaha. Perhaps you had to be there. Anyways! This week I've felt especially grateful to be serving around such wonderful people and to have the privilege of being a missionary. I don't have much time left! I really want to make the most of it. Leaving all of this will be difficult.

So as with every other time I've opened an area, the first few days can be a little confusing. I was a little worried about Sister Szuch because entering the mission field is crazy enough- especially when your trainer knows just as much about the area as you do! We've been trying to make the most of our time and we've already been able to meet a few people in the area and be involved in some good lessons. 

Last night we also had the opportunity to watch a broadcast of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and honestly I think it's one of my favorites of all time. He talked about three things specifically:
1. What is truth?
2. Is it really possible to know the truth?
3. How should we react to contradiction?
President Uchtdorf defined truth as existing beyond belief. It exists even if no one else believes it. He said, "Absolute truth is not dependent on public opinion or popularity." We are encouraged to seek truth wherever it may be! Rather than looking for things that disagree, we should have our hearts open to learning from others and trying to find things that will enrich and improve our understanding of life. Just be aware of all of those partials truths. President Uchtdorf reminded us of those who were sure that the Earth was flat, or those that believe the moon is a hologram. I thought of those who don't believe the Holocaust ever happened. You can believe that north is actually south and south is actually north, but if you want to get to New York from North Carolina, the truth is that north is north. Here's the link to watch the devotional:
http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/ces-devotionals/2013/01?lang=eng

I would highly recommend that you all watch it. So good. Just skip ahead to when President Uchtdorf starts speaking.

That's probably all for now.  I hope you are all well. I welcome news as always :)
Love,
Sister Raines

Kirk!

Haha...so....I'm leaving! Somehow I feel I should have expected this. I can't seem to stay in an area for more than a few months. I'm being transferred to Waterloo- the very eastern border of the mission. I wasn't expecting to leave because I've been asked to train a new missionary. I figured Sister Hausauer would be leaving since she's been in Brighton for 8 months, but this will be good. I'll be living in a little house right next to the Peter Whitmer Farm with the Seneca Falls sisters waaay out in the middle of nowhere. Thus, this email is likely to be a little scatterbrained. I'm not sure what to think. Here goes nothing!

 

 There's been a lot going on in my head, but not much elsewhere. I hope that this week will give me plenty to write about :) I'll come prepared with some kind of incredible speech. You will see! Until then, please pray that I'll be able to do this haha! And pray for my new companion. Starting your mission is the scariest thing! It gets better with time.

 

I hope everyone has been enjoying the new year! It looks like 2013 is going to be a historic year in my life for more reasons than I ever planned.
A lot of love from Western New York,
Sister Raines

The evidence

On top of it being the end of a new year, the end of the transfer is nigh! Calls will be in by next week. I am always curious as to what will happen considering every few months just about everything in my life changes, but I've seen so many times that what needs to happen happens, so I don't worry as much as I used to. Things work out.

 

The biggest news I have for this week is SNOW! Collectively we've received about 2 feet of snow here. It's insane! People here practically haven't noticed but I can't get over it! I've actually really enjoyed it so far to be honest. We've been shoveling a lot of driveways, and we took a break to make the most awesome igloo you've ever seen! Aptly named Fort Kie. Pictures....will come in the future :) Two 11 year-old girls from across the street pulled out their snow gear and decided to help us. I have found myself two more little sisters! They are great, and we will be going back this week to see them and their families. I've really enjoyed watching fleet of snow Wall-e's dispatch, especially when the downfall is consistant. I love how societies and individuals adapt to circumstances. We always say to ourselves- what would happen if...? But truly when we find ourselves in feared situations, we just keep on going somehow. I've decided that I would really like to live in a place that got snow as long as I had good snow gear to play in. And a good soup cookbook!

 

Both Sister Hausauer and I gave talks at church yesterday- mine was on Henry B. Eyring's talk from this past General Conference called "Where is the Pavilion?" Here is the link:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/where-is-the-pavilion?lang=eng

I focused my talk on being able to remove the barrier when we feel distant from God through becoming childlike and in serving others.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." Mosiah 3:19
I have found on my mission that I have only been able to gain even the smallest vision or insight into the work when I get over myself and realize that I am insufficient on my own! I'm grateful that I've been able to become more acquainted with the slightest pricks of pride- I know what it feels like when I'm holding onto something and think I know best. I'm grateful to have been broken down in that way.

 

We also taught Relief Society haha it was busy day. We were asked to teach about how to prepare children and youth for missions. We decided to teach the Restoration, since the best way to strengthen anything spiritual and prepare for the future is to gain your own testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ was restored through Joseph Smith and that living prophets continue to guide the church. It's a big question, and the only way to know is by searching on your own. It was fun to teach that and I think it went well! I am serving in a really great ward.

Well that's pretty much it for this week! I'll email you all next year :) I hope everyone is well. Happy New Year!
Sister Raines

Brave

How was everyone's Christmas?! The libraries were closed the last two days so we are able to email today!

It's been pretty busy around here for the season as I'm sure everyone can say. We've been doing a lot of service at a homeless shelter in Irondequoit- organizing and distributing donated Christmas presents to the homeless and needy. The House of Mercy has been a really interesting experience in general. We've been helping with them for weeks now. Before Christmas we helped organize storage units, clean, etc. It's been really wonderful to see because although the house itself is located on one of the more rough streets in town, there is a sense of respect. In fact, at the close of one of the days of gift distributing, we were surprised to find out that the man guarding the door only letting so many people in the gift room at a time was T-bone- one of the biggest drug lords in the city of Rochester. Ha! We think so often in terms of black and white: If you do this, you are this. If you do that, you are that. I've learned so much about loving people separate of their choices. It doesn't make all choices right, and it certainly doesn't mean all choices lead to happiness, but we're all playing a different game. In the end, I think people really pull through.

This year I have been extremely moved by Christmas music! The Rochester and Buffalo zones got together for part of Tuesday and there were some musical numbers performed there, as well as the Christmas program on Sunday. My two favorite Christmas songs are O Come Emmanuel and O Holy Night I think. They are just so good. I'm grateful for the power that music has to hit something home that just speaking can't do.
So I might as well send the lyrics to the Christmas song I wrote! One of the elders learned a harmony part, and Sister Brown learned the piano and then amplified it so it actually came out sounding pretty good!

In a stable long ago
From the Heavens came a King
Sent to bring us safely home
Let all Earth and nature sing
Hallelujah! Glory, laud, and honor be His sacred name
Hallelujah is the message! Let the whole wide world proclaim

Be with them that seek Him
Never let the candle dim
I wish the whole world knew
Let Him be the reason
For this Christmas season
Let there be peace in you

Let your hearts be filled with light
When tribulation sounds the drum
Be not fearful of the future
Christ the King has overcome
Hallelujah! Glory, laud, and honor be His sacred name
Hallelujah is the message! Let the whole wide world proclaim

Be with them that seek Him
Never let the candle dim
I wish the whole world knew
Let Him be the reason
For this Christmas season
Let there be peace in you. 

A group of missionaries went caroling this week to different people in the area! We did not sing the song I wrote haha :) I haven't been caroling for as long as I can remember. Normally I'm actually pretty opposed to it because it's fairly awkward to make people stand in the cold as they listen to mediocre melodies from half strangers, but because this time we were able to pick people who we knew would appreciate it, it was good! 

It was so good to talk to everyone yesterday! My heart is full. I'm so grateful for all the support I've received so far on my mission. The last few months will be the best I am sure of it.

Till next week!
Sister Raines

Filters and feeble minds

This week I learned a lot about how important it is to see things as they really are.

"Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls." (Jacob 4:13)

 

The Spirit testifies of truth- things as they REALLY ARE and really will be. That is so important! Off and on I've had a theme of mental instibility and the idea of a sound mind. I had a chance to talk with President Christianson this week about some of the struggles that have presented themselves over the last 2 months. As I talked with him, I realized how altered my perception of reality had become. In Buffalo I learned to be confident in myself and my ability to perform the tasks I was asked to do with God's help. I felt valued, needed, and healthy. I grew even more in Brockport, and although I was aware of weaknesses, my understanding and gratitude for Christ's sacrifice and power was growing as well. I knew I was far from perfect, but I knew I had infinite worth in the eyes of God.There is some serious power in that understanding- knowledge of who we are to God moves us to want to be better and gives us the sense of stability and value which we so desperately need. It comes as no surprise then that those without this understanding search frantically for anything else that might give them a sense of place. It might take the form of merit in academics, career, financial assets, trite compliments, or even self medication to dull the pain of the void.
These past few months I realized how easy it is to get off base. Embarrassing as it is, I lost sight of who I am for a little while. I was hurt, and I retreated from what I knew. I turned away from those around me. How quickly ideas grow! I imagined myself to be of little worth, and stopped trusting and confiding in so many, beginning with my companion and mission president. I've struggled to keep in contact with just about anyone from home- even my letters to Austin have struggled. Even more devastating though, my prayers have struggled. How often do we find solace in the company of strangers when we question our self worth? How often do we think we'll be happier with people who don't know how small we really are instead of trusting those who can hurt us? God included?
I am working on making a better effort to come to people instead of run, starting with my Father in Heaven. For today, I am trusting that I matter to Him.

"Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." (3 Nephi 9:14)

Today there is a huge Christmas activity at the Visitors Center, so all the Sisters are in Palmyra for the day. Should be fun :) The two that are in Brockport are staying at our apartment for a few days and it's been really great so far! I'm am blessed to know such great people. I wrote a Christmas song over the last couple weeks, too, and I'll be performing that so I hope it goes well!

Till next week! Love,
Sister Raines