Transfer Day!

TRANSFER DAY!!!! It is a bittersweet day actually. I am loosing my trainer Hermana E. She is not going too far. She is actually head to a biking area. For conferences and different events we have to pick up the bike sisters. I will see her a few times I am sure. Hermana H is coming to my area. I am excited because when we had interviews with president last week he said that she would be able to help me with my Spanish. For this I am TRULY grateful. I was on exchanges with her for a day and I could already see improvement. It will be exciting to see what happens this transfer.

 

Last week we missionaries participated in a Mormon helping hands event to clean up the LA river. We were just about finishing up our area when one of the member's son found this giant dumpster. He and I started digging it out with bamboo sticks. I had to leave for a bit but when I came back he had shovel's and made lots of progress. I had to leave again and take the bike Hermanas back home and left him to finish up the work. He was so close to getting this dumpster out but apparently the event ended and the permit expired for him to be down in the river. It is so sad because he worked so hard on this dumpster to get it out. Now if nothing is still done the river will fill bringing all the dirt back into what he dug out. He might call the city and see what he can do cause the dumpster will have to come out at some point. I guess there is this big campaign to get the river cleaned up to bring these frogs back into habitat there by 2020. I am not sure how long this project is going on but it seems to be working. Among all the normal garbage found in the river (I should say dried up river), we found shopping carts, tires, mattresses, etc. I wonder how all that these things get down there... I guess we will never know. Digging out this dumpster when we first started I can't tell you how many people told us that we were wasting our time. One Elder in particular was talking to me about the reality of it taking to long to dig out. I think if I had something better to do at the time we started digging it out I would have not helped the member but I was just standing around. If anything I told this Elder "I am getting a good work out". Eventually he joined in the digging, I think I might have convinced him he had nothing better to do. Haha which was right. Pretty much all the missionaries we just sitting around. We had been working for a good few hours before the dumpster project had even begun. I really hope it comes out. haha.

 

After 21 weeks of being in the same district as Elder M he is being transferred! I am sad to see him go but Elder B will still be my district leader which I am happy about! I am loosing both of my Zone Leaders in this transfer and getting a whole new set. I really liked Elder S and Elder R. I will miss them. Elder R is headed up to the top part of our mission and Elder S is staying but his best friend in the mission is coming in to his area. It was funny on Saturday morning when the transfer calls were read. It was announced that these two were going to be companions. I wish I had caught it on video. These two are always together when they can be. They serve in the same ward just different areas. It will be awesome to see them work as a team since they are already best friends. It made me so happy for them. I think there words were "For real?" "Is this some kind of joke?" which lead to jumping up and down. haha It was awesome.

 

This past week we went to a previous investigators house that one of the Elder's had taught before it became a sister area. He had wondered what was up and what had happened to this investigator. We found him and taught his family. It was really awesome. The family committed to baptism! I know that the blessings will flow as the move forward. It makes me so happy to see people wanting to truly follow Christ.

 

It is hard to remember all the things that happen in a weeks time but I just thought of something I learned that I wanted to share. We were asked to teach the FHE lesson for the young single adults last monday. Hermana asked me if I would do it about an hour before we were supposed to leave. I was a little frustrated because I replied "Will I? as in only me?" She just kind of laughed and didn't answer. We got back to the apartment and I realized she wasn't joking. I don't know how I prepared the lesson feeling frustration. I can only say that Heavenly Father knew the situation I was in and needed help. The situation being on my own, an hour to prepare, and no study time, just think of a topic and go. In my opinion during the lesson I felt completely ridiculous. I had NO CLUE what was being said when I asked a question in Spanish and people replied. Understand that this is just how I felt but I felt that I was not really making the lesson flow because I would ask something, they would answer then not knowing what was said I would just nod my head say "gracias" and go to the next point. The reason I couldn't understand was because most of the time they would be sharing an experience. Those are the toughest to understand for every missionary because we don't know the vocabulary for stories unless it is a story about the gospel. Anyway at the end of the lesson the same thing happened someone answered my question, I listened, said "gracias" then looked down at my notes realizing I had I was done so I looked back up and said "well that's it". The room burst into laughter but I really didn't have anything else. After everyone had calmed down, one of the members raised his hand and said "Can I say something?". Since I didn't have anything I said "Sure". He then proceeded to talk in Spanish. I had no clue what he was saying. I think he could tell cause after he was done he said to me in English "Thank you for your lesson. I really learned a lot." It wasn't until we were on our way home that my companion told me what he had said. I am not sure the exact words but he had said that my lesson was very inspiring and that he had needed that. She said that all the comments that had been made were dead on. She said that it flowed really well that my questions weren't as horrible as I thought. I learned a lot from this experience. I feel like I did my best. I definitely wasn't given a whole lot to work with but I found a topic, decided what I was going to do and even thought I felt as though I was failing miserably the Holy Ghost picked up the difference. I am truly grateful for this experience because once again I learn that it doesn't matter what I do as long as I am doing the best I can. The Holy Ghost is the true teacher. He can touch the hearts and teach what is needing to be taught. I am just the instrument in the Lord's hands.

 

My lesson was on prayer out of the True to the Faith manual. If you haven't read it you should it is really, really, really good. It gives some "Principles of Prayer" so I just shared the different principles. Here they are in case you don't have time to look them up for yourself.

1- Make your prayers meaningful

2- Use language that shows love, respect, reverence and closeness.

3- Always give thanks to your Heavenly Father

4- Seek Heavenly Father's guidance and strength in all you do

5- Remember the needs of others as you pray

6- Seek guidance of the Holy Ghost so you will know what to include in your prayers

7- When you make a request through prayer, do all you can do to assist in its being granted.

The last step was my favorite. I think it is the easiest to forget. I often pray for things but then just expect them to be given to me without working hard at doing everything I can to assist in it being granted. I need to remember this one.

 

I love you all so much! Thanks so much for the letters and support!

 

-Hermana Fish