For real I love this place already. It's like the complete opposite of
Morristown. Elizabeth is like a fully functioning ward here. Just so
you get the idea of the demographic here, the English branch takes
people out of the Spanish ward for leadership callings. Coming from a
branch where 40 in attendance at sacrament meeting was a lot, sitting
in that ward I was just in shock. There were so many people. And get
this, people call US asking us when they can come out with us. Yes.
This is real.
I was shocked when president said sister mortensen to Elizabeth
because this is a STL area so this will be my fourth transfer as
sister training leader.1-2 exchanges weekly lives on haha. I loooove
my companion. For real I am getting so lucky I'm the comp department.
We already are great friends. Her name is Hermana Ivie and she's from
Alpine Utah. She's only been here one transfer before me and she left
a lot on the exchanges last transfer so we are feeling it out here
together.
There is a lot of work here but I would like to see us get more solid
progressing investigators. We are planning like an hour a day to just
straight contact. It's so nice because I haven't been able to do that
since Kearny! And even then we couldn't really because hardly anyone
was outside because of the snow. So this is awesome. This week was
kinda a blur because I've met so many new people and I'm trying to
keep them all straight.
I think something that has stuck out to me this week is how we truly
will never know the impact we leave or the good we do in the lives of
others when we are in the work of the Lord. When we were walking up to
go to church, a man was walking up at the same time and sister Ivie
said to me "ahh he's the best you're going to love him" I look at him
and said "I've met you before where have I met you before?" He said,
"oh my goodness! It's been so long! You were there with sister Childs
when I was taught by the missionaries for the first time!" Then it all
came back to me! I remember having taught him on an exchange to
Elizabeth back in January and that was one of the most powerful
lessons on the restauracion that I can remember. He told me that he
had been baptized three months ago and he was sitting up blessing the
sacrament at sacrament meeting. I couldn't believe it! I was filled
with so much happiness when he told me that. I got a glimpse of how
great our joy with be if we bring, save it be one soul into the
kingdom of God.
Something that I took away from this past week is how we as
missionaries are sometimes really good at leaving commitments, but
fail to help them keep their commitments. Our purpose is to invite
people to come unto Christ by HELPING them... There was a less active
family that hasn't been to church for sometime now and their daughter
had just turned at 8 years old. I wanted to meet them so we went on
Thursday and had a great lesson with them. The mother seems pretty
desanimada and like she really wants to go back, but everything just
kinda seemed hopeless. We invited her back to partake of the sacrament
and receive the blessings of Christ's atonement and she said we would
do her best. I testified to her that we truly do love her and want to
help her be there. I asked her how many people would come with her if
she went. I then told her that someone would come to pick her up at
8:45 and bring her to church. Her eyes kinds lit up and we was kinda
like "really?" I couldn't believe that no one had offered her that
option before! It's so simple and yet so effective because when we
came to church, that family was waiting for us and said "misioneras!
Les ganamos" (we beat you ) hahah that made me so happy to see them
there and looking so happy to be back. El enemigo doesn't want us to
receive help so he tricks us into thinking we are better off not
asking for it or we will just feel too embarrassed. That's where we,
as missionaries and all members of the church, need to come in. We
should never wait until someone asks for help. I have decided to take
out of my vocab "how can be help you?" And instead observe, seek the
gift of discernment and do all I can to offer specific help that is
inspired by the spirit according to their needs. Then we truly become
the Lords hands here on the earth.
Love you all!
Hermana mortensen
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| Selfie with my new companion Hermana Ivie. I love her! |
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| First week in Elizabeth I met the former Hermana Ordonez who served with my parents in the Texas Houston Mission! I am serving in her ward. We went on an exchange and she is awesome. I asked her what it was like having my dad as her Mission President and she said, "Hermana Mortensen, your dad for real changed my life" It almost brought tears to my eyes to think of the impact that my parents are having on people's lives. People I don't even know. |
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