I seriously can't believe today is the last day of 2012. SO much has happened this year, and it's been amazing! I can't believe I've already been out 6 months! And by almost the end of 2013 I'll be done with my mission?! I don't like the sound of that!
It was so good to talk to all of you on Skype! I especially loved being able to see all of you! Sorry if I wasn't full of much information/was boring. It's hard to boil 6 months of amazingness into one 50 minute Skype conversation. I just hope my emails have expressed some of how much my mission means to me (if I'm ever not being clear or explaining things well, ask questions.... and highlight them in your letters It's the best decision I've ever made to come out here. I have grown so much and still have so much growing to do. I'm excited for the next year!
I'M SO EXCITED TO BE AN AUNT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ha ha. Amberlee, thank you for keeping your promise and telling me so I wouldn't be the last to know. I got the letter the day after Christmas, so I opened it right away since you said I could. I felt so privileged to know FIRST since no one else found out until Friday. :) Ha ha we were in the kitchen making dinner after our shift at the Hill. Sister Fetuli was at the stove frying eggs or something and I was at the table. When I read the first letter Amberlee put in there that said not to open it until after Christmas, I thought it was going to have money in it or something and that Amberlee didn't want everyone else to know she had sent it. But then I opened the second envelope and saw the ultrasound and screamed! Ha ha Sister Fetuli jumped a little because it had been completely silent up until then and then she was like, "What's wrong?!?!" And I shouted, "MY SISTER'S PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!" ha ha ha. It was funny so then we took the picture I'm sending. So, CONGRATULATIONS AMBERLEE AND CHANDLER!!!!!! I'm so excited for you! And just so everyone knows, my prediction is that it will be a girl. And her middle name will be Whitney of course :)
This week has been a good one! It's been hard with appointments because everyone is busy for the holidays. On Friday, every appointment we had set up got cancelled. It was a bummer of a day, but it's ok. The harder days make the awesome ones look even better!
Anyway, I've learned a few really valuable lessons this week. I've been getting frustrated lately with the fact that in the 5 months I've been hear I've only seen one person progress to baptism, and that was the first week of my mission! I feel stupid saying I let it get to me, but I did. I was feeling sorry for myself that none of the other people I have taught have progressed to that point even though we've been trying VERY our hardest. Then, the Spirit said, "Snap out of it! This isn't about you! It's about them!" I'm glad I only had a short little spell of getting caught up in the numbers instead of the people. I re-read the first chapter of Preach My Gospel, which helped me remember that success in missionary work isn't all about the numbers because people still have their agency. All I can do is my very best, keep improving and not let Satan get to me. I know all of the people we are currently teaching will make the decision to be baptized one day, I just need to be PATIENT! I may not be the one here when they finally make that decision, but I feel privileged to have played even a small role on their road to conversion.
That's probably the biggest lesson I've learned this week is to trust Heavenly Father's timing. I know for me, I often get caught up in the "perfect" timetable in my head for how our investigators should progress, but it's not up to me. It's up to Him. In Preach My Gospel, Chapter 6 under the Christlike attribute of patience it says, "Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do God’s will and accept His timing. When you are patient, you hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith—you must wait for the Lord’s promised blessings to be fulfilled." Yes, it stinks to wait! It's so hard, especially when what you desire is righteous (like in my case, people accepting the gospel), but we need to TRUST that Heavenly Father knows what he's doing.
That trust is really what it boils down to. "True to the Faith" put's it really well. It says,"When you trust in the Father and the Son, you are confident that They love you perfectly—that They want you to be happy and that They will help you grow spiritually. You keep the commandments. You seek to know Their will, and you do what They require even when you desire something else. Your prayers for relief are accompanied by the understanding that Heavenly Father will not resolve all matters immediately— that He may allow you to wait so you can continue to learn and grow."
Pretty much just go to "True to the Faith" pg. 10 under the entry for "Adversity" and that explains the lesson I learned this week :) And also, look up in the December Ensign the talk by Elder Baxter (I think that might be his name?) about overcoming adversity. It's awesome. Anyway, now that I've given you all a sermon, what it boils down to is that I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is so aware of us. He loves each of us so much and if we trust Him, He will get us exactly where we need to be.
It's been snowing like crazy here! We got 16 inches Wednesday to Thursday and about another 6 over the weekend. It's crazy! We spent 5 hours on Thursday shoveling people's driveways. I'm super buff now ;) ha ha just kidding. It was fun to get out there and serve people.
Anyway, I'm about out of time for this week. I won't get a handwritten letter to you. We have to clean our car. Sorry! I love you so so so so much and miss you tons! Thanks for all the love and support. I am seriously doing just fine out here and I am SO HAPPY! I love being a missionary so much!
Love love love!
Sister Butters
Whitney finding out Amberlee is pregnant!
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