Dear fam,
Sooo I guess that there really is more to a mission than the square mile I have lived in for the last 2 months. I received my travel plans on Friday, whoa. Things just got real! I leave on Wednesday, October 9th, at 7:30 am. My flight is at 11:00 and I'll arrive in Vancouver at about 12:30 Vancouver time. I'm super excited but there's one little thing...I'm traveling alone. There are no other missionaries going to the CVM on the same day as me. I am super nervous about being alone. You get so accustomed to having a companion (in my case 2) and now I have to be a solo sister for a whole day at the MTC then all day wednesday. I know I'll be fine but airports just make me a little nervous haha. and having to go through customs alone...ahhh pray for me! I need to have more faith! ha I will get to hang out with President and Sister Tilleman alone so that'll be cool. and we both know Pres. Campbell so that's an instant in haha cant wait to meet them!
I have learned so much this week. Our companionship was able to get coached by our teachers and wow, that was needed! We really began to understand that we have to still be who we are even though we are speaking chinese. We were sent somewhere for a reason and those people need us and that includes our personality. Ruan Laoshi explained it like this, mandarin missionaries (all foreign language missionaries, so this goes for Raini too) feel like they have an english box where they are themselves and totally normal then they have a chinese box where they have the tendency to change who they are because it's a different language. We have to somehow bring these two boxes together. It helped me realize that if Sister Dahl, in english, wants to talk to everyone about everything and is super personable, why should that change in chinese?? It shouldnt! So I have really been trying to talk to our investigators like they are real people and then relate the gospel to them. Christ taught in parables so I need to follow His example and also do that.
This week I was also able to really look at Christ's example and what that looks like and how I can develop that. The hymn, "More Holiness Give Me", that we sang in the RS broadcast really helped me to see that this song is what I want. I want more holiness, more strivings within, more faith in my Savior, more sense of His care, I want SO much more. But I also realized that I can't just want these things I need to have a desire that allows me to act and continually pursue these attributes. My favorite line in that song was, "More used would I be". I really pondered this. I am His servant. We all are His servants but I am His full time representative and I want to make the most of that. I want to be used as much as I can be so that I can bless as many lives as Heavenly Father needs me to. I want to have no regrets by the end of my mission and I want God to be able to say to me, "Emily, well done thy good and faithful servant". I am growing everyday and I get closer to becoming the instrument He want and needs me to be.
I love being sister training leader. I would have been released this past sunday but since there is a new district coming in they asked me to keep going for one more week. I love it. I have really been able to grow closer to my Savior and see the love that He has for others. I know that with this assignment I have been able to help others. I have received so much revelation for the sisters in our zone and it has taught me so much about spiritual promptings. I will be counseling a sister a the end of the day and I just pray for them as they talk to me and pray that I will be able to say just one thing that will help me. It has been such a blessing to serve in this assignment.
So on another note...UTAH IS SO COLD! I think God is prepping me for Canada because oh boy it has been so frigid! haha I am going to die. But one of my teachers told me that I can't let them weather effect me. I need to be my own sunshine and the sunshine for everyone else. I prayed for strength in this and I could definitely see God's help. It was sooo cold on friday and my comps were both complaining and I just stayed happy. It didnt bother me too much. It'll take time to adjust but I know it'll be good!
I got your dear elder about coach matthews... wow. (Steve Matthews was one of Emily's High School basketball coaches. he died after a long battle with lung cancer). That hit me pretty hard. Do you have the address of the school? I would love to write her a hand written note. It really breaks my heart, He was my favorite. It comforts me to know He has the knowledge of the truth and I pray that hit brings His family closer to God. I have been praying for them.
Yesterday I bore my testimony in Chinese. I am super nervous for the field but its just helping me learn a lot of chen bei (humility) I know mom is happy about that. haha I love the work. Every day is a new day to learn and grow and it's such a blessing to be a part of Helaman's Army. We are stronger than ever before and I am looking forward to helping the chinese people of Canada.
Anyways, How is everyone? I didnt get a letter from you dad. Maybe I can check later. I didnt get any mail this week :( no worries, I'm okay!
I love you all! Wo ai nimen! zhege jiaohui shi zhenshide! (the church is true)
ai,
Sister Emily Dahl
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