Hello!
Yes, Dad training is EXTREMELY hard! On Friday I had the hardest day I have
had yet on my mission. I cried all morning until about noon. Background: I went
to Lubbock with Sister L on Wednesday to pick up Sister S. She grew up in
Alaska, and funny thing: when I was trying to think of positives with S. L, I
said "What if she is a cosmetologist!" On the car ride home I asked her what she
did before the mission and she said she is in fact a cosmetologist!!!
But being in charge is hard. Especially for the first time, with someone
who doesn't know what's going on. Then to add on top of that, Sister S is a VERY
private person. As in she eats meals everyday in her room with the door shut. I
tried all Thursday to get to know her, and then felt like she hated me. So
Friday when I woke up, it was all too much. Satan
was working hard on me. I told Sister S that I didn't think I
could do this: be here for 12 weeks with someone who won't talk to me. Friday
was just a very hard day, but that night Sister S finally opened up to me and
told me that she thought training was hard because of her. As I explained all
that I have to worry about and do, she then I think realized the weight that I
felt on my shoulders. So things got better. Honestly, it is still really hard to
be home for meals. We just have VERY different personalities. When I tell her I
will be right back because I have to go to the bathroom, her comment is always,
"no" or "nope". And I know that is her way of teasing, but it is really hard, I
can feel the difference by what she says. I honestly don't think she thinks I
know what I am talking about. BUT------- I have come to terms with it. Heavenly
Father has us here for a reason, and this is something I have always hated: not
being best friends with the people I am around. You aren't going to be chums
with every single companion. But that doesn't mean you can't be happy, and that
we can't work well together, because we do. She is very spiritual, and we teach
well together, and are both very motivated.
I felt really bad for making her
feel like she was why training is hard, but I was talking to an AP today on the
phone and he asked how it was going. I told him "good" and he said "'Oh really? I
trained right after being trained and that first week was the hardest week of my
mission, to be in charge when you have never been before." That made me feel a
lot better. I have also been able to grow relationships with the members, and
the other missionaries in our district and zone leaders. Not in a "Forget Sister S" kind of way, but a "help us all together" kind of way. I am praying everyday
for more charity, and know that it will come, that Heavenly Father is refining
me.
Mom, I am grateful for your letter this week. I really needed that just to
keep my spirits up. To answer about that obedience thing. Here's the back story
for that: We in this house have a washer and drier. Well the elders when we
moved into the house asked Sister L if they could continue to do their laundry here.
She said yes, and I respected her role as senior companion, though she knew how
I felt about obedience. Elders in our mission are not supposed to be in the
sister's apartments at all. So when I got the call to be senior, I told the elders
that we were going to be exactly obedient in my companionship. They threw up a
HUGE fuss, but I told them it is not because I don't love them, but because I
want the blessings of being obedient, and if they did get it approved from
President that was fine. They didn't. And at transfers in Lubbock, President
called me over to talk to him and stressed obedience. I told him I had already
taken care of it. THEN yesterday, one of the members in my ward, who houses elders in one of their trailer houses, told me that the elders told her about
the laundry thing. I told her I was trying to be obedient and she said she
didn't realize it was a rule!!! The elders had just complained to her and didn't
explain why!! She then told me that they had complained so much that her husband
feels bad and is going to buy them a washer and drier! This makes me so upset
because it is not the member's responsibility! And then today I get a call from
a set of elders and they tell me that they haven't found somewhere to do laundry
and tried to bully me into letting them do it at our house. So then I'm all
upset and call my district leader, who was then picking sides out of friendship.
So he told me that if I was upset to call the AP's, which I did and they were so
supportive and got it taken care of. I am just grateful that Sister S wants to
be obedient like me!!!
SO LIFE IS CRAZY HERE!! But with the bitter comes the sweet and we have a
handful of AMAZING INVESTIGATORS! We set a baptismal date with one of them, Sara a
college student, this past week for November 10th!!! She has been so prepared
and we are so excited for her. She received awesome answers to her prayers, and
I think we will be friends for life! It is so amazing to see the change the
gospel can have with people!!
And I think that's it! I love you all and know that God has a plan for each
one of us! I pray for you often and am so grateful for your support!
Love Sister P.
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