This has been a week very full of meetings and work. On Monday to Tuesday night we had an exchange with the San Fernando YSA hermanas and I was able to give them tons of ideas both from what I did that seemed to be working and also what I regret not having done enough of. They were super excited and grateful for everything I was able to share. I also got to help them love to find much more because the hermana I was with had spent the first transfer of her mission with someone who was sick almost constantly for a month and so she feels like she still isn't comfortable talking with everyone. I was able to inspire her in the importance of this and especially help her make a goal to start somewhere of number of contacts she does per day then build up from there and increase that number from week to week.
Then on Wednesday all of the sister training leaders went up to the mission president's home and we had amazing training and also discussions. We were able to figure out several ideas of why things aren't working the best they can and help come up with ideas to fix them. There were many things that were taught and here were some things I learned. Sister Hall went through the attributes of Christ and talked about how people usually read them looking for how they need to change personally, but that if you change your perspective and read in in relation of how to be a better leader it changes a bit. For instance, we are supposed to have faith, but sometimes we forget to have faith in other's abilities to change. We treat them as if they were the same person as experiences we had with them last month or last transfer or even several transfers ago. But I know that I am not the same person at all as even a few weeks ago, not to mention months or transfers ago. We need to have faith in their ability to repent and change. We also need to make sure that our innermost thoughts toward them are virtuous. That one took me by surprise for a little bit because I always though of not virtuous thoughts as like bad law of chastity thoughts or something like that. But virtue is also thinking good positive thoughts about people deep down even if you never say it to anyone. And it makes sense because our thoughts dictate our words and actions which dictate who we are. And if we're wanting to become someone who will be comfortable in the presence of God, we need to have virtuous thoughts. I just loved that and I know I still have a ways to go, but I really want to work on it and just love people and leave the rest to God.
We also learned about welfare and there are some cool scriptures that we studied together if you want to do a study on it here are some reference we looked at: 2 nephi 2:28-30 (Lehi), 2 nephi 6:2-3 (Jacob), Enos 1:4-9 (Enos), Alma 48:11-13 (Moroni), Moroni 6:5 (the church), Helaman 12:1-2 (The Lord), Alma 34:17-27, Jacob 1:10 (Nephi). I want to become one of those people who is constantly true to my potential but also true to my covenants and thus looks out for the eternal welfare of others.
On Friday we had a special leadership training of all the leaders in the mission and in it we talked in great detail about stress specifically and what tools we now have (in the new manual we got called Adjusting to Missionary Life) which we can use to help the missionaries around us. For the second half of that meeting Elder Garnes from the area 70 came and gave us some training as well and one of the big things I learned is about independent initiative. I believe that is a talent God has given me to some extent and I want to keep on working to develop that talent even further through my life. Just like in 3 Nephi 17, Christ was just about to leave and then he saw that the people wanted to tarry a little longer with him, so he had them bring to him those that were inflicted in any manner at all and he healed them. That is like that independent initiative, being one of the people carrying others to Christ so that they can be healed. That is the person I want to be all the days of my life.
I also learned something not from anything anyone said, but the spirit taught me that there is a fallacy in a phrase I've used for a long time. I've always said that I am almost infinitely patient with people when I can tell they're trying, but I'm not very tolerant when it comes to disobedience. But I realized it isn't up to me to decide. They're not accountable to me. I just need to love them and become their friends and know that if they feel my love and concern my example and the spirit can teach them much more about obedience than I ever could.
Then I also loved the general relief society meeting and the theme of keeping and living our covenants. I especially loved the example of the Provo temple and how the Lord had to burn down the tabernacle first because it was in his plans all along for it to be a temple. The Lord says, "I'm the architect here, I know what I want you to be" and sometimes to get to that point, the Lord needs to first burn out a little bit of the things he doesn't want to be there. It hurts, sure, but he shapes our life by our good and bad experiences to make us into who he wants us to be.
Anyway, the Lord is blessing our area for the little bits of time we do have to work in it. I also learned this week that we should be specific in the things we ask of the Lord, like how we've been praying for a family to teach and now we have a family but it wasn't at all what we were thinking of haha! We now need to pray for a family who will want to come to church with us and who will progress.
Anyway, love you lots! Tenga el espiritu consigo siempre!
~Hermana Whetten
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