I honestly cannot believe it is the 12th chapter of my mission already!! Wow... well, the good, and almost unbelievable news is that I'll be staying right here in Childress with the wonderful Sister Carroll for 6 more weeks! The last 6 have already gone by SO fast! It's crazy! But, I couldn't have asked for a less stressful transfer call hahahaha
In the craziness of last week, I forgot to write about how I'm considering myself truly Texan now because I ran barefoot through the grass (filled with goatheads and all) during our missionary- branch activity last week! I got some of those little goatheads in my feet when my shoes fell off, but it turned out pretty good. :)
Also, I got to shake Elder Andersen's hand at stake conference!!! That was so cool! I'm excited for general conference coming up the first week of October, and the women's broadcast this coming Saturday! Fall really brings in the best time to learn! School is back into full swing, we are being spiritually edified, and that sun isn't so blazing hot anymore!
...which is actually really good because our AC went out this week, and our little house got into the 90s, gratefully though, my Dexter experience kept me thankful, because we didn't have a ceiling fan in New Mexico lol.
But, even more news from this wonderful week, since we've been approved to be able to participate in more service, we've been helping move some items for the local thrift store in our area, and it's been going pretty well! They recently moved stores, so we've had a fun task of moving all their boxes in their old store, and we've found some treasures! One of which was a perfectly fitting pair of gently used cowboy boots that I was able to get for only 3 dollars! So, I'm definitely getting Texan! :P
But, the best part of the week (well, the best part of the week that's different from other weeks, because lets be honest, teaching is the BEST part of the week every week!), but yes, the best part of the week was the wonderful trip Sister Carroll and I were able to make to the temple! We got to drive down to Lubbock with Sister S, an amazing woman in the branch, the "only Mormon in Motley county"! She made the drive feel incredibly short with her life stories, and then it was incredible to get to the temple, and see a lot of familiar faces from lots of far away places! haha there were so many people there, and it was just an incredible experience. I feel very blessed that we are now able to go every transfer! :D
Two things really stood out to me on this experience. One was seeing some of the members and missionaries from old areas I've served in, I saw a sister from Monahans, and I saw a couple from Midland 1st ward who were working there, and I saw some missionaries just from around the mission (including 2 of my old companions who are now serving together!)!! There is already that special spirit in the Lord's house, and I was just filled with so much more excitement as I saw them, I thought about how that will be when we are reunited with our families when the time comes... it's only been a number of months since I'd been in contact with some of these amazing individuals, and just the joy I felt at being together again in such a Holy place brought tears to my eyes... I can't imagine being reunited for eternity, but I know it's going to happen, and it can, with God's authority.
The second experience I had that really stood out to me was as I was reading the scriptures after our session. My mind and my heart felt so full as I was standing there reading from that beautiful white book! I was reading in Chapters 12-16 of John, chapters I know and love, but for some reason they just had so much more meaning, I understood a few things better that hadn't stood out to me before, but I felt as if there was something deeper in them that I can not yet understand... in a way like my brain was trying to remember something I'd forgotten, but I felt it, it was beautiful. :)
So this week was really just wonderful! As usual, Sunday brought everything together, and for me, this week, it came in the form of a talk by a recent convert in the branch. He bore a very tender, but raw testimony, about how he's received a considerable amount of opposition since he has joined the church. He said "I was welcomed to every church in Clarendon, but when I finally got baptized, and realized I have my hope of being able to get to going Home... everything changed..." A few weeks ago he bore his testimony about how he'd spent 70 years of his life not living until he found the fullness of the truth...
I've just been amazed as I've been here at the firmness of the faith of the Latter-day Saints down here. Yes, there are a great number of friendly, good, Christian folks down here, but, especially in small towns, there is a lot of hate from ignorance. I mean, it's understandable for us to get rejected as missionaries, we are defiantly different, and we don't live normal lives right now, but it's not hard to see that the members of our church are incredible Christian people that have the same problems in life as anyone else... Sitting in sacrament meeting and listening to Brother Like tell a little bit of his story just filled me with hope. I know, as missionaries we would not be able to do this if it was not true, and I know with all of my heart our wonderful members wouldn't be able to stay strong and actively involved in their faith if it was not the FULLNESS of Christ's gospel here on the earth today.
I love the Lord, and I'm just feeling so blessed to be part of His work! He really is tuning my heart one day at a time! :)
With all my heart,
Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa
Pictures:
1- Reunited with some old companions at the temple! (you know when you've had too many companions when they start getting paired up with each other!)
2- A cutesicles little sign outside of Sweet, Sweet Childress!!
3- My $3 dollar cowboy boots! woot woot!
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