Short and Sweet

Hello America!

  How goes the battle? Things are going good here.  Our mission president told us he was tired of us using the word hard.  So we are banned from using it in letters to him.  So I’m going to carry that over into my letters from home. Because even though there are difficult times, you’ve got to go into it with energy and hope so that you can get through it.  So I’m going to start by saying there have been a lot of "learning experiences" this week of the mission.

  So as you all know.  We had transfers this week.  I got a new companion!  Her name is Sister Raterta. She is Filipina.  From Mindanao.  So she speaks bisaya.  But she is really good at Tagalog so it’s not a problem.  We’re trying to speak Tagalog 24/7 so that I can improve. Because when I speak, people understand me but I don’t have the sentence structure and grammar down very well.  So were hoping that practice makes perfect.  She’s been in the mission for 6 months. She’s really quiet but we get along well.  I just have to work on having energy and being loud.  Oh boy.  

     But with a new companion comes the task of leading the area.  I’ve only been here for 3 weeks so leading is kind of really stretching me.  I am super-duper stressed and sometimes we just walk and walk and walk.  The people here are very straight forward.  I used to wish that the ones that weren’t interested would just tell you...but now that it’s happening...I don’t like it to much anymore haha.  The positive side is that the ones that we find really do care.  But other than that there isn’t much.  So it takes a lot of faith in finding.  We just have to really try and keep up the energy with every OYM that we have.  We’ve gotten lost a few times and we can’t always remember which way to go.  But it’s getting better.  And every day we get home and were straight up exhausted.  But somehow we have the energy to do it again the next day.  

   This Sunday was rough because none of our investigators came to church.  Of course it was conference and it was far away.  But the ones that committed to come had other excuses.  I had a really bad day on Sunday. I really just wanted to give up.  I was super grumpy and just could not understand how they could be so sure about coming and then just drop us.  I was actually struggle with the idea that we had to go visit them later on that day.  Because I wondered how I was going to be able to teach if I was so frustrated.  But we finished conference and went out to work.  And when we got to the appointment later that night and taught, it wasn’t hard.  I didn’t remember my previous feelings until we had left.  Then I realized that I had felt that same love for them that I had before conference.  And before I knew that they weren’t coming.  When we taught, I felt the desire to help them keep their commitments, solve their problems, and build their testimonies.  I know for a fact that the love I felt for them is true charity.  Even though I am farrrr from being a perfect missionary.  Sometimes I question whether I’m even a good one.  But moments like that help me know that Christ is helping me be the kind of teacher that he would be.  I’m so thankful for that help and I know for a fact that I could not succeed without it. I hope that I can continue to live and qualify for that help through the rest of my mission and even afterwards. I’m so thankful for the chance to be here and to grow so much.  Even though I count down months and sometimes even days. (9 months left guysssss)!!  I really do love it here and I hope I can touch some people’s lives.

  You are all awesome and I miss you all so much.  Every day I love seeing the ways that you have helped me and being able to use them to help others.  Remember the talk by elder Bednar.  It’s true.  Use the things that help you to help others and you will feel the love of Christ working through you.  Love you all soo much!

  XOXOX from Molino!

Sister Van Tassell