Dad, thank you for asking me so many questions in your e-mail about EVERYTHING. When I responded to your e-mail and you asked about my companion and how many siblings she has and where she's from, I realized that was about all I really knew. I hadn't gotten to know her AT ALL.
This made me think about one of my previous roommates and NOW one of my dearest friends, who, in the beginning of our relation with each other, established a situation between us similar to the one I had with my companion. After a few weeks of living together, I was frustrated with my feelings towards her. I was annoyed by her actions and cold ways she treated me. I thought on it a lot, and I thought about Jesus Christ, how he understands everyone perfectly. He understands me more than I even understand myself. I also thought about how he loves me and how he loves everyone unconditionally. I thought about my roommate and how I didn't feel love toward her. How hypocritical! to receive infinite love from the Savior and not show it unto another he loves just as deeply! I thought about why I wasn't feeling love for her.
Then this was whispered to my heart, "If you don't love someone, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM." How was I supposed to understand someone that didn't even seem to STAND me?! Well, it went a little something like this, "Hey, how was your day?" as I sat down at the kitchen table to just listen. It was a humbling action to take, and I didn't expect much from it, besides a response like, "good," and continue on her way with boiling noodles. But her face lit up with a smile as she told me all about her day and the neat things she learned in her classes and a person she met walking home. In that simple conversation, I learned a profound, almost instantaneous love for that roommate. I had a sincere interest in her life because I had a desire to understand a love like Christ's. We exchanged giggles and honestly, from that point on, I could not deny my genuine love for her because I understood her enough to look past my feelings of annoyance. Our friendship grew for the next year and a half, and she is still one of my closest friends.
Okay, so you'd think I wouldn't have to learn that lesson again, right? Well, let me tell you, pride creepeth up ever so dangerously (no that's not scripture, I just thing that creepETH personifies pride just too well :)). And I don't know what it is about humility, but as soon as you embrace it, you can feel the PURE love of Christ just encircle everyone around you--and that is the BEST feeling ever.
Well, anyway, I was tempted to step back into my original frustration with my companion; it was what seemed an impossible challenge to stick with, but Dad's own curiosity and wonder about every detail of my mission life made me feel really special and important. I realized that I hadn't expressed much interest in my companion's life since that 2nd week because I simply did not want to. I didn't want to be nice and talk to her as a friend when she made me feel of little eensy teensy importance. But here is where I, once again, needed to humble myself and center my thoughts completely away from myself.
Here is where I gained a testimony of that Mormon-Ad that sat on top of the toilet at home that says, "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."
I thought of the things I knew we both agreed on: we are both missionaries and the way the fitted sheets are folded when we grab them from the cupboard to change out the sheets are PERFECTION.
I knew we both desired to know of this sorcery of folding fitted sheets so perfectly. Service. What a great vibe. Guess what we did: Found the LaunderÃa and helped José and Miguel fold an entire bin of fitted sheets. Oh what fun we had! They had a pretty limited English vocabulary so they taught us in espa~nol. They thought it was funny how badly we wanted to learn how to fold fitted shirts. After we got the hang of it, we all raced!! Oh it was just too much fun! And we felt good helping them with 1/10 of the way with their job.
When we came home, we still had to clean so we decided to mop the super dusty tile and that was so fun! We finished laundry (I never knew how much I would love P-day for being able to do laundry when you have a limited set of clothes).
Later we met up with our district and played kickball. (I'll tell you more of that some time in my life.) The rest of the day was great, we had devotional and studied with our district a little more. When she and I started heading home, I asked her what her favorite color is. She laughed and told me the story behind her favorite color, Purple. I remember she mentioned in the first week that she had worked in Alaska this summer, so I asked her to tell me about that. She talked and talked with me for the next hour telling me about all her amazing adventures and how that's when she decided to serve a mission and just so much! I just sat there with the biggest smile on my face feeling complete love for this amazing companion of mine. Since that night, we've been the greatest of buddies, and I'm really sad we only have 21 days left as companions... We've been working so well together. Our lessons are so great. We no longer go in with a notebook with a set lesson plan, we simply pray and use the spirit (which our companionship now has) to help us plan, study, and prepare for the individual needs of the investigator. We are improving the fifty fifty slit as we teach in the lessons and during language study, we study together. We plan our studies so well the night before that we are REALLY productive and I can see our teamwork and determination paying off already. We are so excited to work with each other every day and we laugh and learn a lot.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes we get a little annoyed with each other still, but here's my mindset: sometimes you brothers are annoying and I can't stand you, but I never question if I love you! She's my companion and in the eternal perspective of things is my sister, so I don't question if I love her either. It's a different challenge to stay juntos every single second of every day, but it's a great challenge because as I look past my frustrations and just push them away, my appreciation and love for how great she is just swells even more.
Hermana Perron is my companion, what a blessing.
Well, really there is no time for me to say anything else about this week, but I have bullet points of stuff. I went to the temple this morning. Yay! I'll tell you about it next week. Yesterday was the greatest fast Sunday of my entire life. (Also mom, I'm so glad to hear the good news about your wrist! I was fasting that things would be okay for you.)
Okay I really gotta go.
SETH MY APOLOGIES. One day I will learn to be simple in my emails. The mission is too great to NOT tell you everything I am experiencing.
I love you all and my love increases for you everyday.
Love,
Hermana Olson
Samuel, I'm sorry about your dear rat. I'll give you a tight hug when I come home. I'm sorry :(
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