Where the Heart Is July
12, 2016
Okay
I am so terribly sorry for this terrible communication. I have a half hour
before I have to be in the church building for my last district meeting and I received
permission to try to write....again. I don't know what happened yesterday nor
these last 6 weeks, but I don't want to spend this precious time trying to
figure it out. The mission looked at my email and said that it should be okay
today. So well, if not. I guess I'll just give you all a big hug and say I'm
alive!
I have a saved
document with my letter from the first week of this cambio so I guess I'll try
to send that as well, so you at least get somewhat of a jiff of what has been
going on in this last precious time of my mission.
Being that you all
seem to have not received any real juice of what's going on, I feel like you
all are a bit too worried for me and probably think I've been moping over in a
corner for the last 6 weeks dreading the end of this grand adventure.
So I'm just going to
take this little time to let you know where my heart is.
Let's just get down to
the nitty gritty to save time: I'm in Puerto Montt and these last few weeks
have been the hardest of my entire mission! It was incredible. We have worked
so hard and learned so much and had very little tangible fruits! The emfasis of
the month of June was church attendance and we were so enthused every. single.
waking. moment. to help people progress and learn to make promises with God.
And long exhausting but oh so satisfactory story very short: absolutely none of
our investigators came to church in all this time we spent running, sweating,
crying, laughing, praising God, fighting the battle of Satan´s discouraging
tactics, and lots and lots of pushups and high fives and fervent prayer.
This last Saturday, we
had planned to look for a reference for the fifth time, but had forgotten a
map. We both felt strongly that we needed to keep looking even though our
wanderings seemed rather aimless and everyone we contacted had never heard of
the street. Finally I said to Hermana Norton, ''I sure would like a map.'' And
before we even had time to pray about what to do, out popped a man named Gustavo at
our side asking us who we were and what we were trying to do out on the street
in the cold. We told him we were looking for a street and he said, ''Busquela
en un mapaPO!'' And pulled out his phone right there! His internet was slow,
but it was a great blessing to fill in the time with explaining our purpose and
inviting him to church. He said, ''I am going to go tomorrow because
I feel like it is what I need to do for me in my life right now.'' And well, HE
CAME! And not only that, he brought a notebook to write down the answers he was
looking for and questions for us to answer later. He participated a lot, and he
felt the spirit so strongly. We have an appointment with him later today and he
told us he will be expecting us anxiously. He wants to learn how to come closer
to God and he is his own agent!!! It was an amazing testimony to me of that it
all really is worth it in the end. I know that all these trials and tests were
God given because He wanted well prepared and better trained missionaries to
find his special son, Gustavo, that the Lord was preparing. I knew it all along
and never lost hope that all our efforts would really be rewarding in the end,
but perhaps I did not imagine to see such a miraculous beginning of the fruits!
And we have been seeing more and more even more abundantly since! And I can
only have the faith that we will continue to see more today. There is a lot of
work in store. I am so excited.
Last night I packed
all my bags together. Seeing all the material things I'll be taking
home...reminded me of one time when I was a wee little lass on a summer
afternoon when we went to the Magnolia park for a few hours. I brought my
little red wagon full of fun activities and toys and notebooks and dolls and
well just lots of things to do. And I just ended up spending the whole time
playing on the park equipment with my brothers. When mom said it was time to
come home, I realized I had all those things left in the wagon untouched or
perhaps hardly used! I rushed over to the wagon, began to color as fast as I
could and ran around like crazy doing all the summer salts I had imagined beforehand
and boom. Time was up. We went back home.
Well, I looked at my
suitcases filled and felt as if it was just full of junk. I secretly hoped the
house would burn down in the night and I'd just go home with my trusty book of Mormon
in hand. (obviously...I didn't REALLY want that to happen),but my heart desires
to leave them behind. I realized one of the greatest things I've learned on the
mission is to treasure up the things of heaven. They are treasured not in my
suitcase, but here in my heart.
I feel like it would
be easy to say to you all when I get home, ''I left my heart in Chile.'' But
it's not that. I love Chile with all this heart of mine, but I'll be
taking my heart with me. And I want you to know it is changed and I'm
different. There are still many unresolved challenges that remain in that
familiar race of hurdles and struggles ahead (maybe like terrible communication
luck); I have lots of unwritten journal entries and half written heart felt
letters, but everything I have has been etched on this heart of mine. And I
have given my heart to the Lord. It is in His hands. And that is
where it will stay.
I know that as I trust
in him, He will take care of this weak heart of mine. I know this is
true for all that He has given me in this mission and for all that is only
yet to come. I feel so blessed coming home to all of you! There could be
no better time to come home, not better people to come home to! I am SO HAPPY
and joyful to be in your arms embrace in just a few short days! I will be
entering my new mission that extends into the eternities. This ecstatic spirit
of mine feels trapped in a tired body, but I guess that's just how the work
goes in the Lord's eternal vineyard! There are a lot of foreign things to me
now in that place I will soon return to call home, and many things that I have
decided that will stay foreign, like unnecessary naps because there is not time
to sleep unnecessarily during the restoration! So I'm not going to be
coming home to rest from my labors, there's much to do, and I'M COMING IN FULL
FORCE! Thank you Mom and Dad for the absolute examples of diligent full-time
missionaries in every mission our loving Father in Heaven has conferred to you.
Throughout my mission, the spirit has trained me by many of the teachings you
structured into my...being? And I am so thankful to return to finally work side
by side in the Lord's work! Don't you worry about making sure I'm happy! The
spirit teaches me how every time I simply decide to put a smile on my face.
I know that Jesús
Christ lives. He loves me. He loves you! He is the only way, truth, and light
we can depend on. Through his Atonement and everlasting love, I have been
redeemed and I will forever more continue to serve Him. I am eternally in His
debt and all He desires is that I can return to our Father's presence and bring
more precious souls along with me. How could I NOT smile? All I can think
in this moment are the lyrics to ''Come thou Fount of Every Blessing''
Read those sacred lyrics and you'll know where my heart is. (Enos 1 also kind
of hits the spot if you're in for a good missionary read.)
I love you! See you on
Christmas morning...
Hermana Olson
OH PS! HERMANA COOKSON
WILL BE GOING DOWN TO PUNTA ARENAS AND ...drumroll please.... HERMANA HESS WILL
BE TRAINING HER! Can God's plan be any more perfect and rather amusing? Wow.
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
No comments:
Post a Comment