Looks like once again I'm at the end of my internet time with a poorly crafted message from our sponsers. I hoped to compensate by sending you pictures, but all I have this week is pictures I sneak of Slla Viazzo sleeping on trains. No go, wheezy Joe.
But, we did BEAT jet lag this week! And, now that she is awake and alert, I find Slla Viazzo quite delightful! She's a joy and a pleasure. Yesterday she made me roasted cauliflower. I think that was when I knew this was going to be a good transfer.
I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be training as I get older in the mission. I feel that the older I get in my mission, the more two things happen:
1) I make the mistake of relying on myself. Oops. Since I've "been" in the mission and "know" how the mission works, I start to fall back on my old routines. I speak the language, I know the lessons, so I think I know what I'm doing. FALSE ALARM! I realize that I can screw up a lesson just as well as I did before, if I don't rely on the Lord. Also, it's comforting to know that this is His work. I think I take the work on my shoulders too much. "No success this week? WHERE DID I GO WRONG?!? WHAT MORE COULD I HAVE DONE FOR MY VINEYARD!?" Then I stand back and realize that it's not my vineyard... the Lord of the vineyard has put us in charge of a certain tree, and we're cultivating it in the way he directs. The tree may not always be producing fruit, but it always needs cultivating.
So we're working more this week on relying on the Spirit. What does God want us to do. Not, what does the manual or even my experience tell me what to do. Because I THINK I know what I'm doing. But it turns out that every person is different and everyone needs something different. Tricky, these people.
2) Missionary work/all of life is just a lesson on how to love people disguised in different ways. Numbers? A lesson on how to love. Invites? A lesson on how to love. Every time I try to explain to Slla Viazzo "how things are on the mission," I basically just explain: "This is what we're asked to do. And we do it. And you can do it with love or without love and that's the only thing that makes the difference." She's probably sick of that message. "Okay, this is how we clean the kitchen. But the only way to make cleaning matter is to do it with love." Hahaha.
We bought squirt guns this week. It keeps us amused while we're trying to stay awake in the August heat.
Spiritual message of the week: if God is in charge, it means He's also helping people that are out of our reach for whatever reason. If we pray for those who aren't talking to us/are far away (literally or emotionally), He will care for them. Prodigal sons do return. I've seen it here and I know it's real.
I love you all. I pray for you often and can't wait until I get to see you. Until then, I know Heavenly Father is helping you in whatever way I would want to if I was there (except for maybe designing you things. I hope to do that when I get back).
Lots of love
Annie
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