Down to My Very Core

Hello glorious family and friends!

Another week has come and gone, and I now get to spend my every moment with the wonderful.... Sister de St. Jeor! (Pronounced dee-st.-jore, rhyming with store)

She is simply lovely. How do I get this lucky? I'm not sure, but she is a gem. And she is from Centerville, UT! And grew up with my cousin, Seth! Super cool. She's 22, went to school at University of Utah, and recently got back from a trip to Uganda for humanitarian work. First Sister Waddoups, who had just gotten back from India, and now this. It is so cruel. I am insanely jealous of my companions. Anywho... she is majoring in health promotion and education, so she's going to change the world. She is always willing to work hard and try it all. Whenever she speaks, it is with such power and she brings a calming influence to every lesson we're in. And the Spirit is always felt. We're going to be best friends, I just know it.

Humidity and heat are coming... Every day, we feel it a bit more. And it feels a little bit like you're living in that tropical jungle exhibit at the zoo. Can't wait for summer haha! But the sun is wonderful and the world is bright and cheery.

Unfortunately, I don't have any new church signs for y'all because we mostly stayed in Valdosta this week, helping Sister de St. Jeor become acquainted with our fine city, and meeting investigators. We were able to experience so many miracles this week, it was unreal. Heavenly Father truly provides new missionaries with a remarkable amount of spiritual experiences/miracles in that first week. My theory is that this then carries the missionary through the tough times that will always come, such as days when every appointment cancels, doors are slammed in your face, and you feel like the world is against ya. But that first week/couple days are thrilling. And provide inspiration of what a mission CAN be like. Especially if we are being obedient and working as hard as we can. And I get to be along for the wonderful ride! How lucky am I?!

This week, we were able to meet some amazing people that are very interested in learning more about the church. I wanted to share one experience in particular with y'all. So on one of our first days together, I decided that Sister de St. Jeor really needed to experience knocking on doors, and she took it all head on! During this time, we met A, who is in his mid-late 20's and has luscious brown locks and a lovely red beard. He told us that he wasn't particularly religious himself, but that his wife was, and that we could stop by again. A few days later, we stopped by with one of our members who just recently returned from a mission (she's a rockstar, and I want to be her someday), and met A outside. Their cat had just had kittens, and he was focused on them, but he sent B, his wife, out to deal with us haha. At first, you could feel the tension in the air, and she did NOT want to talk to these three strange girls in skirts that were standing in her driveway. However, as time went on, and we talked to her more, her entire demeanor changed. She went from very defensive to asking us questions, and discussing some of her thoughts and desires regarding religion. It was such a testimony-building experience for me of how the Spirit is the true teacher. By all accounts, and using rational, logical thought, she should not have talked to us for longer than two minutes. We ended up talking to her for 30-40 minutes. One of my favorite parts of being a missionary is watching people change as they start to feel the Spirit, and start to realize that there is something different about us. It is a beautiful thing.

I also wanted to share a moment with y'all that I thought would provide a little insight into my daily life. The following is a text message conversation between us and an investigator, who I shall call "C":

C: "Our hs almost cought on faire last night"
Us: "Oh my goodness, are y'all alright? What happened?"
C: "My dad having breathn problems the blew up"
Us: "The oxygen tank blew up??"
C: "The microwave"

Missionary work: never a dull moment.

I was a bit nervous about being a trainer, but I feel more comfortable and confident as a missionary than ever before. It's amazing; Heavenly Father has blessed me with an increased capacity for retaining information, remembering directions, being bold, and developing teaching skills. I feel increased power. I actually feel physically different. I am so blessed and amazingly grateful for this opportunity. This weekend was a special one. For those of you who don't know, every 6 months in our church, we hold a General Conference that is broadcast world wide. The prophet speaks, as well as apostles, and other men and women that hold positions of authority. They speak to us on a variety of topics, all inspiring, and sometimes life-altering. I loved being able to watch General Conference for the first time as a missionary. The time has never flown by so quickly. I would highly recommend everyone reading to check it out for yourself by going to www.lds.org and clicking on "The 184th Annual General Conference", which is at the top left of the page. Amazing stuff there people. Some notes I took:

-"In God's plan, there are no true endings, only ever-lasting beginnings."
-"Prayer doesn't change God, it changes you."
-"The gospel is not weight, it is wings."
-The gospel of Jesus Christ does not make our trials disappear, it increases our capacity to handle them, making our burdens lighter
-Be an agent who acts, not an object that is acted upon
-Whenever truth is revealed, there will always be efforts to oppose it

I love this gospel. It has changed my life. It has changed me, down to my very core.
I love you all.

Sister Szilagyi