Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Yup, they booted me out of Park City!
I don't know yet where I will be going, but honestly, I am so excited I cant even stand it!

I had the opportunity to serve in Park City for 4 1/2 months and its been a great run.  As much as I'd love to stay for so many reasons, from the people that I have met and learned from as well as taught I know that nobody ever grows in their comfort zone.  I feel like I may have started to get comfortable, a little to comfortable, and we all know what happens when we get comfortable!

I thought of Elder Hollands talk "Sadly enough, my young friends, it is characteristic of ourage that if people want any gods at all, they want them tbe gods who do not demand much,comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock thboat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds."..

I don't want to pick marigolds! Give me challenges! Rock that boat! So basically, Im excited for new experiences and opportunities to grow and learn.

I thought it was pretty interesting that the night before i found out i was getting transferred I had been reading another talk by, guess who- haha, that's right- Elder Holland!
Anyway, it was titled "The Best is Yet to Be"...how fitting haha
It was so perfect that I read it last night for a couple of reasons, one being that I was going to be getting transferred the next day.  Its not always easy to "be where you are when you are there".  We have cell phones and all these other objects that take us away from the here and now.  Obviously I'm not on Facebook or Instagram since I'm on a mission, but our thoughts can also be a distraction.  Just as much as any cellular device.

In his talk Elder Holland recalls the account of Lot's wife, what was it that she did that was so bad?  It wasn't just that she looked back, it was that she yearned to be back.
I think of home, my family, and my friends, and if i do it long enough..i might as well be as effective as a pillar of salt.  Elder Holland then makes the statement "FAITH points to the FUTURE"...A perfect example of this is Paul "After the Apostle Paul reviewed the privileged and rewardinglife of his early years—his birthright, education, and standing in the Jewish community—he says to the Philippians thaall of that was “dung”compared to his conversion to Christianity.He says, and paraphrase, “I have stopped rhapsodizing about ‘the good old days’ and now eagerly look toward thfuture ‘that may apprehend that for which Christ apprehennded me’. 
 
 Then come these verses:
“This one thing do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto thosethings which are before, press toward the mark for thprize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14).  No Lot’s wife here. No lookinback at Sodom and Gomorrah here. Paul knows it is out therein the future, up ahead wherever heaven is taking us,that we will win “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” 
With a new area, new companion, and new challenges... I plan to look forward with faith!  I know that with this transfer, I will be where Heavenly Father wants me to be, in a place where he has prepared more of his children to hear his word.  Bring it! 
I'll end with this last quote from Elder Holland "To all such of every generationcall out, “Remember Lot’wife.” Faith is for the  future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for eachof us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11).
 
I am so grateful for these 18 months of my life that I can dedicate to the Lord, lessons like this, of looking forward with faith.  I will carry them with me forever.  I know that as we all " look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes " 
our lives will be richly blessed. 
I love my family, and I love the Lord, I hope you all have a great week!

Love sister Efnor
 I will miss these ransom sightings of Moose!
 My view of Main Street Park City from the Tree- I have a feeling I might be back here before my mission is finished... Love this place! 

SLCE Mission Trek!

This week..oh how to describe it...pretty much the best week EVVAAAAAA! haha
 
Tuesday
We went on a Pioneer trek as a whole mission.  Picture this, 23 carts, about 8 missionaries to a cart, out in the middle of Wyoming.  I was talking to a girl in the ward about how we were going on a trek, she is preparing to go on a mission, she asked if all missions go on a trek...NOPE!  Just the greatest missions in the WORLD do!  Just kidding, every mission is the best, but seriously, how awesome is it that the day before pioneer day I got to go on a trek with tons of other missionaries.  I felt that it was pretty perfect since the same day I put on my own pioneer get-up to go pull a cart, my family was up in Nauvoo putting on their gear to go on stage at the Joseph Smith Pageant. 
There was a story that was told to us by the senior missionaries right before we had to do the womens pull (which by the way is A LOT harder when your an out of shape sista lol).  It was the story of Agnus Caldwell who came over in the same company of pioneers with Heber C. Kimball.  The children would often walk next to wagons in hopes that the person driving would offer them a lift since their feet were frozen and they had already been walking for miles.  Agnus didn't give up and she kept walking next to the wagon that Heber C Kimball was driving.  Finally he asked her, "Sissy, you want a ride?" to which she replied "yes sir".  He took hold of her hand and then motioned for the horses to go faster.  He started to make her run next to the wagon.  In her journal entry she said she felt like she was running next to the wagon for miles, when he finally pulled her up, he wrapped her in a blanket and stuck her in the wagon.
Why did he do this?  To get her heart rate going so she could be warm, had he just stuck her in the wagon she would have froze to death.
 
We can pray for days, weeks, months, and we may never know why Heavenly Father is making us run.  We may never understand why we are having to bear a burden, or pull our own handcarts of life. We may never know until our loving Heavenly Father has pulled us up, wrapped us in his arms, and put us in the wagon.  Just like Agnus was kept alive, Heavenly Father keeps us alive, alive in the gospel.  As we continue to hold on to his ever out stretched arm our testimony's, our spirits, our families will be made stronger.
 
Thursday
During our district meeting we had to do role plays.  I ended up not having a partner, i looked to my district leader and asked what i was suppose to do now. to which he replied.."you can role play with president eberhardt.." uhhhh...uhhhh...hahaha everyone had a good laugh over my reaction, if you can only imagine, it was awesome being able to role play with him though, not to many missionaries get that oppotunity.
 
Friday
My eye swelled up and I looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Not even kidding.

We were able to find a new investigator this week..sometimes i have to just read his lips because his English isn't very good, so we might have to end up turning him over to the Spanish sister, but a new investigator for any missionary is a new investigator for the Lord so its all good :)

I cant even tell you all how much I loved going on that trek with all of Gods army.  In those 9 and a half miles i feel like i learned so many different things that are gong to help me as a missionary. I love you all-
and remember.. don't let go.
Love, Sister Efnor