If I could have one wish I would make time slow down! - 02/03/14

Melbourne Mission Moments

Happy New Year! Haha this week was Chinese New Year so we had a little celebration with the sisters in our flat. I can't believe it's February! January passed us by so quickly! If I could have one wish I would make time slow down!

Monday night after our P-day we had dinner with a Hungarian couple in the ward. They are so fun. After our dinner we went to visit a part-member family that we have been trying to meet since we got here. The sister who is a member answered the door and she invited us to sit on the back patio and talk. Anyway, so we sat outside for about 30 minutes and got to know her and had a short lesson before it was time to go home. When we went home, I had about 6 mozzie (mosquito) bites, but my poor companion--she had 47! Yes, we counted them. Poor thing.

Tuesday morning was transfer meeting but since neither of us is being moved we were able to just finish our studies and get out to work. Tuesday was quite a hot day and my poor companion's mozzie bites were getting really painful and itchy. They were all swollen huge and red/bruised looking. It honestly looked like a disease. So we went to a wonderful member's house who had some antihistamine and spray for her to use. Those poor bites lasted 4 days and looked just terrible. I felt so bad.

Tuesday night we had dinner with a cute couple who are expecting their first baby in June. They are so cute. That morning while we were planning, we felt like we should talk about prayer with them. We had a good lesson and the spirit was definitely there. But as we left, I wasn't sure that was what they needed. But yesterday this cute sister bore her testimony in sacrament meeting and talked about how she really needed to hear that when we came because she was facing a quite difficult situation at work and prayer was the only thing that got her through it. It was so good to know that we had taught by the spirit and according to their needs. It's hard sometimes when you're planning lessons to be able to tell what people need. Sometimes I don't know how to distinguish between my thoughts and what the spirit tells us but time and time again, I've seen how we end up teaching or saying exactly what the person needs. It is such a blessing to be able to have the spirit as a third companion in this work. I know that we would not have any success without it.

Another note about transfers--now our district is the youngest in the entire mission. Literally. Every single companionship has a golden (someone who is being trained). But as President Maxwell says, "Goldens bring miracles!" I know there are going to be some mighty miracles in our district this transfer!

Wednesday it was hot again but we were blessed to be in appointments most of the day. We were able to visit a less active member in the morning and then we went to see a sister who we felt might need some uplifting. She was expressing to us how since she is not working, she is bored a lot of the day. I had a thought, she should do indexing. It was so random because I haven't thought about indexing in ages so it was definitely from the spirit. Anyway, we helped her get all logged in and set up and showed her how it works. Yesterday at church she told us that she has done something like 5 hours of it! How awesome is that?

Wednesday night we were able to have dinner and a lesson with a member family and their two Chinese exchange students. They are so cute! They have little to no knowledge about Jesus Christ or anything related to the church so we are having to start at the very very basics but they are eating up the information that we give them!

Thursday morning we had zone meeting. Our zone leaders are seriously the BEST! That afternoon we were doing some GQing at the train station and it was so successful! We found 6 people that day in under two hours!

Friday we were able to visit a lot of less-active members which was really successful. That night we got a call from our sister training leaders about going on exchanges. We were not sure who the STLs are because we weren't at transfer meeting. I was overjoyed to hear that they are Sister F and... Sister R! I have been with Sister F on exchanges the past two transfers so more than likely I will be with Sister R (my companion from the MTC). That thought just makes me overjoyed. I love her so so much!

Saturday we spent a lot of the day GQing. While we were talking to people outside some shops, this random guy just came and gave us cold water. It was such a blessing because it was hot and we had both run out of water! He didn't know us, just thought we looked hot and wanted to do something nice. I love experiences like that--they give me hope in the goodness of people.

We were also able to see some wonderful members on Saturday night. We are really trying to work with the members to do this work because we know that is how we will be most successful.

Sunday at church we had 3 investigators come to church which was a huge blessing! After church, we had some time to go and do some finding. It was 43̊C so it was piping hot but we were able to meet 4 more people and reach our weekly goal which was awesome! We had dinner with a Filipino family which was so yummy! Sister Gonzales made me love Filipino food.

I hate it when it's so hot your chapstick melts!

After dinner we went to the mission president fireside with a recent convert in the ward. It was a really good fireside. I got to see Sis. Stevenson there which brought joy to my soul. And she was able to give me an update on some people in my previous area. One sister is progressing toward baptism. Another young girl is getting baptized on the 15th of this month! And the sister from Peru that we started teaching in December is getting baptized! I saw her there last night and was able to talk to her. She is so happy, she was just glowing.

A small miracle that happened yesterday: Saturday night we forgot to get petrol on the way home. Around 12:00 yesterday our empty light went on. We had to drive to our appointments and to the mission president fireside so we said a prayer that we would not run out of petrol. And we didn't! We had just enough to make it home last night. We went to fill it up this morning. Our car has a 50 liter tank and we put 49.29 liters in it.

This week I have spent a lot of time studying the life of the Savior. One thing in particular really stuck out to me this week. I was reading in Matthew 14 about when He feeds the 5000. Truly it was a miracle that He was able to feed the 5000 but it was the circumstances before the miracle occurred that really touched me. Right before this happened, His cousin, John the Baptist had just been unjustly beheaded. He was no doubt, feeling some sorrow at his death and went away to have a bit of time on his own. But people followed him and wanted to be taught. He could have turned around and told them to leave him alone, that He needed  some time to himself. But He didn't, He taught and blessed the people. As it got later, He could have sent them away, explaining that there wasn't food--surely spending his time with them would have been enough. But He didn't. I was really touched by this. No matter what the circumstance, Christ was always willing to help. I am here as a missionary, wearing His name on my tag. I am to emulate Him. I thought to myself--do I reflect this attitude in my work? Am I willing to help, no matter how tired I am, no matter what personal trials I might be having that day? The Savior never thought of Himself. He always put others first. That is something I am really trying to implement in my life.

The study area in our flat.

I am so grateful for this time that I have to be a missionary. I am learning every day what it means to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the atonement that allows me to change, to overcome my weaknesses and become more like Him.

I love you all so much!

Love y'all heaps!

Sister Baker xxx