So Happy!

Before Melissa's regular email came, she sent me just a little short one that said, "I'm so happy! I'm putting lots of details in the big e-mail, but for now you should just know that I'm super happy."  That is definitely exactly what we wanted to hear!  And now for the "lots of details!" 

I am e-mailing you for the first time ever NOT in the city! It is so exciting to have a change. I was really nervous for lots of reasons (not the least of which is that I'm just always nervous) to change areas/wards, but it has been wonderful so far. Sister Jordan is a wonderful support to us, and due to the previous companionship's careful planning and meticulous book keeping, we were able to come in and have a stellar first day with lots to do. When we recount the story of how these transfers came about at such late notice, the ward members' and investigators' initial reactions are usually lamenting the fact that Sister Williams had to go (she was very well loved here) but then they remark about how it must be an inspired change, especially because it happened unusually quickly and specifically. I tend to agree.

Man, it is SO different here. Many changes are a bit sad (like not getting to spend time with our Zone every pday - not gonna lie, that is really rough!) but many are really good! It is easier to lose yourself in the work here. We are so APPRECIATED in our ward! In the singles ward, we were lucky if the bishop even noticed that the missionaries had changed. Here, we were welcomed and asked to bear our testimonies. The members all introduced themselves, and we already have little girls that are attached to me. They are half Argentinian and just about the cutest things I've ever seen. It is a great change, and I feel so blessed to be here in this beautiful little ward.

So you did some research on Oxford... interesting that it's about the same size as Highland. What's funny is that yes, we live in Oxford and our chapel is in Oxford, but our ward boundaries are HUGE! We cover 11 towns! Millbury, Grafton, Upton, Uxbridge, Northbridge, Douglas, Dudley, Southbridge, Webster, Charlton, and Sutton. Please look THAT up and tell me how big it is, in comparison to some Utahr standards I would know. We drive a lot every day. It turns out I was wrong - it's a 2011 Ford Fusion, not a Chevy Malibu. While I know we don't always love Ford, this car is at least really new and nice! It's got some zip which is nice because driving here is insane. There are some intersections that are absolutely absurd. Because we're limited on how many miles we can use per month, we will use the "shortest distance" setting rather than the "shortest time" setting on the GPS (which Sister Williams kindly left since she's now in the city and doesn't need a GPS anymore) - SO we spend a lot of time on windy back roads. It is beautiful here. There are some parts that look like rainforests! AND the weather has been crazy. It is cold in our apartment. We've had spaceheaters on for the last 3 days. What is going on, world? 

Not only was the change in location inspired, but this new companionship is surprisingly great.  I was a bit nervous to be senior comp - not because I felt like I wouldn't be a good leader, or I anticipated some kind of insurrection - I just knew that it would be hard to have two new people come into your area, and NOT be the senior companion. Plus there was a lot of pressure on ME, you know? President could have easily just sent Sister Burr down to Oxford and kept two companionships in the city, but he didn't. He kept us together. And he didn't white wash us in to the arear, he kept Sister Jordan (who really wanted to be transfered out) here and took out Sisters Williams and Connell (who really wanted to stay). Interesting, eh?  Sister Jordan is a better woman than I (thankfully) and she has handled everything really well. She supports and teaches us how things work NOT in the city (it really is different!). Sister Burr and I will always have a soft spot in our heart for our first home - the Cambridge South (or "Dirty South" as we affectionately called it) Zone, but this just feels RIGHT. We are needed here, and that is a bit different as well.

I love to see that everything I've learned on my mission so far is applicable to my situation now. There is some GOOD missionary work going on in the city. Good ward mission leaders, good bishops and stake leaders, and of course Brother Clayton Christiansen is a gem. I feel that I have been specifically prepared for this area. For this ward. For this companionship. The three of us had a wonderful breakthrough during weekly planning a couple days ago. Sister Burr and I have always been very involved with members and leaders in our wards. We've always had members who were great at fellowshipping investigators and ward mission leaders/bishops who are really committed to missionary work. Here, it's a bit different. The ward mission leader (who is fantastic and everything we could ask for) meets some resistance when he tries to focus the ward council meeting on missionary work (according to PMG). The members are so wrapped up in their own lives that they won't fellowship. Basically, while we are politely and enthusiastically received by the ward, that is about where the support ends. This may be (actually, it likely is) a bit of a dramatization, but from what I have seen so far, this is what the ward needs most: to become more missionary minded, and to have a better working relationship with us as full-time missionaries. SO - Sister Burr and I (having the background we do from the wonderful Cambridge Stake) are fantastically suited to come in and do everything within our power to improve this relationship. Sister Jordan is surprised but excited by our (Sister Burr's and mine) enthusiasm and optimism about the ward and the work. She has said to us (and even mentioned it in her testimony in Sacrament Meeting yesterday) that she needed us, and that we were called to this ward for a reason.

I knew that a change would be good for ME and it indeed is. BUT, I am thrilled to see that I am needed here. For whatever time the Lord wants and keeps me here, I will work my hardest to bring in to this area the truths about missionary work and working with members that I learned during my first 9 months. What a blessing it is to feel needed. I feel so blessed to be recognizing that the Lord's hand was truly in this transfer. I am so thankful for this companionship. I am thankful that things are working out the way they are.
I hope this doesn't make it sound like I didn't enjoy my time in the city. I definitely did! I would love to go back there to serve again someday if that's where the Lord needs me. I simply wanted to express how thankful I am to be here for now, and add my testimony that it was an inspired (albeit last minute) decision.

Some bad news is that we will likely only have an hour to e-mail now. BOO. Today we're on the far side of our arear in Grafton because we have a dinner appointment out here at 6:30, but the library where we usually go has a time limit. That is NOT going to be my favorite. I've already been e-mailing for an hour and I still have a lot to say! Hopefully it will work out like this usually :)

So let me tell you about my new companions. Sister Burr is indeed related to Sara Bailey!  She just read from her e-mail that her dad sent. Her grandpa's cousin is Sister Bailey's dad! Sister Bailey's maiden name is Burr! Wow. That is awesome and funny. I have always loved Sister Burr (she is the one I would go jogging with in the mornings (which still happens, btw)) and so I'm so thankful to be her companion. We are united in a common goal to master the accent. If you thought that being out of the city would mean that we had no more opportunity to hear authentic accents and subsequently learn - you were wrong. There are so FANTASTICALLY accented people out here. Our ward mission leader looks and sounds like Alan Alda. What a dream. I think I'll wear my M*A*S*H shirt to the next coordination meeing :) We laugh a lot together, and she (Sister Burr) is just so easy to get along with. I really enjoy myself around her.

Sister Jordan is AMAZING. She joined the church in college in Arizona, then moved to Vegas and worked as a backup singer for Gladys Knight for her nightly show in Vegas, THEN went on TOUR with Gladys. Isn't that cool? She has the amazing black voice I've always wanted and we love to sing and harmonize together. She is super cool and very humble. We all three get along great!

It is so weird to be the oldest. Even though I trained young, I was still always around people who had known Sister Carpenter. And since I was trained in the city, everyone remembered me from when I was a greenie and that is a tough image/condition to escape. I can't believe I've been out for 9 months! When people ask who's senior comp, how long have we all been out, where are we from, etc., it's so weird to say 9 months. Someone yesterday actually said, "Oh wow, 9 months? You're a veteran." haha. If I go home the late transfer (which is likely) I'll actually have a full 18 months IN THE FIELD which means that my real half way point of my whole mission is like June 11th or something like that. But whatever it is, it is going by quickly.

I'll close by sharing some (not all, because I don't have time) of the things I've learned from the good ol' BoM these past couple weeks. Do you know what is great? Well, lots of things are great. But one thing specifically that I want to mention, is that when I found out last week that I was getting transferred, I was freaked out in so many ways, but had a weird sense of peace because the Spirit told me, very specifically, that even if everything about my circumstances changed (i.e. new companion, new apartment, new ward, new responsibilities, having to DRIVE a car in Massachusetts, etc.) I would still have a constant known as "One hour of personal study time set aside every single day." My Book of Mormon and I, we are pretty tight. I find a lot of escapism through it/him. But it is healthy escapism - not like Twilight. I was just so comforted (and it has been proven to be true) to feel that I can still get away from the world and all my stresses/stressors and dive into truth. DIAMOND truth. Truth unmixed with error (can you tell I've been listening to Angel Bruce on CD?? He is the greatest).

* In Helaman 10 I love what we learn in verses 2 and 3 about pondering. It reminds me a lot of Mom's talk about pondering because it is necessary for personal revelation. It's interesting that the act of pondering is what invited the Spirit to teach Nephi specific things (direction AND comfort).

*In that same chapter, but verse 5, I LOVE that the Lord tells Nephi that He will grant whatever he prays for because He knows that he'll never ask for anything that is "contrary to [His] will". Isn't that great? I wrote next to it, "Can the Lord say that about ME? Am I careful in my petitions to God" Do I close my prayers asking for His will - not MINE - to be done?"

*In Chapter 13, verse 29, I wrote, "Seriously, Boston! How long??" Obviously this was while I was still in the city. I actually had a breakdown one night (meaning kneeling at the foot of my bed, sobbing) because I just felt hopeless. I didn't think there were any people in Boston who would listen to us. I didn't doubt that God was preparing people, or that the gospel is powerful enough to change lives, I just doubted that there was ANYONE there who would be humble enough to listen and to change. It was a dramatic time of my life - haha. But through prayer and some counseling with companions and Elders, I felt a little better. Then I got transfered away to the boonies haha.

*3 Nephi 1:18, the people are fearing because of iniquity and unbelief. Therefore, righteousness and faith must cause peace and comfort!

*3 Nephi 4:5 - we see that the Adversary doesn't and can't provide for his followers like the Lord does for His followers.

*3 Nephi 4:33 - this is a favorite of mine just because of the word choice. ha! I've felt lots of times that my heart was "swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears"! That is just great.

*I think 3 Nephi 5:4 is hilarious too - they cast the prisoners from the Gadianton Robbers into prison and then preach the word unto them! haha! That is a great plan.

Whelp - I just love you all! I love to hear from you, and I love being a missionary.

Thanks for everything,

Sister "I can't think of anything clever for here and I'm being kicked off the computer" Broekhuijsen