Week 1 - Again!

I had to be patient again today - but the email from Melissa did eventually arrive!  Here it is for all to enjoy!

Wow. Another week 1. It is such a weird thing that I am still here! But I love the members and they love me and things are great in Brighton. The weather has been very... wet. And windy. And it is very misty so that even with an umbrella, I still get soaked. I am just embracing the frizzy hair. It is nice to be inside and looking out, though! I love it! The green green trees look spectacular against a flat grey sky. And BOY are there trees here. It's just fantastic and I feel so lucky to be in such a beautiful place! it's amazing what some leaves can do to spruce a place up! (haha - SPRUCE trees don't even HAVE leaves - they are coniferous! Botany joke!) 

Well, I feel like I don't have a lot of news since last Wednesday. Things are going well. Not in the sense that we have people to teach, but in the sense that we are recognizing blessings and pushing forward. What people often don't realize is that even though we're not in Europe, it's basically like we're in Europe! ha! Hardness of hearts and aversion to actual religion/change, the whole shebang. So I am just trying to accept the fact that Boston basically equals Paris (minus the whole "having to speak French" business).
Last Pday was great! After e-mailing we headed into the Pru, like I mentioned last time. There is a skywalk/observation deck on the 50th floor (which costs $15/person) and there is a big fancy restaurant called, Top of the Hub on the 52nd floor (with lots of windows overlooking the beautiful city) and the only requirement is that you order something. Also you should know that there is a plate of cookies available on the dessert menu for $13. Guess which option we selected? Yes. Spending way less AND getting cookies. It was a great time. See? Look:

Then we went to Trader Joe's. It was my first time going to actually SHOP, instead of stopping off with a member as she drove us home. We went crazy. I bought some carrot ginger soup and some butternut squash soup and although I haven't yet tried them, I expect they shall both be delish. Also, I got some TJ's brand pop chips. Totally cheaper than name brand. Also we got hummus and pretzel thins and ice cream ("What kind?" you ask? Well, only the BEST kind, my dear child. TJ's Lemon Triple Gingersnap. Thanks for asking). What healthy purchases!
Here's a cute picture of me in front of cute Trader Joe's. 

Well, since this e-mail so far is mostly about food and shopping and being a tourist, I suppose I should include something a bit spiritual and uplifting.  

During transfer meeting on Wednesday, Sister Evans gave a great analogy. I will summarize it and name it. 

The Analogy of the Light and the Cleaning Supplies and the House:
We were all given a house, which, through sin (and probably some earthquakes and stuff), we have defiled and made dirty. In this house there is no electricity (I don't know why - just roll with me here. I'm embellishing some of the details to try to make it into more of a story form) so when we try to clean it up on our own, we can only get the big things that we can immediately see: the couch is turned over, the book shelf is tipped, etc. So we do what we can, and when we open the door, Christ is standing there. He says, "That was good, now here's some more light - go try again." So we take the light He has given us and we go back and we can see a little bit more. The lampshade is crooked, we see that we put some of the books back in the bookshelf upside down, so we fix that. There's a pile of dirty clothes in the corner that we couldn't see before, so we take care of that. When it's clean according to what we can see, we open the door again and Christ is there. Again he says, "Good, that was good. Now here's some more light - go try again." So with increased light we can see even more. There are smudges on the mirror, dust all over the framed Michael Jackson poster (<-- I added that bit in), your taxidermied velociraptor needs to be wiped down (<-- and that!), and the carpet desperately needs to be vacuumed. Obviously we know that even after we have fixed these things, Christ is always there to congratulate us on how well we're doing, and give us the ability to improve even more! I loved this analogy. It really makes the line from Hymn 136 mean even more for me, "He lives my mansion to prepare." But he is not preparing it FOR us (because we wouldn't even know how to appreciate it if we didn't have to work for it), He is helping us to perfect our own houses and turning them into Celestial mansions. 

It reminds me of the saying, "the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know anything" (or a much more eloquent version of that). I can see my teenage self being really frustrated by this analogy. "Why can't it be good enough?" I'm sure I would think, "Will He never just let me rest? I'm sick of always finding more that I've done wrong and needing to fix it!" but NOW I love it. I am not discouraged by the thought that I can always do better, I am empowered by it. In Sunday School a couple weeks ago someone made the comment that we should not be frustrated or overwhelmed by the command to be perfect. That if we look at it in a school setting, we can see it in a different way. Imagine being in a freshman seminar class and the professor tells you, "I command you to graduate - that is what I want you to do." If you are trudging along taking your undergrad classes, you wouldn't be discouraged that you haven't yet graduated - you would recognize that everything you're doing is HELPING you and PREPARING you to graduate. If you got frustrated that you were not YET graduated and threw in the towel, it would be rather foolish. It is the same with perfection. We are not expected to be perfect here in this life, just like a freshman or a sophomore or even a junior or senior is not expected to BE graduated as an undergrad. We have to recognize that this is a preparatory time and that all that's expected of us NOW is progress. 

I also loved a couple mind-stickers that President Evans mentioned in his talk, "This process that we are engaged in - of leading souls back to their Father in Heaven - is the only real thing left in this universe. Everything else is just decoration. Nothing else will last." and "We have nothing to fear, we just have to go DO!" 

As far as personal and companionship goals go, Sister Edwards and I are both working at being better at contacting. It is stinkin' hard. I hate it, but I want to be bold. We have made several lists of things we want to do and things we don't want to do for this transfer. One of the biggest potential challenges that we see is that we are such good friends. We don't want to become complacent or be cliquish or be too focused on having fun/being friends that we miss missionary opportunities. I'm so thankful to have her to work with because we both have similar desires to be exactly obedient and just work as hard as we can.
Thanks for sending the pictures from your trip! I loved seeing you all. The boys look so old, and Zion is SO beautiful that way! I love snow on red rock. :)

I love you, family! Thank you for everything - it is such a relief to know that I have people at home who are supporting me.

Love,

Sister "windy days and full skirts are not a good combination" Broekhuijsen

Explanation

We waited patiently (or not-so-patiently) for our weekly email from Melissa.  It didn't come!  But then we received the following (from Sister Edwards, Melissa's companion and a bit from Melissa.)

Hello to the Best Broekhuijsen Family in the United States of America! 

      This is Sister Edwards (your daughter's crazy companion). We are emailing you to let you know her email crashed on her and she won't be able to send an email to you today. We will be back at the library tomorrow and she will send it then!  

I hope all of you are having a fabulous week!  

"I was trying to send some giant pictures but it took too long so I signed out and when I signed back in it said I was temporarily locked out due to unusual usage. So that is why I cannot send it today. It is mega racist and I'm awfully sorry." ~Sister B

Just to let you know.... your daughter is AMAZING!!  

Love,
Sister Edwards

Staying!

We've been waiting with bated breath (Melissa hates that expression!) to see where Melissa would email us from today!  Well, looks like she'll stay in Brighton for her birthday!

Well hey there. 

Here is some exciting news: I am STAYING in the LP wards. For the 6th transfer. At the end of this transfer is my 9 month mark! That is half my mission in one apartment, one area, the same two wards. I love these wards, but I feel like there will probably be a change soon. Plus, in about 3 weeks people will start a mass exodus away for the summer, so the wards will change a lot just on their own. So it is good news that I am staying (especially because I have accumulated SO much stuff that I am really really dreading the day I have to pack it all up into one big suitcase and one small suitcase *shudder*). Sister Edwards is staying with me - which I am really thankful about! Sister Connell is being transfered to a family ward in Oxford, Massachusetts. She loves little kids so I think it will be a nice change and a good fit for her. 

Speaking of little kids, I don't think I told you, but about a week ago, on Saturday the 7th, we got to go up to the Belmont chapel and see S*'s baptism! She's the little girl we taught when I was with Sister Meier. She's super super cute and their family is just amazing. We taught her the four lessons you get BEFORE baptism, and then this past Monday, we taught her the fifth and final lesson, meant for after baptism, about the laws and ordinances. It was great to be able to see her. She is a sweetheard and very cute (even though she's *gasp* blonde!). Speaking of families - the Belmont wards LOVE us so we are teaching two OTHER little girls! We met with E* a couple weeks ago and she is darling as well. Her family is just incredible too! After we met with them, we found out that her mom is FAMOUS! Not JUST in the Mormon world, either. Her mormon.org profile (especially video) is awesome: http://mormon.org/jane/ . I've been to that house! I met those two adorable little kids! I saw the Boston skyline from their amazing backyard! They are a really really cool family. I love Boston :) 

We had a breakfast appointment last week with a member named C*. She is straight up German and has all kinds of amazing connections. Her dad is BFFs with President Uchtdorf, and her mom was Sister Uchtdorf's visiting teacher! They all 3 flew out to Utah for General Conference. Pretty cool! Anyway, the point of this story is that we had a very European breakfast, and I thought as I ate it at 10:00 in the northeast corner of the United States that you were probably eating a very similar breakfast at 7:00 in the Southwest corner. I had eggs, bread and jam, and MOST importantly, thinly sliced pumpernickel with butter and GOUDA! Yes, the Germans, even, can love Gouda. It was not even just normal gouda, it was young, CREAMY gouda and it was a delight. The Dutch girl within me rejoiced. It was so funny because, reading the accounts from parents and brothers, it sounds like you indeed DID eat with Oma and Opa that morning! Anyway, I know it's stupid that I've spent like 15 minutes describing a breakfast that revolved around cheese, but it was cute of God to let things work out that way. I felt very close to my Broekhuijsen blood in California.  

I have learned a LOT lately. Prepare yourself because it's going to be a spiritually heavy next few paragraphs. We had Stake Conference this weekend which was a treat. I also got to go to the temple on Monday. I love when I receive revelation from what I am hearing/reading, but ALSO love when the revelation I receive is not necessarily even related to the surroundings! Anyway, here are some bullet points of some of my favorite new little truths I've discovered slash been reminded of. 

*Just like lighting new candles from a single flame, love within a family doesn't get stretched thin when more people are added - the light just GROWS! 

*When we serve in the temple, we get to understand God better. What a privilege! 

*We are surrounded by people everywhere we are, every day. God loves THEM just as much as he loves ME! 

*I should have no "throw-away" prayers. If I ask God with a sincere heart and real-intent, then my communication with Him really can be divine! 

*The ever-present question for me is, "Is this the Holy Ghost or is it just me?" Well, because I have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost, if I have no "stupor of thought" about a decision, I can assume it's a good one. The only voice that would force me to overthink or question my decision is the whispering of Lucifer. 

*Sometimes you don't know you're headed in the right direction until you take that first step! That's why it's called a leap of faith. VERBS are always associated with faith and the discovering of more faith. 

Now, I've also been LOVING my scripture study lately. I'm in the story section of Alma and i must say it is one of my favorite sections in the whole darn book. Let's take a little journey together Ammonihah, Middoni, , shall we? I'll share what principles I've learned for myself, and where/how I learned them. 

*Alma 17:33, Ammon says he's going to go "contend" with the stupid guys that like to scatter the King's flock. I literally laughed out loud. Considering the awesomely, righteously violent things that happen within the next few verses, "contend" seems like a bit of an understatement. 

*In Alma 21:12 we see that "few believed" their missionary message, but then in verse 17, the lord begins to "bless them insomuch that they brought many to the knowledge of the truth". I was VERY INTERESTED in learning how they bridged this giant gap that is also in front of ME, so I re-read the verses in between and found a lot of action words! They "went forth" and "went forth again" and "were led by the Spirit...preaching". That was a good reminder that I need to continue to WORK WORK WORK. 

*Alma 23:6 - what an amazing statistic that as many of them that "believed in their preaching, and were converted," NEVER FELL AWAY. That means that my ultimate goal is much more than just baptisms, I want people who are truly converted to the Lord and his gospel. 

*Alma 24:26 - It's a good reminder that on this relatively small, localized scale here, but also on a much larger, global level, "the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain." 

*Alma 25:6 - we learn that Aaron planted seeds! As much as I hate that phrase, it's nice to see that even this missionary who saw a lot of immediate success, did not see ALL the fruits of his labors. How many of the people that I talk to will be "converted in [their own] wilderness[es] later"? 

*Alma 25:15-16, these people really understood the law of Moses! They weren't looking for salvation in following the letter of the law, but they new that it could strengthen their personal disciplines and strengthen their faith in Christ so that if/when they were asked to focus more on the spirit of the law, they could do so. 

*Alma 26 - I love this whole chapter. I think I've already raved enough about how much I love it, but I found something new this time around, even though I've often turned to this chapter for comfort when I'm feeling down. In verse 9, Ammon realizes on behalf of himself and his missionary companions, "if we had not come... they would have been strangers to God." I realized for myself that that is, at least in a small way, applicable to my situation as well. Yes, some people that we teach have let us down, and they can't seem to get their priorities straight, and their certainly not willing to commit to baptism, but HEY! They are no longer strangers to God! P* didn't know about God, before we taught her! H* didn't know that God is actually her FATHER in Heaven! They may not be ready for covenants yet, but at least they know how to pray, and they have felt God's presence and love for them. That it is an accomplishment. 

Ahh I have so many more spiritual insights that I want to share but I don't have time.
Well, thanks for the e-mails this week! I am looking forward to seeing more pictures from you trip and getting more details.  

This afternoon we are going to hit up the Prudential Center (the biggest and most recognizable landmark in the Boston skyline - affectionately called the "Pru" by cool people like me) and Trader Joe's and the mall. Should be a great pday! 

Love you all,
Sister "Thank goodness it doesn't get up to 120 degrees in Boston" Broekhuijsen