Well hello!
I have had such a wonderful week. Probably the most appointment-filled, fruit-laden week of my mission. I've said it before, but it's so great to get to see outward results for all our hard work. I know that the times we work hard and DON'T see outward results are also important, but I guess I'm just trying to say that I'm grateful for this week.
With such a stellar, happy, productive, and fun week as this was, it is extremely sad to see that it marked this end of an era. That's right, Sister Vicente is getting transferred on Wednesday. She is going up to the singles wards! She'll be in the apartment where I got baked! She'll get to work at CEOC and take the train every day and walk around Harvard Square! While I'm excited for her, and I know she will (eventually) love it, it is SO sad to see her go. We have been doing SO well together and I feel very attached to my little Cape Verdean princess. My new companion will be Sister Rivera. She is from Honduras originally, but grew up mostly in Brooklyn, NY. She is getting pulled out of the Spanish program to come into this ward, so that is exciting. I am grateful to get to finish up my mission here in the Madison ward.
So let me tell you a bit about this week that was, as mentioned (several times already), quite amazing.
Right after I finished my e-mail last week we headed to the A*s, a family in our ward, for a dinner appointment. Their children are so cute and well-mannered. And their (I first typed "there" - oh dear, time to go back to college) cat, Larry, is HUGE and orange and so cute and floppy and cuddly and relaxed and majestic and chill and I love him. I'm sorry there have been so many animal updates lately (pigs, tomcats, and Mainecoons, - oh my!) but they are apparently an important part of my mission. haha
Tuesday was just as incredible as I was hoping it would be, and THEN some. Fear not, I shall tell you all about it.
We drove up to the temple in Belmont with Elders William and Somppi (in our district) which was SUPER nice because I don't love making that long drive with all the construction. Plus, I have a guilt complex about speeding so I pretty much always follow the speed limit. So, when OTHER people are driving, we get places a lot more quickly!! Sister Vicente and I brought pillows and blankets (you should know that it's less than a 2 1/2 hour drive, haha, but we like to be prepared) so we were very comfortable in the back seat. We got to have lunch with our zone and the Nashua, NH zone in the cafeteria and then headed upstairs and did a session together. It was just wonderful, I love the way I feel in the temple - it is just so different from the rest of the world!
After the temple we walked down to the Belmont chapel and had half of a transfer meeting and a Christmas devotional. We got to hear the testimonies of the departing missionaries (something that usually happens in transfer meeting, that got moved up because those leaving this transfer fly home tomorrow (Tuesday) morning!! That's nuts!) and it was such a weird feeling to think that the next time there are departing testimonies, I will be up on the stand. It's hitting me in waves and it's just very odd, and slightly alarming. During the devotional, President Packard gave a PROFOUNDLY interesting discourse on the circumstances around the birth of Christ. I forgot my notes (durnit!!) but his main point was that Christ, the creator of Earth and Lord of the heavens got to choose exactly how He wanted to come into the world, and He chose to come in the lowliest of circumstances. President led us through several scriptures and made the point that everything about His birth was related to humility. Social, societal, personal, and intellectual humility. I've always known that it was a humble time, but I've never had it laid out so beautifully - it was just great. I feel so lucky to be here with this mission president at this time. I KNOW I'm supposed to be here to learn from him.
After the devotional we headed downstairs to the gym (the Belmont chapel is very oddly designed) and had our Christmas party! It was great to see other zones' skits and musical numbers. Our musical number (that I told you about last week) was by FAR the best, if I do say so myself, and I most certainly do. Our skit turned out well! I will have to try to get a recording of that sometime - I know several people got videos of it. I was... QUITE dramatic. It would take too long to go into great detail, but basically I got to play a very stereotypical Sister missionary. I was extremely emotional (<--- and in all honesty, that's probably a bit of an understatement) and got to throw in lots of corny Mormon phrases. It was fun and I was congratulated several times on my acting skills. Let's just hope people realize that it was a JOKE and that's not really how I am :)
After the party was over, we walked back up to the temple parking lot and waited around for a bit because there were a lot of logistical details that needed to be worked out (we had stuff to give to Sister Garcia that she had left in the Clinton apartment, the Elders were going on exchanges so they had to get the right bedding into the right car... stuff like that). So while we were waiting at the car, I saw a car drive by us really slowly, but it was like 8:00 at night so I couldn't see anyone inside. I just knew it wasn't a missionary car. It went by and then suddenly the driver slammed on the brakes, the doors FLEW open, and two people started running at me with their arms out in hugging position yelling, "Sister BROEKHUIJSENNNNNNNNN!!"
It was none other than L* and A* - my investigator-made-recent-convert from the singles wards, and one of my favorite members from LP2, respectively. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??? Let's just think about all the things that had to go exactly right for this to be possible: I was up in Belmont, Massachusetts at 8:00 pm on the exact day that L* and A* decide to go out to dinner together. Then, they decided to take the long way home so they could see the temple. THEN they decided to drive around the temple parking lot. Then I had to be facing the right direction at the right time so that they could recognize me. If any one of those things hadn't happened, I wouldn't have gotten to see them! If we hadn't been waiting around for Sister Garcia to retrieve her stuff, then we would have already been on the road by the time they drove by! I am tearing up right now just thinking about it. This is truly my Christmas miracle and I feel SO blessed that God loves me enough to divinely, intricately orchestrate this beautiful confluence of events.
On the drive home from the temple we got stuck in a HUGE traffic jam. It took 45 minutes to move 1/2 a mile. And for once in my life, I'm not exaggerating. They forced everyone off the freeway - all lanes. I've never heard of that happening before. So that was another reason I was extremely grateful that I wasn't driving that day :) But even the traffic jam wasn't annoying for me because 1) Elder Williams told us the story of his most awkward date and it was supremely entertaining, and 2) pillow and blanket.
Thursday morning I got to go to the dentist! I love the dentist!! There is a dentist in the ward, Dr. B*, who owns his own practice and lets missionaries get free cleanings and even fillings and stuff! It felt so good to get a cleaning. Then we went to New Haven and had our district meeting. President Packard came, so that was fun! When he shook my hand he said, "Ah, Sister Broekhuijsen - my academy award winner!" Once again, I'm hoping that this is a sign that he knows I was JOKING and I'm not really like that. hahahaa. After district meeting we went to Frank Pepe's (the oldest pizza place in the COUNTRY) with C* (Snoop Dogg's cousin). I thought it might not feel as cool typing that out the second time but I was wrong. It was just as awesome as the first time I got to go to the oldest pizza place in America with a rapper's cousin, about 7 weeks ago. ha!
By the time our meeting, lunch, and transfer predictions were over, it was near rush hour and I was exhausted so I really didn't want to drive home. I jokingly asked Sister Vicente (who has never driven in her LIFE), "Will you drive home so I can just take a nap in the back seat?" She responded, "Sure, but first I have a queston for you: Do you want to go home in February? Or do you want to go to the Celestial Kingdom TODAY? 'Cause if I drive, we're going to die." hahahahah.
Friday and Saturday were both JAM PACKED with lessons. It felt so good! I love being busy, and it was miraculous to see the way that everything worked out with the scheduling so we could just go bam bam bam from one place to another. Sister Packard even came out with us for a few lessons - so that was fun! I just love the whole Packard family. On Friday we had a first lesson with a potential who is now a new investigator. WOOT!!! His name is M*. It was the cutest lesson ever. He is 16 years old and had SO many good questions. "Why are there so many different religions?" "What does it mean when you say you have the 'fulness' of the Gospel?" "How do I know if God is answering my prayer? - What will it feel like?" Pssshhh. I love that. We were so excited to tell him that the lesson we had planned would answer ALL those questions! On the walk back to the car, Sister Vicente and I were hugging and almost crying because we were so happy. We got a text from M* that said, "I think I have that peaceful feeling right now!" :) At that point we just lost it and our hearts were moved unto the gushing out of many tears, just like the Nephite army in 3 Nephi chapter 4 (I've always loved that phrasing). It was the best. One of the many reasons that this week was so remarkable.
A quick weather update - the pictures you sent from Highland are just BEAUTIFUL! We've had lots of rain lately, but no snow yet. It's nice from a missionary "I have to be outside all day" perspective, but it's a little odd. I would love for it to snow Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then just warm back up and melt on Wednesday the 26th. We'll see if I get my wish. haha.
I guess this will be my last e-mail home before Christmas because I doubt we'll find any libraries open next Monday due to the fact that it is CHRISTMAS EVE. Squee! I love you all so much and I've been thinking a lot about Christmas lately, and I've determined that there is no reason that this can't be the best Christmas yet for ALL of us! Of course I miss you all and it will be a bit sad to not have the same traditions and get to be with you on the actual day, but I feel SO fortunate to get TWO Christmases on a mission!
I love you. I am excited to Skype with you in a little over a week!
Love,
Sister "Joy to the WORLD!" Broekhuijsen
After this email, we got one more short one from Melissa with the following message:
A lot of people have been asking about Sandy Hook Elementary School. It is not in my area, district, or even in the Massachusetts Boston Mission. It is about 45 minutes northwest from me, and everyone here is definitely talking about it. It's easy to feel helpless and like there's nothing we can do in horrible situations like this. But, in fact, there is one thing that we all CAN do, and that is to pray. I know that there is power in praying on the behalf of other people.
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