The above title is a real-life, genuine
sentence that escaped my genius sub-conscious this week. Hermana Hansen had
been telling us that her roommates thought she was a "stick" and when
Hermana Coffey asked what that meant, a beautiful saying was born.
"A stick is a
piece of wood that fell from a tree."
Last Friday we woke up at 5:30 AM...to
the fire alarm. I did what any logical individual would do when their building
may be burning to the ground; I put the blankets over my head and ignored it.
Hermana Hansen was in a tailspin, trying to get us all out of there before the
fiery embers consumed us all. Naturally, we locked the door so no thieves would
steal our journals or my Party Dress. Poor Hermana Coffey was forgotten. She
was also in the shower when the alarm went off. We found her cowering under a
tree outside, in nothing but her robe. Apparently we are terrible people
because we not only forgot and abandoned her, but we made it impossible for her
to come back to the room and become decent.
Hermana Hansen and I taught a lesson this past Sunday on being sanctified as missionaries.
As representatives of Jesus Christ we need to be thinking and acting like He
would. We have been set apart, and in order for us to teach with power, we need
to be on a higher plane than we were on before. We need to think about our
purpose (invite and help others to come unto Christ) and if we are thinking
about stuff that is irrelevant to that purpose, we are wasting His time. GULP.
So this means no more thinking about blogging, or mountain biking, or how my
family went hang gliding without me??? Obviously, we will fail, but through the
Atonement and suffering of Jesus Christ we can say "I will", do our
best, and let our Savior handle the rest.
Hermano Bartolomei (my young
teacher) was talking to me about the Passive Voice when he started to lean
in close to my face. I was really freaking out (NO KISSING) when he said,
"is that...? what is that in your hair?" Turns out it was Pop Rocks.
I am now officially a five year old.
Cuatro Cuadro is so last week. Basketball is
the hot new trend, just off the runways, and on all your fabulous fave celebs
(Aspiring Seventeen Magazine writer). But really, I have been playing
basketball. This comes as a surprise if you know the history of my tainted
basketball career.
(The year was 1999. I
was a proud and absolutely terrible player for The Broncos, a prestigious
basketball team on Mountain Home Air Force Base. Underhand politics resulted in
me getting traded to progressively more terrible teams, because shooting a
basketball in the wrong basket is frowned upon, go figure. My pure love of the
game was compromised.)
Back to basketball here at the MTC with
the Elders. Have you ever heard of riots breaking out at Nordstrom Rack? Our
games are 10 times worse. Chaos reigns, massacre ensues, my body hurts from
laughing so hard and being the victim of Hermana Hansen going completely
APE. To my utter delight, I have scored about 4 out of 1 trillion shots.
Elder Ormond and Stirling are saints for playing with us. They seem to enjoy
watching me scurry across the ground, shrieking in my Gollum post-losing the
Ring voice.
Humility. It's a constant battle to break down
my pride and rely on Someone much bigger than myself. I can't do this work on
my own. I just can't. To love with an unconditional, Christ-like love for
strangers is my duty, my calling. I am so small, with such a large
responsibility. Will I ever feel like I'm doing enough? I am perfect at being
imperfect.
I developed what I want my mission to be for
my mission. "To teach and love with POWER from on high." I want to be a
vessel where the power of God is manifest to the people. I want people to see
me walking and talking, and from that, be able to feel the Spirit. When I bear testimony, I want it to be full of POWER. I want it
to change people's hearts because they feel GOD's love and power, not mine.
In 2 Nephi 32:3 (BOOK OF MORMON) it says:
"Angels speak by the POWER of the Holy
Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you,
feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you
all things what ye should do."
I also "hosted" this week. This is
where you welcome sobbing new missionaries and their families into the MTC.
Such a bad idea, don't watch a Samoan goodbye unless you want to weep
uncontrollably. I mean, what type of person cries as they creepily watch tender
moments between a father and son? I do.
It makes me remember how much I miss my own
family, how much I love them with every fiber of my being. What a blessing it
is to know that I do not need to fear about death! I know families can be
forever. Death does not have to be the end for relationships. There is hope.
"Es la verdad" meaning "it's
the truth" has gradually evolved into "Slobber Dog" in District
48D. Love it.
Lots of love and Coco Chomp (my substitution
for dulces, galletas, y helado during my Sugar Fast),
Hermana Alex
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| Switched dresses for the day with Hermana Coffey |
 |
| Peru, ready or not, here we come! (When our visas get here, of course.) |
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